So for anyone that still comes onto this blog – THANKS for being patient with my absence during a brief period of craziness and insanity in my life. I am still TOTALLY comitted to getting the word out there of how to look and feel great after “THE belly.”
SO, I feel as though nuts get a TOTALLY bad rap. I always hear from women, ” Oh, they have FAT.”
FAT itself is a TOTALLY misunderstood thing. It totally depends WHAT kind of fat it is. The GOOD KIND OF FAT HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT!!!! It make me insane that so much of the world is still “scared of fat.”
The items that are toted “LOW FAT” often CAUSE you to gain weight. They are loaded with SUGAR or are some chemically altered substance that your body does not understand and caused inflammation inside you body, which causes weight gain (Dr. David Heber – Pres of National Weight Loss Registry).
So back to nuts….my personal FAV, and has been for awhile are cashews. I usually keep a bag of cashews, raw almonds, and raw walnuts in my car with me if I am doing errands and some in the house for a quick pick me up.
Since I had my 3rd baby, I found out 2 things.
1) I need to eat often of I get shaky
2) Its harder to lose weight after each baby
Cashews are one of my “safe” on the go foods that really hit the spot:
Eating Nuts Lowers Risk of Weight Gain
Although nuts are known to provide a variety of cardio-protective benefits, many avoid them for fear of weight gain. A prospective study published in the journal Obesity shows such fears are groundless.
Although nuts are known to provide a variety of cardio-protective benefits, many avoid them for fear of weight gain. A prospective study published in the journal Obesity shows such fears are groundless.
The 28-month study involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain, found that participants who ate nuts at least two times per week were 31% less likely to gain weight than were participants who never or almost never ate nuts.
And, among the study participants who gained weight, those who never or almost never ate nuts gained more (an average of 424 g more) than those who ate nuts at least twice weekly.
Study authors concluded, “Frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of weight gain (5 kg or more). These results support the recommendation of nut consumption as an important component of a cardioprotective diet and also allay fears of possible weight gain.”
Practical Tip: Don’t let concerns about gaining weight prevent you from enjoying the delicious taste and many health benefits of nuts!
Spread some nut butter on your morning toast or bagel.
Remember how many great childhood lunches involved a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Upgrade that lunchbox favorite by spreading organic peanut butter and concord grape jelly on whole wheat bread.
Fill a celery stick with nut butter for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Sprinkle a handful of nuts over your morning cereal, lunchtime salad, dinner’s steamed vegetables.
Or just enjoy a handful of lightly roasted nuts as a healthy snack
Heart-Protective Monounsaturated Fats
Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 75% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid content is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. Studies show that oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health, even in individuals with diabetes. Studies of diabetic patients show that monounsaturated fat, when added to a low-fat diet, can help to reduce high triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are a form in which fats are carried in the blood, and high triglyceride levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disease, so ensuring you have some monounsaturated fats in your diet by enjoying cashews is a good idea, especially for persons with diabetes.
Do you eat nuts? Which do you eat? What do you do with them?
I LOVE to eat nuts – raw, of course, since roasting damages those wonderful, healthy fats. My favorites are walnuts, almonds and pecans, but all take any and all I can get!
And, I’m SO glad your life is getting less crazy!
Mary Marble (I’m signed in to Ben’s account)
where do you even buy raw nuts? I had raw spanish peanuts and they were pretty gross. Over all, I LOVE me some nuts (thanks to a snack mix crazy dad), but I find I have to eat them in MODERATION or else they can help me put on pounds.
I guess moderation is key in ALL things.
I’m glad you’re back!!! I feel like I’ve been out of the checking-other-blog world for quite a while myself, so I’m glad I didn’t miss anything!
Nuts are my FAVORITE snack! I agree…people don’t understand that some fats are good and necessary…in moderation!
And yes–I would still love to do a blog swap! I’ll see what I can come up with!
I went and bought cashews after reading this. I struggle with snacking in the afternoons when my boys are asleep (although that 70% dark chocolate trick has helped me avoid extra sugar intake) and I figured after reading this, if I have healthier choices in my cupboards, I’ll be more likely to make them! Love reading this blog!
Tami H – you can buy raw nuts at the health food store, or even in the baking isle at the grocery store. Our Sam’s Club sells almonds, pecans and walnuts in big bags. Just make sure they don’t say “roasted” on the package.
I have to say, when I eat nuts RAW, I can eat a lot, and they actually DO help me to loose weight. On the other hand, when they’re roasted, I have to be very careful.
On a recent road trip, I ate about a cup of raw walnuts and about 2/3c. raw macademia nuts over the course of the day, and I actually lost 1/2 lb that day.
Thanks Mary, that is great to help differentiate. RAW IS MORE CONDUCIVE TO WEIGHT LOSS!
Tami, I think other nuts are easier to find raw than peanuts…and taste better. Those raw peanuts were very odd.
Remember to store raw nuts in your freezer to maintain the properties!!