Eating Almonds Daily Curbs Appetite and Helps maintain Weight

A recent study finds that almonds are a healthy snack, do not add weight and provide nutrients, vitamin E and good fats and also curb hunger.

The Purdue University researchers conducted a four-week long clinical study on 137 adults. These participants were prone to type-2 diabetes; they were divided into five groups. One group followed a diet which avoided consuming seeds and nuts, a breakfast and a lunch meal group each, which consumed 1.5 ounces of almonds along with their meals. And an afternoon and a morning snack teams, which had to eat almonds in between their meals.

The participants finished their almonds in about two hours after their last meal and two hours prior to their next meal. The volunteers were also asked to exercise and workout. The diet of the participants was supervised with the help of a self-dietary intake assessment along with vitamin E plasma levels. No increase was observed in the weight of these partakers by the researchers.

"This research suggests that almonds may be a good snack option, especially for those concerned about weight," Richard Mattes, PhD, MPH, RD, distinguished professor of nutrition science at Purdue University and the study's principal investigator, said in a press release.

 "In this study, participants compensated for the additional calories provided by the almonds so daily energy intake did not rise and reported reduced hunger levels and desire to eat at subsequent meals, particularly when almonds were consumed as a snack."

The researchers also observed that there was a reduction in the serum glucose of the participants after they consumed the meals. A cut in the hunger levels and cravings of the snack group was also examined. This study points toward the fact that fitness freaks and health conscious people can keep their weights under control by healthy snacking.

Around 97 percent of Americans have at least one snack daily; switching to snacks on the basis of the dietary benefits will help them in reducing the problem of weight gain and obesity.

This study is also published in the October issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.