Healthy weight loss is contingent on a number of factors from the food you eat, to how much sleep you get, and the amount of calories you burn through exercise. It’s a well known fact that maintaining a calorie deficit is essential for seeing real results, but the quality of the calories you’re consuming is also a relevant factor in determining the value of your meals.
Some foods which are commonly considered ‘healthy’ are blindly eaten in excess, inadvertently making it more difficult to sustain a calorie deficit and therefore impeding on your weight loss goals. If you’ve filled your diet with nutrient dense foods but are still finding it difficult to see any changes in your body, there’s one snack that dietitians agree may be standing in your way of weight loss.
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Nuts
A great source of healthy fats, plant-based protein, and ample nutrients, in moderation nuts can be a great addition to your daily diet for increased energy and even weight loss. However, because nuts are labelled as a ‘healthy’ food, they often carry the connotation that they can be eaten in large quantities without any adverse effects. That being said, across the board nuts are a generally higher calorie food which may quickly work against your deficit when eaten in excess. “Nuts are small and, much like chips, are easy to mindlessly eat. Larger portions or servings of nuts leads to a larger amount of calories that are consumed simultaneously,” warns registered dietitian Trista Best.
Commonly used as a crunchy topping for salads, a midday snack, or a delicious addition to your bread mix, nuts are undoubtedly a valuable addition to your diet. But as with all other foods, failing to eat them in moderation can pose a problem for creating a sustainable calorie deficit, and you may find your scale staying the same with nuts as a large daily snack. “When it comes to nuts, though they are nutrient dense, they are a food that are also high in calories due to the healthy fats they contain. Therefore, consider measuring the amount of nuts you consume and portioning them out appropriately,” suggests Best.
That being said, nuts are naturally going to be better for you than eating chips or sweets as a midday snack as they’re rich in healthy fat which has actually been known to help improve your metabolism and boost calorie burn naturally. Simply staying aware of the serving sizes and measuring your portions may be the solution you need to keep nuts in your diet without overdoing it, and opting for almonds, pistachios, or walnuts which are the nut variations with the highest nutritional value will also prove to be useful in your weight loss efforts.
It’s never a good idea to villainize any foods, and the healthiest approach to weight loss is going to be one which allows you to consume all of your favorite ingredients in moderation, while prioritizing foods that are more nutritionally dense. Nuts are a healthy and filling snack which can be consumed throughout your weight loss journey, but as with all other foods, staying aware of the volume you’re eating will make a significant difference in avoiding mindless snacking and feeding your body the calories it needs to thrive without munching in excess.
