It is no secret that many people have let loose a little and ignored their diets during the pandemic. Snacking has especially been made very easy by working from home. However, a new study shows that you can use snacking to reduce weight and keep the extra weight from coming back. Researchers suggest that adding mixed tree nuts to a diet can result in considerable weight loss and a sense of fulfillment.
Weight maintenance programs
The research team from UCLA assessed the weight-loss efforts of 95 overweight individuals aged between 30 and 68. These women and men consumed 1.5 ounces of pretzel snack or mixed tree nuts as part of their weight-loss program.
Researchers revealed that both snacks provided the participants with an equal number of calories throughout the 12- week hypocaloric weight loss program. For 12 weeks after that period, the group switched to an isocaloric weight maintenance program.
The results showed that both kinds of dieting produced the same amount of weight loss. The participants who ate pretzels lost 4.2 pounds over 12 weeks and 3.1 pounds in 24 weeks. Those who used tree nuts lost 3.5 pounds in the first 12 weeks and 3.1 pounds in 24 weeks. Both groups also displayed a significant drop in Body Mass Index during the diets.
Despite similar weight loss results, the researchers realized that the feeling of fullness was more in the group that used the tree nut diet. The dieters also maintained their weight better than the pretzel group.
The tree nut group also had significantly lower dropout rates (16%) than the pretzel group’s 35.9%. Researchers additionally note that participants in the tree nut group had a drop in heart rate, which was not the case for the pretzel group.
What’s in tree nuts?
According to the study, tree nuts (Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, and macadamias) are an excellent source of fiber proteins healthy fats. This makes them satiating, explaining the lower dropout rate and weight gain after the diet in the tree nut group.
