People often given up all forms of “fat” and high-calorie food when trying to lose weight, and most often it’s ghee, eggs, cheese, and almonds that get eliminated from a calorie-conscious person’s diet, but we would like to remind you that by tossing out these foods, you are actually missing out the amazing “healthy fats” that come packed in these things. Healthy fats are absolutely necessary in the fat-burning process when you are trying to lose weight through dieting and exercise. While it’s a task to find out which forms of fats are weight lossy friendly, “almonds” with their amazing mono-saturated fat content, oleic acid, palmitoleic acid content are considered a fat-burning food. Almonds are also a nutrient-dense food and are a rich source of mono-unsaturated fats (aka healthy and essential fatty acids needed to lower cholesterol and maintain a healthy heart) along with being high in fiber, protein, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and essential minerals. Though not exactly low in calories, they pack a lot of nutrients in those calories. Almonds are great for skin, hair, and brain too. When eaten in the right quantity and the right way, they boost the weight loss process and in reducing belly fat. So, let’s see how to eat almonds to lose weight.
Health Benefits of Almonds:
1. As a Brain Food: Almond is considered a brain food because it supplies omega-3 fatty acids which improves memory and brain capacity. Chew a couple of almonds soaked in water to ensure proper development of brain. This is going to be of help to growing children in particular.
2. For human heart: Almonds have heart-healthy fats and mono-saturated fats along with potassium, all of which keep heart in a good condition and relax blood vessels. Almonds also supply antioxidants through its vitamin E content. Almonds also help prevents clogged arteries.
3. Helps in Maintaining Optimum Blood Pressure: Almonds have potassium that helps in regulating blood pressure.
4. Good for Diabetics: Almonds regulate blood sugar and do not spike insulin sharply, hence good for diabetics.
5. Lowers Cholesterol: People who consume almonds regularly have low cholesterol levels, studies say.
6. Boosts Weight Loss: Almonds have healthy fats that help in the fat burning process, reduces appetite, and prevent overeating.
How Almonds Boost Weight Loss?
Various studies have established that almonds can boost weight loss with their rich nutrient profile. If someone consumes 25 almonds, they would get approximately 14.2 gm healthy fats, 3.5 gm fiber, 6.1 gm carbs, and 6 gm protein, all in 164 calories. It also helps that almonds are delicious and can be used in different ways, in a healthy diet, as almond milk instead of regular milk, as almond flour, in roasted form, or just by soaking them in water or milk overnight. It can also be made into a trail mix.
1. Almonds are Nutrient-Dense Food: As we have mentioned previously, almond has fat-burning healthy fats. Apart from healthy fats, it is rich in magnesium, copper, vitamin E, zinc, potassium – all of which boost weight loss.
2. Rich in Antioxidants: The antioxidants in these nuts fight cellular damage, reduce inflammation, and stimulate fat breakdown.
3. Rich in Protein: Almonds are a rich source of protein that helps in curbing appetite, increasing thermogenesis, breakdown of fat, and development of lean muscle mass.
4. Rich in Fiber: Fiber increases satiety and helps to cut down calories by a great degree. Apart from making you feel fuller for longer, it is also essential for gut health.
5. Keeps you Full For Longer: With its protein, healthy fats, and fiber content, it keeps you fuller for longer. Can be made a part of healthy snacking, trail mix. As a snack, it can be a healthy alternative to unhealthy snacks and junk food.
6. Reduces Belly Fat: Healthy fats and protein in almonds target and help to reduce belly fat.
7. It’s Low in Carbs: Since it’s low in carbs, people on a low-carb diet will benefit from it.
8. Boosts Metabolism: Just a few almonds a day will help with faster fat metabolism.
9. Gluten-Free Option: Almond milk, almond flour are all good alternatives for people allergic to gluten (10 Best Gluten-Free Grains that can Make You Healthier).
Summing up, do try to include a handful of almonds in your daily diet, and the best option would be to soaking almonds overnight in water to remove the anti-nutrients such as phytic acid. As a snack, make it a part of trail mix by including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, and other nuts, and curb unnecessary hunger pangs. But as we have always mentioned, you need to portion control even with healthy foods, restricting intake to just a handful or not more than 30 almonds to stimulate the fat-burning process. Also, do not pick the salted version, switch to regular ones, without added flavours. Do check out Rati Beauty weight loss diets on the Rati Beauty app to find out different ways to use almonds to burn fat and drop weight.
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