Can’t resist snacking? Switching to almonds can help you lose weight and stay healthy

What should I do if I want to lose weight but can’t resist snacks? American research has found that eating some almonds every day can increase satiety and slowly reduce the amount of junk food you eat. This is not only helpful for weight loss, but also good for overall health! In addition, if children are allowed to eat almonds or other healthy foods as snacks from an early age, they will be better able to eat properly when they grow up.

Supplementing almonds in moderation can increase satiety and has many benefits for health!

The Daily Mail reported that a study by the University of Florida showed that eating a handful of almonds every day to replace empty-calorie (high-calorie, low-nutrition) snacks (such as potato chips, high-calorie biscuits, etc.), while reducing salt and increasing protein intake, can help lose weight and promote health.

Eating a moderate amount of almonds every day can make your overall diet healthier

Scientists want to know what effects adding almonds to the diet might have on health. So they conducted a three-week study on 28 parent-child pairs in north central Florida, asking the fathers or mothers to eat 1.5 ounces (about 42.5 grams) of almonds every day, while their children ate 0.5 ounces (about 14.2 grams) of almonds or the same amount of almond butter every day.

At the beginning of the study, the researchers measured the "Healthy Eating Index" of parents and children, assessing whether their eating habits were in line with the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) "Guidelines for Americans."

If the test score is lower than 51 points, it means that the diet quality is poor; between 51 and 80 points, it means that improvement is needed; and above 80 points means that the diet is quite healthy. The average score obtained by the parents who participated in the study in the first two weeks of the experiment was 53.7 points (with an error of plus or minus 1.8 points), and the children's score was also 53.7 points (with an error of plus or minus 2.6 points).

Since starting to eat almonds, the healthy eating index of both parents and children has gradually increased; the parents' scores increased to an average of 61.4 points (with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 points), and the children's scores also increased to 61.4 points (with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 points). At the same time, all subjects consumed a wider variety of protein foods and ate fewer empty-calorie snacks.

Almonds are oils and fats, so only by consuming them in moderation can you control calories and eat healthily.

Eat almonds instead of empty calorie snacks to cultivate eating habits from an early age

The researchers believe that this is because the subjects ate almonds, which invisibly replaced high-salt, high-calorie processed foods. In fact, over the past 20 years, young children have been eating fewer nuts and more snacks such as potato chips and high-salt biscuits.

Researchers point out that eating habits in childhood will continue into adulthood; if parents let their children eat almonds or other healthy foods as snacks when they are young, the children will be more likely to choose these healthy foods when they grow up.

To prevent children from rejecting almonds, parents can add almonds to foods that children are familiar with or like, such as adding them to oatmeal or sandwiches, to make them easier for children to accept.

Almonds are fats and oils, so eating them in moderation is healthy

However, we still need to remind everyone that almonds are oily foods, and eating them in moderation can control overall calories and eat healthily. The country's "Daily Dietary Guidelines" recommends that people should consume 3 to 7 teaspoons of fat and 1 portion of nuts and seeds every day. One teaspoon of cooking oil (5 grams) is approximately equal to the fat content of 7 grams of almonds.

Therefore, if you eat more almonds on the same day, you must reduce the amount of oil used in cooking. You can cook your three meals by boiling, steaming, or blanching to avoid excessive fat intake.