Snack Your Way to a Slimmer You

Few people believe me when I tell them that eating more often will help them lose weight. I’m sure images of buffets and junk food pop into their mind. But, eating a healthy snack every two to three hours can actually help you lose overall weight and trim your waistline. Of course, what you choose plays an important role as well. For years I’ve been telling people to snack on raw, unsalted almonds. And new research supports this choice.

In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, scientists at California’s City of Hope National Medical Center discovered that overweight participants who snacked on almonds lost abdominal weight. The average person in the study had a 14 percent waistline reduction simply by snacking on 70 almonds daily. Of course, the study participants also followed a healthful diet along with eating the almonds throughout the day.

The scientists equate the results to three things:

1. Almonds eaten every few hours ensure that blood sugar levels are stabilized. When blood sugar levels are stable, your body stops pumping out hormones that tell it to hoard fat. Yes, that’s correct, sugary snacks and not eating frequently enough have the same effect. They cause your blood sugar levels to fluctuate rapidly. When they are high insulin is released to counter the damaging effects of high blood sugar. This causes blood sugar levels to drop quickly–usually too low. Then you feel hungry again and may crave unhealthy foods. Insulin and other hormones released during this time signal your body to hoard fat because it thinks you may be starving.

2. Because almonds are rich in protein and fiber they increase the sense that you are “full.” When people feel less hungry they usually eat less, making it easier to lose weight.

3. Almonds are rich in calcium. Calcium is an important mineral that has been shown in numerous studies to speed weight loss.

Keep reading to learn ways to get more almonds into your diet…

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Melania P.

2:05PM PDT on Mar 13, 2013

Love almonds!

March 13
send a green star

Lenee K.

8:39AM PST on Nov 9, 2012

hmmm.. I need someone to send me 10 pound of almonds.

November 9
send a green star

Ans W.

8:26AM PST on Nov 9, 2012

yes is good to eat a little bit every 2-3 hours. Don't wait too long, if you get hungry you will always eat more than you really need

Beth W.

11:50AM PST on Nov 5, 2012

Thank you. This was very informative!

November 5
send a green star

Tal H.

7:19PM PST on Nov 4, 2012

Brilliant!

November 4
send a green star

aj E.

4:05PM PST on Nov 4, 2012

can't argue with that!

Lindsay K.

3:50PM PST on Nov 4, 2012

Sounds great - I love all these!

Angela J.

7:14AM PST on Nov 4, 2012

Thanks for the info!!

Anne P.

5:56AM PST on Nov 4, 2012

My fave way to enjoy almonds is to soak organic raw almonds overnight (use a glass or ceramic dish), then pop them out of their skins in the morning. Soaking plumps up the nuts and makes them easier to digest. It also starts the germination process. For more info, read this: http://www.livestrong.com/article/509747-why-do-people-soak-almonds-in-water/

Joy W.

2:54AM PST on Nov 4, 2012

Thanks for sharing. I love almonds.