Are nuts good for weight loss?

Tariq_1997
Tariq_1997 Posts: 143 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
My question is simple,
Are walnuts and cashews good for the body if i'm on a strict diet and losing weight?
I had like 30 grams of walnuts and like 40 grams of salted cashews so it's more than 30 grams of fat
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Replies

  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    I'd say yes because I managed to lose weight while eating cashews, almonds and walnuts on a regular basis. However, as they are calorie dense I made sure I limited them to a small handful and weighed every single one eaten. They are too easy to overeat though.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    You need dietary fat. Unsaturated fat is recommended over saturated. Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fats.
  • Walnuts are an excellent Source of fibre, protein and Omega 3.
    And yes, hugely Caloric Dense.
    So eat only 30gm portion at the maximum as a snack.
    As part of a healthy nutritious diet, nuts can be enjoyed, like any other food.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,698 Member
    sure!, if its just a handful

    do you have any idea how many calories could be in a "handful" of nuts??

    See post above yours for the answer.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Nuts and dried fruits are go-tos if I’m looking 100-150 low on my calories, but they are definite very carefully measured. A single portion of cashews or dried apricots looks tiny, but I find to be massively filling once I get my brain out of volume-eating mode.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    30 grams of walnuts is pathetic looking and 200 calories gone in a few bites. 40 grams of cashews is 200+ calories. If you have room in your diet for 400-500 calories of nothing but nuts it's up to you, but personally that amount leaves me wanting, and at the end of the day I don't feel like I had enough nuts to be happy yet I'm 500 calories short.

    Are they good for weight loss? Depends, do they help you not eat too much? Then yes. Do they make dieting harder? Then no.
  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    Only if you weight them and make sure that they are really 30 or 40g - meaning pre-defined portion or use of a scale.

    Eating them in quantities is not a free pass to weight loss...
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    30 grams of walnuts is pathetic looking and 200 calories gone in a few bites. 40 grams of cashews is 200+ calories. If you have room in your diet for 400-500 calories of nothing but nuts it's up to you, but personally that amount leaves me wanting, and at the end of the day I don't feel like I had enough nuts to be happy yet I'm 500 calories short.

    Are they good for weight loss? Depends, do they help you not eat too much? Then yes. Do they make dieting harder? Then no.

    But 10 grams of walnuts added to your breakfast or 10 grams of cashews added to a piece of fruit with greek yogurt adds a nice bit of texture and makes the meal more filling.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Yes. And also no. For all the reasons listed above. Any food in moderation that fits your goals is good for weight loss.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Raw nuts are generally a decent snack choice but they are calorie dense.

    Raw nuts often suffer from the 'olive oil' effect in people's minds. Many people think of them as 'vitamins' that should be eaten regardless of the calorie load because of their health benefits. This simply isn't true. Don't eat them if you wouldn't eat anything otherwise but if you want a snack you could do worse than to eat nuts.

    Also, try to eat raw nuts instead of roasted if you can. Depending on how they're processed, roasted nuts will sometimes lose some of the health benefits of raw.
  • hale03071
    hale03071 Posts: 63 Member
    I've lot 60 lbs in the last year with a lower carb diet, which consisted of 1-2 serving of nuts per day. You just have to work the calories into your food plan. Unless you have medical issue that requires you to restrict fat intake, I wouldn't worry about the fat in nuts at all.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    Raw, unsalted almonds are one of my favorite snacks to carry in my car and purse in case I get stuck somewhere without food. 1 ounce at 160 calories is filling (for me) enough to get me through a couple hours until I can eat. I'm careful to pre-portion, though!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I use them more to garnish than eat plain.
  • iamthemotherofdogs
    iamthemotherofdogs Posts: 562 Member
    Giggle.
  • klowieislyfe1
    klowieislyfe1 Posts: 46 Member
    Depends on how much weight you're trying to lose. I have to be careful with nuts because I find them kind of addictive and I'm only trying to lose about 15-20 lbs, but if you're heavier and trying to lose a lot then they probably won't sabotage your diet.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Tariq_1997 wrote: »
    My question is simple,
    Are walnuts and cashews good for the body if i'm on a strict diet and losing weight?
    I had like 30 grams of walnuts and like 40 grams of salted cashews so it's more than 30 grams of fat

    Nuts are irrelevant to weight loss. Nuts are pretty nutritious foods...they are also calorie dense so eating a lot of nuts could potentially eat away at your calorie allotments pretty easily. Dietary fat doesn't make you fat...excess calories make you fat.
  • BarneyRubbleMD
    BarneyRubbleMD Posts: 1,092 Member
    I eat two 0.5 oz servings of different nuts per day as an easy, nutritious & tasty way to increase my daily calories to slow my weight loss without affecting my blood sugar #'s.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Tariq_1997 wrote: »
    My question is simple,
    Are walnuts and cashews good for the body if i'm on a strict diet and losing weight?
    I had like 30 grams of walnuts and like 40 grams of salted cashews so it's more than 30 grams of fat

    The answer is equally simple: If you can fit them into your calorie goals while getting sufficient nutrients from your overall diet, they're fine. Just like any other food.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited October 2017
    I almost missed that part of the original post. What do you mean a strict diet? Are you restricted to certain types of food by choice or medical necessity? Or do you mean you are doing a low calorie diet by choice or medical necessity? If you're doing a low calorie diet for medical reasons, it would be very hard to get adequate nutrition eating 500 calories of nuts every day. If restricting types of food and you have enough calories to play with, it would be okay if it's not breaking your diet. If you're severely restricting either calories or types of food by choice, it's freeing to know that it's not necessary for weight loss and you have options. As for fat, don't worry about it if you're happy with the way you're eating and getting adequate nutrition otherwise.
  • maryannprt
    maryannprt Posts: 152 Member
    Nuts are nutrient dense, and for me personally, a few nuts added to a salad, fruit and yogurt, a bowl of cereal, etc. really increases both my enjoyment of my meal or snack, and the satiety of that meal or snack. So for me, the calories from the nuts are well worth it. I didn't regularly eat nuts until I started tracking my intake and realized I was really lacking in mono and polyunsaturated fats, I eat an ounce or so of nuts every day, and I've lost 25 lbs in about 7 months. (pecans and pistachios are my personal favorites, I sometimes buy brazil nuts, cashews, or walnuts) It's completely up to you if they are worth it. Make sure you measure how many you're having,(a scale is best if you have one) because it's really easy to overdue it. I'm looking forward to my next round of lab work. My cholesterol is good anyway, but I'm interested to see if it's had an impact with that.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited October 2017
    "Are nuts good for weight loss?"

    Not if you eat too many.
This discussion has been closed.