Nuts for Your Healthy Eating Plan

If you’re following a weight loss plan for pregnancy weight loss you might be confused about the inclusion of nuts in your healthy eating plan.

On one hand you hear people say that nuts are high in fat and calories, on the other you are being told to include nuts as a healthy snack between meals.

What do you do?  You don’t want to sabotage your pregnancy weight loss efforts!

At Lose Baby Weight we believe that nuts, eaten in the right quantity, are an important part of a healthy and balanced diet because they are high in heart healthy fats, fibre, protein, lots of vitamins and minerals, and are naturally cholesterol-free – if you are following a weight loss plan nuts provide everything you need in one snack.

Another benefit of nuts is their fibre content – being high in fibre nuts will move through the intestinal tract quickly, sweeping it clean.  A clean digestive tract is essential for effective weight loss as it helps speed up the metabolism and improves energy levels.

However, nuts are not created equal so it’s really important to know which nuts are the most nutritious and can be eaten in moderation, and which nuts should be avoided completely if you are trying to lose stomach fat.

The Basics Facts About Fat

Fat is an essential part of a healthy diet and in recent years advice has focused on the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats and while both types of fats have the same calorific content, saturated fats can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood increasing the risk of heart disease.  Saturated fats are most commonly found in dairy products, meat and cakes.

Unsaturated fats are found in oily fish, seeds, nuts and olive oil, and are thought to help lower cholesterol and help with the removal of stomach fat.

Eating small amounts of unsaturated fats can also satisfy the cravings that many dieters have for fatty foods, and by replacing saturated fats with heart healthy monounsaturated fats found in nuts you reduce the calorie content in your overall diet.

To read more about getting the right kind of fat in your diet, click here.

The Difference Types of Nuts

If you are following a healthy eating plan for pregnancy weight loss you must avoid nuts that are heavily salted (high in sodium), sweetened (high in sugar and calories) or overly processed – this includes toasted or roasted nuts because these processes destroy some of the key nutrients nuts contain, particularly the vitamins.

The healthiest nuts are those eaten raw, or lightly dry roasted without the addition of other ingredients.

Macadamia, Brazil and Pecan

Despite being high in nutrients, these three nuts varieties should be avoided – they are very high in fat and calories.  The gourmet of nuts, the macadamia contains 719 calories per 100g serving, and the same weight of pecans is 715 calories.

Peanuts

Of all the nuts, peanuts provide the most complete protein, providing 25 grams of good quality protein per 100gram serving.  Peanuts are also rich in antioxidants like those found in berries, are a very good source of energy with 50 grams of fats and 16 grams of carbohydrates per 100 gram serving – just don’t have too many of them!

Almonds

Almonds are a valuable source of dietary protein and other minerals and should therefore be included in moderation in the diet of people who are trying to lose weight or following a weight loss plan

Almonds are much richer in minerals such as potassium and calcium than other nuts, and provide over 30% of your daily requirement for Vitamin E and folic acid.

Each almond contains around seven calories so a handful as a snack not only boosts energy but also contributes to daily vitamin intakes.

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts have the highest content of Vitamin C and are quite high in iron, thiamin and folate.

Cashew

Cashew nuts are slightly higher in calories than almonds, at around 8.5 calories per nut but the slight increase in calories is more than balanced out by the nutritional benefits.

Cashews are a good source of iron, potassium and folate.

Cashews can be used in stir-fries, salads or curries and are equally good as a nutritious snack.  It is important to choose only uncooked or dry roasted cashews, as the nuts with added sugar are far higher in calories.

Chestnuts

Chestnuts are, kilo for kilo, lower in calories than other nuts. Due to their size though, each chestnut comes in at around 20 calories. They are very high in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, as well as being a good source of Vitamin C and K, but are relatively low in protein.

As a result of the high levels of tannin in chestnuts they should not be eaten raw and must be boiled or dry roasted before eating.

Pistachios

Pistachios are another nut relatively low in calories, with around 3 calories per nut.

They are high in dietary fibre, and a good source of potassium, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin E and manganese.

Pistachios can be added into dishes when cooking and work well with couscous, rice and salad dishes. They can also be eaten raw as a quick snack on the go.

Conclusion

Eaten in moderation with a careful eye on portion control, say a handful as a snack at morning or afternoon teatime, almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios are the best choice for your weight loss plan.

Top Tip

And finally our top tip; eating a small handful of nuts right before bedtime might help you get better nights sleep.  Some nuts have a high amount of the sleep inducing amino acid tryptophan.

For other Lose Baby Weight articles on Nutrition in Weight Loss, click here.

Technorati Tags: healthy eating plan, lose stomach fat, pregnancy weight loss, weight loss plans

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