Almond Diet

Most of us try out many different diets during our lifetime to lose weight and attain a fit body. The best way to lose weight is to have a low calorie but healthy diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, lean meat and nuts along with following a good exercise regimen. Nuts like almonds, peanuts, pistachios and walnuts had been shunned earlier by dieters, thinking that they contain too many calories which would lead to weight gain. But research has shown that consuming controlled amount of nuts can, in fact, help in weight loss besides providing numerous health benefits. This is in fact the principle of the almond diet. Many people have the false notion that the almond diet consists of eating almonds exclusively all through the day without any solid food. But this diet is actually a very healthy diet, where you have a low carbohydrate diet which is supplemented with almonds. Almonds have many health benefits and it contains many essential nutrients. Most importantly, it contains a high amount of fibers which fills you up and helps in reducing craving for food.

Almond Diet Benefits

One of the main reasons that people are not able to stick to a diet is because most of them are too restrictive and do not have a proper plan as to what to eat for snacks. Most diet plans have detailed plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But they are a bit vague about snacks. Snacks are an important component of a healthy diet and it is a meal where most people slip up and make bad choices. In an almond diet, you can eat a handful of almonds as snacks. Eating almonds is one of the healthiest snack options since it satiates your hunger and it does not contain too many calories. You can also incorporate almonds in your diet by adding flaked almonds to your morning cereals or muesli, in homemade granola bars and to salads and stews. It not only provides you with high dosages of antioxidants and vitamin E, but also gives your food better flavor and texture.

Lowering LDL Cholesterol
One of the main benefits of following the almond diet plan is that it helps in reducing LDL cholesterol levels in your body. Increased levels of LDL cholesterol has been linked with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis. So introducing almonds in your regular diet will help in reducing the risk of heart diseases.

Lowering Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Almonds are also rich in monounsaturated fats that helps in reducing the risk of formation of plaque in the arteries of the heart. This in turn helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases caused by narrowing of the arteries of the heart. To increase the health benefits of almonds, have almonds with their skin. The skin of almonds contain flavonoids and other essential nutrients that are required to keep the body healthy.

Almonds for Weight Loss
The biggest advantage of following an almond diet is that it aids in weight loss. Almonds are nutritionally dense food that has a low glycemic index and is also rich in fiber and protein. Eating almonds helps a person fill full and satiated and thus controls cravings. This makes a person eat less and thus, aids in weight loss. However to lose weight through this diet, you need to eat plain roasted almonds. You cannot lose weight by consuming honey roasted almonds or salted almonds. Also make sure that you exercise a lot and exert portion control while eating almonds. Although they are healthy, almonds are also high in calories (611.6 Kcal per 100g).

Besides weight loss, almonds have many other health benefits. Almonds are rich in vitamin B, vitamin E and essential nutrients like potassium and magnesium. It is also an ideal food for diabetics, since it has a low glycemic index which releases blood sugar gradually into the body after it is consumed. This keeps the blood sugar levels steady in the body, which is very important for people suffering from diabetes. From the health benefits discussed above it is clear that an almond diet is a very healthy diet that will not only help in weight loss but also to have a fit body.