To keep your patients' bodies, and especially their hearts, in the best shape possible, it's important that they maintain a healthy weight. That's why helping your patients integrate almonds into their diet plans is not only a smart choice, but also a truly satisfying one.
A handful of almonds is considered a good fit with many popular weight-loss plans. They offer key benefits to anyone trying to shed a few pounds. They are high in nine essential nutrients, so when your clients reach for almonds between meals to curb cravings, they are getting the nutrients they need in a crunchy and flavorful snack they can feel good about. In fact, a 28g serving (about 23 almonds) is high in fibre and monounsaturated fat in addition to 9 essential nutrients, including vitamin E and calcium. Almonds are also a natural source of protein, delivering 6g of protein per 28g serving, and high in monounsaturated fat, the healthy fat emphasized in the Mediterranean diet.
The Proof: In a randomised, crossover study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers described the effects of daily almond intake on body weight.2
The people:
- 20 healthy, overweight females
The diet:
- Added 300 calories of almonds per day for 10 weeks to a normal diet
The results:
- Participants did not show an increase in body weight. They naturally compensated for most of the calories found in almonds.
- Additionally, the study found the fibre in almonds blocked some of the fat calories from being absorbed.
Click here for almond recipes your patients will want to make again and again.
1. EU guidelines recommend that the majority of your fat intake be unsaturated. One serving of almonds (30g) has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.
2. Hollis J, Mattes R. Effect of Chronic Consumption of Almonds on Bodyweight in Healthy Humans. Br j Nutr. 2007 Sep;98(3):651-6
3. Jenkins DJ, et al. “Dose Response of Almonds on Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors: Blood Lipids, Oxidized Low-Density Lipoproteins, Lipoprotein(a), Homocysteine, and Pulmonary Nitric Oxide A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial.” Circulation. 2002 Sep 10; 106(11):1327-32.
