Not too long ago, moms and grandmas would caution you against eating too many nuts as they are fattening. But the news is quite the opposite now. The virtues of eating nuts are being rediscovered, of course with great relish – who can resist the inviting taste cum flavour of those yummy roasted cashews and almonds? So, don’t feel guilty munching on the nuts, with of course built-in limits.
New studies are pointing to the benefits of eating nuts as they can reset your metabolism and stave off obesity. Right from providing cardiovascular benefits to potentially improving fertility, and even boosting memory and intelligence, the health benefits of nuts are being lauded like never before. Nuts are packed with unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, protein, and other beneficial chemicals, which may all contribute to good health.
A major study explored nut consumption in:
25,394 healthy men who had taken part in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study
53,541 women who had participated in the Nurses' Health Study
47,255 women who had taken part in the Nurses' Health Study II
The three groups had filled in food frequency questionnaires once every 4 years. The researchers discovered that replacing foods that had less nutritional value with a 1-ounce serving of nuts and peanuts lowered the risk of weight gain and obesity over the 4-year follow-up intervals.
More specifically, replacing a serving of red meat, processed meat, French fries, desserts, or potato chips with a serving of nuts correlated with significantly less weight gain in the long run. The study's author comments on the findings, saying, "People often see nuts as food items high in fat and calories, so they hesitate to consider them as healthy snacks, but they are in fact associated with less weight gain and wellness."
(American Heart Association's Scientific Session, November 2018).