There is a common belief that nuts are filled with fats and they are never a good option when it comes to losing weight. However, the studies say otherwise. Nuts, and to be particular almonds can be highly helpful for losing weight. It not only helps in managing weight, but also burns out the stubborn belly fat promoting formation of more muscles in the body.
Almonds are filled with protein and can make a good vegetarian alternative to meat and eggs. Along with the protein, almonds also have a bunch of fibers, which can effectively restrict the absorption of fat in the body. Dietary fibers prevent the fats to come in the contact of the intestinal wall, flushing them out through excretion.
Almonds are rich in oleic acid, which is a particular type of monosaturated fat, similar to the one found in olive oil. Oleic acid does not add to the fat of the body, instead helps in eliminating the “bad fats” from the body. Oleic acid helps in lowering the deposition of cholesterol in the arteries, letting your cardiovascular system perform better, which can directly add to your normal metabolism rate, giving you weight loss benefits. The high vitamin E content of almonds also ensures better working of the heart.
The fiber content of almonds not only limits the absorption of fat in the body but also makes you feel more satiated which effectively controls your hunger and reduces the total calorie intake without letting you starve. So, if you have been looking for a good snack that tastes great, fills your stomach and also gives you weight loss benefits, almonds are certainly the dry fruits that fits exactly into all your needs.
However, while almonds can be highly helpful for losing weight, eating huge amount of almonds in your daily diet is not the right way to go because they are not a low-calorie food. This article will tell you how to eat almonds so that it can effectively aid in the weight loss process.
How much almonds should I eat to lose weight?
Measuring the portion of almonds you eat in a day accurately is essential in order to ensure that you are getting the best weight loss benefits of this dry fruit. When you are eyeing for weight loss, you should not munch on more than 1 ounce of almonds in a day, which will include something around 20-22 whole almond kernels. In addition to that, also keep in mind, instead of having all the almonds in the portion for one day at a time, it is better to eat the same amount throughout the day.
You can easily eat up total 20-22 almonds in a day by dividing them across your breakfast and snacks. In this way, your body will not get a heavy dose of calorie at any particular time, which might trigger storage in the body; and on the other hand, there will be a continuous supply of good amount of calorie which will keep you satiated and filled.
Buy the right type of almonds
When you are trying to lose weight with almonds, it is really important that you pick the right type of almond that can give you the best weight loss benefits. You really need not to be a nutritionist to know that when you are munching on fried and salted almonds it will rarely give you weight loss benefits, because with these snacks you will take in not only the healthy almonds but also the unhealthy oils and spices. For weight loss, it is important that you munch on the almonds that come without any addition and are not fried. You can get them easily in any super market and may be in your local store as well.
How to include almonds in your diet for best weight loss benefits
Almond is a dry fruit that can be added with more or less any dish to add to its taste. When you eat almonds with a high fiber rich food, like oats, it can provide you the best weight loss benefits. You can also munch on almonds without any accompaniments. So here is a plan to include almonds in your daily diet for losing weight,
Include chopped almonds in your breakfast cereal
This is one of the best ways of including almonds in your diet. During breakfast your body is in need of high calorie, and including almonds in your breakfast can be highly helpful to supply your body the required calorie, helping you to feel much less hungry throughout the day. Take some almonds chop them and add them in your breakfast cereal. If you are having oats, porridge or corn flakes in breakfast, almonds can heavily add to the nutrition as well as taste while giving you the best weight loss benefits.
Use almond butter in your bread
If you are not that much dependent on breakfast cereals or you just want to make a change in your breakfast routine with those whole grain breads, you can easily include 1 spoon of almond butter with the breads to get all the great weight loss benefits of almonds. However, ensure that the almond butter you are using is pure and never increase your portion of almond butter to more than 1 spoon in your breakfast bread.
Add almonds with milk shake
Milk shake is a drink that we prefer to have not only during the breakfast, but more or less at any time of the day, when feeling hungry. By including chopped almonds in your milk shakes you can make it more tasty and healthy. Prepare your normal milk shake following whichever recipe you prefer and then add 4-5 chopped almonds in it and drink. It will enhance the taste of the milk shake and will also fill in your daily quota of almonds for losing weight.
Munch on almonds as snacks
Almonds are tasty and you do not really need to add anything more to munch on them. Many of us prefer to have almonds along with raisins, but when you are eating almonds for losing weight pairing them up with raisins is not a very good choice because raisins are high in sugar. So, do not give in to your sweet tooth, and munch on the dry almonds replacing any other snacks you prefer to have.
Eating a few almonds 15 minutes before every diet can be a good way to control your calorie intake as the fibers in almond will naturally make you feel less hungry. In addition to that the fiber will also reduce the absorption of fat in the stomach, helping you in losing weight. Munching up on a few almonds after your daily workout is also a good idea as almonds serve as a quick source of energy and can be very helpful for building muscle mass.
