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Almonds: a smart and energising snack swap for weight management

Snacking on nutrient-rich almonds can keep you going throughout the day without impacting your weight and could also have a positive impact on satiety levels.

25/3/2021

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is an important piece of the puzzle for your overall health and well-being. It not only reduces your risk for health problems, but can also help you have more energy, which may improve your overall quality of life.

Bursting with natural goodness, vitamins, nutrients and with 175 calories per handful (30g or about 23 almonds), almonds are the ideal snack to help you achieve your weight management goals.

Providing energising protein and packed with fibre and good fats, almonds are a feel-good fuel to keep you going between meals without having a negative effect on your weight, as shown by several studies:

  • A study measuring digestibilityfound that whole unroasted almonds contain 25% fewer calories than the nutrition label states, suggesting that because of their rigid cell structure, not all calories are available for absorption. Roasted almonds were found to offer 17% to 19% fewer calories.
  • Another study found the calorie intakes and body weights of participants who ate 43g/day of almonds as a snack or as part of a meal (for 4 weeks) remained similar to those who did not did not eat almonds2. Participants reported daylong reductions in hunger and reduced desire to eat compared to those who did consume almonds.  Even though the almond group added calories to their diet in the form of almonds, they compensated for this by taking in fewer calories from other foods during the day so their calorie intake remained constant.
  • Almonds are a smart snack swap that may help with belly fat reduction. A study3 has shown that a daily snack of 42g of almonds, instead of a high-carbohydrate snack with equal calories, as part of a cholesterol-lowering diet, helped reduce belly fat and significantly improved cholesterol levels.
  • A growing body of research shows that almonds can also play a positive role in satiety and support weight management. A recent study4 found people who snacked on almonds (compared to crackers with equivalent amounts of calories) as a mid-morning snack reported a lower overall hunger drive. Snacking on almonds also helped suppress unconscious desire (“implicit wanting”) to consume other high-fat foods, which could also be useful in helping people to manage their weight.

So, make smart snack swaps to get more of the nutrients your body needs while keeping your energy levels up and managing your weight more easily!

Juliette Kellow, Registered Dietitian, comments: “Adding almonds to our diet is a delicious way to benefit from the wide range of nutrients they contain, including protein, healthy fats, fibre and a bundle of vitamins and minerals. Latest research confirms the role that almonds can play in weight management, as well as other areas like heart health, diabetes management and more. The bottom line: choosing a 30g

1Gebauer SK, Novotny JA. Food Porcessing and Structure Impact the Metabolizable Energy of Almonds. Food and Function.2016; 7 (10): 4231–4238. 2Tan, S-Y. and Mattes, RD. 2013. Appetitive, dietary and health effects of almonds consumed with meals or as snacks: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr N; 67(11): 1205–1214 3Berryman CE, West SG, Fleming JA, Bordi PL, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of Daily Almond Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk and Abdominal Adiposity in Healthy Adults with Elevated LDL-Cholesterol: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Jour of the Amer Heart Assn 2014; 4:e000993, 2015. 4Hollingworth S Dalton M, Blundell  JE and Finlayson G. Evaluation of the Influence of Raw Almonds on Appetite Control: Satiation, Satiety, Hedonics and Consumer Perceptions. Nutrients 2019, 11(9), 2030; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092030