Nuts For Weight Loss

One of my best tips for weight loss is to go nuts for nuts. That's right; studies have shown that nuts are very helpful when it comes to losing weight. Nuts are high in protein and healthy fats, which makes them a great alternative to animal proteins. They are also high in vitamins, minerals and lots of nutritious calories that can help to curb the cravings associated with weight loss.

Although animal proteins contain important nutrients, they can get in the way with weight loss as they contribute to slow bowel movements. Nuts, on the other hand, are high in fiber, which moves through the intestinal tract at a rapid pace and sweeps it clean. A clean digestive tract is essential for losing weight as it helps to speed up the metabolism, reduces food cravings and increases energy levels. All of these are important for losing weight effectively and keeping it off in the long run.

Another benefit of nuts is that they are plant-based and do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fats. All the oils and fats in nuts are natural and are very good for you, especially for your heart.

Food cravings are often linked to nutritional deficiencies. When the body does not have the right nutrients it runs low on energy and begins to crave for the food that will rapidly restore that energy. That is why you crave for sugar as it is the easiest food for the body to absorb and utilize for energy. But the more sugar (or any other junk food) that you have, the more you end up craving it. And thus, the vicious cycle of food cravings has begun.

Nuts have the ability to stop those cravings by restoring important nutrients back into the body. Once the nutrients are restored, the cravings will disappear. This does not mean that you won't want to eat those foods anymore, but it will be mind over matter, enabling you to resist the temptation. I still have fantasies of a McDonalds burger every now and then. But then I think about what it will do to me and immediately I don't want it anymore. It was a totally different story when I was addicted and every inch of my body craved it. Now I can drive past that big yellow M without even noticing it.

Another great thing about nuts is that even though they are high in calories and fats, you cannot overeat on them. If you sit down and start munching on a bowl full of almonds, your taste buds will shut off once you have had enough. The nuts will all of a sudden take on a different taste that will make you want to gag, causing you to lose all interest in the nuts no matter how much you enjoyed them previously.

Studies have shown that people who eat nuts also tend to eat more fruits and vegetables, which are also very good for weight loss. Nuts, along with fruits and vegetables are by far the best combination to help restore nutrients in order to eliminate food cravings.

In addition, nuts and fruits and vegetables are also very effective at eliminating toxins from the blood and tissue cells, which also promotes weight loss. Believe it or not, but toxins get stored in fat cells so that they cannot harm the vital organs of the body. Then when the toxins are removed, the fat cells are also removed because the body no longer needs them.

A quick note on food combining: Fruits are digested at a rapid pace and will leave the stomach before any other food. If they are eaten together with nuts and seeds they will not be able to leave the stomach in a timely manner. As a result, they will ferment before they can be digested. Therefore, it is best to always consume fruit by itself on an empty stomach.

Here are some excellent nuts that can be added to your diet to help stop those cravings and allow you to become healthy once again. It is best to eat these nuts raw without any salt or other added ingredients.

Almonds are one of my favorites; they are high in fiber, which helps the digestive system, and also contain protein, vitamin E, magnesium and copper.

Brazil nuts are a good source of the B vitamin thiamine, selenium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Cashews are rich in copper and magnesium.

Chestnuts, unlike most other nuts are low in calories and fat, and high in carbohydrates. They contain vitamin C, which is not found in any other nuts. They are also a good source of folate and potassium.

Hazelnuts are an excellent source of calcium.

Macadamia nuts contain phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Pecans are an excellent source of fiber and protein.

Pine nuts are good for the heart and are an excellent source of protein.

Pistachios are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium and calcium.

Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids. They also contain vitamins B and E, copper, iron and zinc, which are great antioxidants to help you detoxify.

As you can see, nuts contain enough protein, calcium, omega fatty acids and other important nutrients so that we do not need to eat any animal proteins. You do not have to eliminate all animal proteins, but you should keep the intake at minimal levels in order to lose weight and keep it off.

If you want to stop all animal proteins, take it easy and do not eliminate all of them at once. Rather, make gradual habit-forming changes that you can stick with. This will also make it a lot easier on your body and your emotions.

Contrary to popular belief, the first rule in weight loss is to NEVER starve yourself. Starving yourself will only mess with your metabolism and cause you to gain all the weight back once you start eating again. In addition, it sets you up for overeating on the wrong foods, which will put even more weight on you.

If you want fast results, you can always do a juice fast, which is beneficial for cleaning the digestive tract and restoring nutrients. A juice fast will cause extreme hunger for the first few days if you have never fasted before. Then if you can stick it out for 3 days it gets easier as the hunger disappears. However, you should take it at your own pace. If the detox symptoms, such as headaches, mood swings and fatigue, become severe, you should immediately break the fast.

You should also eat the foods that you enjoy in moderation. This includes junk foods as well. The key is to eat your healthy foods first, including nuts and seeds, and then you will have more control over those other foods. Then as you gradually increase your intake of nuts and other healthy foods, you will naturally begin to eat less junk.

This is a natural way to lose weight, which can take months to lose all the weight that you want to lose. But because you are making dietary changes, the effects will be permanent.

1. Make your own nutty trail mix to snack on every time you feel the munchies coming on. Instead of just satisfying your need to munch on something they'll fill you up and you'll eat less at mealtime.
2. Use them to make nut milk. Almonds are my favorite nut for this.
3. Make a nut pate by blending the nuts up with garlic, some lemon juice and your favorite herbs.
4. Use them in a creamy salad dressing by blending them in a high-speed blender along with your favorite ingredients.
5. Make nut butters, raw cheese and raw dips.
6. Toss nuts into your stir-fries or salads.
7. Throw them in your green smoothies.
8. When tempted to eat chips, add nuts in with the bowl of chips and eat both. Do the same for popcorn.
9. When tempted to bake chocolate chip cookies, use nuts instead of chocolate chips.
10. Add your favorite nuts to your cake batters.
11. Add roasted nuts to cake frosting or sprinkle on top.
12. Nuts, such as almonds, pecans and walnuts, go well in bread batters.
13. Add your favorite nuts to your morning cereal.
14. Sprinkle roasted nuts on your favorite ice cream or yogurt.

Some nuts are tasty and others not so tasty. Adding them to your favorite dishes in small amounts will help you to get accustomed to the taste.

So whether you want to lose weight, get back into shape or just remain healthy, go nuts for nuts!