The Fat Resistance Diet

Big Health Benefits in a Small Package

Almonds are packed with nutrition that can help reduce your waistline and improve your health. Studies indicate that almonds can help combat high cholesterol, obesity, high blood sugar and diabetes. They are also crunchy, satisfying and delicious. And as we show in our book, The Fat Resistance Diet, almonds work well in healthy recipes. These benefits make almonds an excellent addition to our reader-proven weight loss program. What could be better than burning fat and getting healthy simply by eating a handful of almonds a day?

Help for Your Waist

Almonds are brimming with nutrients that can help you lose weight. When overweight Americans used about 2/3 cup of almonds per day as part of a weight loss diet, they increased weight loss by 62% more than when following a standard weight loss diet and had a 50% greater reduction in waist circumference. And almonds are a good source of the minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Reduce High Blood Sugar

Research done at the City of Hope National Medical Center in California found that incorporating almonds into a weight loss program produced a decrease in insulin resistance that was twice as large as with a standard weight loss diet. The Insulin Resistance Syndrome affects about 40% of U.S. adults. It is characterized by an expanding waistline (the “apple shape”), and an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, heart attacks, strokes and Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetics showed almost twice the improvement in blood sugar control when they lost weight on an almond-enriched diet than a standard diabetic weight loss diet.

Magnesium and Vitamin E

When healthy American adults eating self-selected diets were asked to eat 1/2 cup of almonds per day, and were given no other dietary advice, terrific changes in their nutrient intake occurred:

• Consumption of dangerous trans-fat and cholesterol decreased while consumption of beneficial fat increased.

• Consumption of sugar significantly decreased while consumption of fiber increased.

• Intake of salt decreased by 21% while intake of magnesium increased by 23%

• Dietary level of vitamin E increased by 66%.

Reduce Cholesterol

A Canadian study found that 2/3 cup of almonds a day, when added as a snack food to the diets of people with elevated cholesterol, significantly reduced the levels of total and LDL-cholesterol and especially reduced the dangerous oxidized LDL-cholesterol. When a lower dose of almonds of only 12 nuts per day was combined with a diet high in soy protein and fiber, the effect on cholesterol was as great as using a statin drug. This diet also reduced the level of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation.

Great Ways to Get Almonds Into Your Day

The whole idea is to help boost nutrition and eating pleasure, while helping you lose the fat. Sliced or slivered, raw or roasted, almonds delight in a variety of ways:

• Sprinkle almonds on cereal or oatmeal in the morning.

• Add a few almonds to salads.

• Pack up some almonds in little bags for on the go snacks.

• Combine sliced almonds with string beans.

• Toss almonds into Stir-fries or casseroles

• If you prefer toasted nuts, place the nuts in your toaster oven tray and bake for about 4 minutes. You will have a treat for yourself, family and friends without the added oils used commercially.

Try this quick and delicious dessert from our book, The Fat Resistance Diet. Start with a cup of yogurt, drizzle with pomegranate concentrate for an antioxidant boost. Then sprinkle a few almonds on top and enjoy!