Weight Loss and Maintenance

Two-thirds of American adults are overweight—that’s about one in three American adults.

Fat is crucial to cardiovascular, immune, reproductive and skin health. The human body can handle carrying some extra fat—but, beyond a certain point, body fat can begin to interfere with your health. For this reason, obesity is more than a cosmetic concern. Obesity puts you at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and many other serious health problems.

Fats are not the enemy

The good news is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent complications associated with obesity. One of the keys to vibrant health and successful weight loss is balanced nutrition and replacing bad fats with unsaturated fats. Used in moderation, unsaturated fats can become your most important weapon in your arsenal to control hunger and lose weight.

Eating sensibly

Too much fat (even the good kinds) can be harmful. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods add excess calories, which can lead to weight gain and obesity. On the other hand, limiting fats only causes your body to sense a famine and begin to convert more and more carbohydrates into fat, turning the body into a fat-producing machine!

Studies show that dieters who eat a moderate amount of nuts as part of a well-balanced diet are more likely to stay on their diets. The mechanism is still unclear, but researchers think that the fat content in nuts may promote the feeling that you’re full sooner, helping you cut down on portion sizes consumed. Or, the protein in nuts may burn more calories during digestion.

Instead of eating unhealthy saturated fats, try eating a small handful of nuts (about 1 oz) each day, as part of a heart-healthy diet. Substitute nuts in the place of saturated fat—just adding nuts to your diet without cutting back on the bad fats won't do your heart, or your diet, any good.

Grazing (eating small amounts throughout the day), as opposed to gorging on three or more large meals, is another great diet technique that has worked for us. Snack your way through your day with some fruit, raw vegetables, soup, yogurt and, of course, a handful of our nuts. Try sprinkling the nuts on top of your yogurt for a satisfying, crunchy treat. 

There are many diet programs available and there is certainly no one diet that works well for everyone! One diet that makes sense to us is the DASH Plan from The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health. It was developed to help reduce blood pressure, and studies have shown that blood pressure went down after only two weeks of being on the diet. Later studies suggest that the plan may also offer other health benefits, such as protection against osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

More information about the DASH diet