Eat Your Nuts And Drop Belly Fat

If you missed the first parts of the belly fat burning series you can check them out below.

Remember the old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Well I think we should expand the prescription to include a handful of nuts.

Before I knew much about nutrition I used to look like this cute little fella eating my nuts.

My current favourites are organic almond and cashew BUTTER spread, over some toasted rye bread with a generous topping of raspberries.

WARNING: It’s so mouth watering and EXTREMELY tasty, so munch away with caution as you might just eat the whole tub in one go!!! Not advised…

People who eat nuts regularly are less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t. Nuts contain amino acids that is touted for it’s role in protecting the inner lining of the arterial walls, making them more pliable and less susceptible to atherogenesis. Atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease or ASVD) is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol.

Nuts are FULL of good fats and you know how much I LOVE healthy fats.

Surprised?? Don’t be!

So which are the best nuts?? Here’s my 5 marked in BOLD.

The best are walnuts because they contain fats, which are high in OMEGA-3, and OMEGA 3 is brain food. Where else do we get omega 3? Fish! So like fish, walnuts are brain food. They make a great snack and they aid in growth, reproduction, brain functioning and great for weight loss

Almonds are second. Eaten in moderation almonds too can aid weight loss. Try and get rid of the “almonds are fattening” mindset. Sure almonds have fat and calories but you can’t eat two tons of them at a time and expect to lose weight but there is a massive amount of research showing that fat (and protein) are highly satiating, and almond eaten in moderation can actually help you lose weight.

Worth Knowing

You can make a great “milk” out of almonds and water. Throw a few tablespoons of organic almonds into a blender with a cup of water, and your good to go. If you need it sweeter use some RAW honey.

Hazelnuts are third one the list. It’s a shame not many people eat hazel nuts. You’ll find them in a mixed bag at Tesco’s but if Tesco’s didn’t put them their very few people would even think of eating them. Hazel nuts help with high cholesterol and benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Macadamia Nuts are another powerhouse food. The oil in macadamia nuts are 80 percent higher than any other nut. Monounsaturated fat is the main fat in the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to lower levels of heart disease and cancer, not to mention longer life span. Just so you know macadamia nuts are very high in calories so if your goal it to drop belly fat, which it probably is I’d recommend you eat an ounce of nuts two or 3 times a week for an equivalent number of calories from other sources.

These are probably my favourite treat in the week. PISTACHIO NUTS! Unsalted pistachios have a very high potassium to sodium ratio which helps normalize blood pressure and maintain water balance in the body. So a few of these as a snack for lunch or as an evening treat would go down a treat!

You’ve got Brazil nuts which have the highest selenium content of any food, so good your thyroid.

Cashews are slightly lower in calories than other nuts, RICH in healthy minerals but they have a slightly higher amount of carbs than other nuts. Good for a post workouts snack

Nuts all alter the composition of the blood in ways that help reduce disease and it doesn’t take a lot of them to give you the health benefits.

Notice I said it doesn’t take a lot.

So that doesn’t mean getting carried away and finishing a whole bag full like my dad does. He loves the stuff! I can see him in the morning with a bag full and find the bag empty by the evening. He never listens

But YOU should listen

Believe me I’ve done it and I know A LOT of others that have too but it really doesn’t help weight loss BECAUSE of the high fat content in nuts.

So now you know a bit about nut, how much should you each to drop belly fat and still get the nutrient WITHOUT over doing it??

Here’s a little guide for you:

Nutrition Information for 1 ounce of Nuts