Eating nuts for weight loss

This may sound totally nutty but nuts can actually help you in your goal to losing weight. They won't lose weight for you, as with anything that works it takes effort for it to work. However, there have been many studies over the past few years that have provided a link between nuts and weight loss, and they do seem to indicate that eating nuts for weight loss is the way to go.

I bet you're thinking "how can nuts help me lose weight?" and there is no definitive answer, more a combination of many theories, facts and studies. The main one is that nuts are high in fibre, which mean that food is pushed through the digestive track quicker, and this is one thing that speeds up the metabolism. A high metabolism, or higher than before you started trying to lose weight, is essential for weight loss.

I've actually just started eating more healthily myself, combined with exercise 3 times per week. I used to be a menace for eating in between meals, skipping breakfast and the snacking wouldn't be of the healthy kind. I read somewhere to eat nuts in between meals, as they are very filling, reduce cravings and are healthier than chocolate and biscuits. I can vouch that nuts are filling - as I eat 10 or so Pistachios - my choice of nut - and my hunger/desire to eat has gone.

So, it does go to show that if you eat nuts in between meals instead of more fattening, saltier food, you will consume less calories, will consume less over the course of the day as nuts are more filling than chocolate and you will probably find you have more energy.

I know it may sound a bit far fetched, but the more I've researched it, the more it makes sense. I used to always crave food, sugary or salty food, and because I felt hungry so that I needed food right that minute, I often went down the fast food, or snack food route. From what I've read, our body will crave food and suffer low energy levels when we have some kind of nutritional deficiency going on in the body - it could be fat/ proteins/ carbs etc. Because sugar is the easiest way to get a quick energy fix, that is the type of food we crave. As with anything, though the more we have, the more we want, which means we will carry on eating those foods, even when we don't crave it.

Nuts have been proven to reduce cravings, which in the longer term will mean not wanting those chocolate snacks and sugary foods. The reason for this is because they will help restore the imbalance of nutrients - and seeing as we crave food when we are low on nutrients the cravings will stop once our nutrients level is better. Balanced nutritional level = no cravings = less salty/ fast food etc = potential lower weight.

The only thing you have to be careful with nuts is that they contain quite a few calories per portion. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the good thing with nuts is that once you are full, you won't eat anymore because the desire to eat them would have gone.

Practically everything in nuts are natural - as long as they are natural of course - salted peanuts etc do not count. In contrast, salty, fatty foods that use processed oils and fats make the digestive system sluggish, which will slow the metabolism down.

What nuts can I eat for weight loss?

This is up to you really, as long as they are not covered in salt or a relish etc. then almost any nuts can help you to lose weight.

Ones that are particularly good for you are:

• Pistachios

• Hazelnuts

• Chestnuts

• Almonds

• Pecans

• Pine Nuts

Of course this may not work for everyone, but the general rule for weight loss is you need to eat healthier, maybe a bit less but with the same nutritional value, and exercise more. I wish you the very best of luck. I hope in time you will share my opinion that eating nuts for weight loss is the right way to go.