Why Nuts Do NOT Make You Fat

I’m a huge fan of eating raw nuts for health and weight loss. But every time I recommend them, folks ask me, “Won’t all the calories and fat in nuts make me gain weight?”

The answer may surprise you. Research not only indicates that nuts are a rich source of nutrients and cardiovascular health protection, but also that eating nuts at least twice a week can put you at a lower risk for weight gain.

Recently, scientists from Purdue University did a thorough review of all the studies on nut intake and weight loss. Some of the studies found an inverse relationship between nut intake and body mass index (BMI). And others found that increasing nut intake did not cause weight gain.

It appears that nuts – which contain a lot of fiber – have an appetite-suppressing effect. And when your appetite is suppressed, that obviously makes it easier to stick to a diet. Nuts might also have poor bioaccessibility, meaning that not all of their calories are absorbed.

So nuts are fine if you want to lose weight. I highly recommend them to everyone on my fat-loss programs, and I believe it is just one of the reasons my clients get such great results.

[Ed. Note: The first step to losing weight is eating right. And snacking on nuts can be a good way to stay lean and keep your stomach full. You can also slim down by eating healthy meals. But they don’t have to be boring. The second step to losing weight is exercise. You can build muscle and burn fat with fitness expert Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training program]