Summary of ZOE Science And Nutrition Podcast Episode: Why eating nuts makes you healthier, according to science
— Description —
Dr Sarah Berry's human studies on nuts reveal their benefits in lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity Nuts are high in fiber, feed healthy gut bacteria, and have a unique food matrix that leads to fewer absorbed calories
Despite individual variations, nuts do not cause weight gain and are valuable in the diet The UK's low nut consumption is concerning, given their numerous health benefits, including decreasing bad cholesterol, lowering heart disease risk, and improving life expectancy The food matrix of nuts affects nutrient absorption, with whole nuts resulting in 30% fewer absorbed calories
While calorie absorption varies among individuals, nuts remain a healthy dietary addition Dr Sarah Berry and Jonathan Wolff emphasize the importance of nuts and recommend Zoe's personalized nutrition program for health and weight management
Tune in next week for another Zoe podcast.
Why eating nuts makes you healthier, according to science
Key Takeaways
- Dr. Sarah Berry conducted human studies on the health effects of nuts, highlighting their numerous benefits such as lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity.
- Nuts are high in fiber, feed healthy gut bacteria, and have a unique food matrix that affects the absorption of nutrients, leading to fewer calories being absorbed from whole nuts.
- Despite variations in calorie absorption among individuals, research shows that nuts do not cause weight gain and are a valuable addition to the diet.
Nuts: Surprising Health Benefits Revealed
- Dr. Sarah Berry has conducted numerous interventional human studies on the effects of eating nuts on people's health.
- Nuts being full of fat and therefore bad for health is a concern among many listeners.
- Dr. Sarah Berry hopes that the upcoming discussion will surprise the listeners regarding the health effects of nuts.
Nuts: The Key to Health
- Dr. Sarah Berry points out that the average consumption of nuts and seeds in the UK is about six grams per day, which is low due to many people not consuming nuts at all.
- Nuts have numerous health benefits, including decreasing bad LDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke, reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, and possibly preventing memory loss as we age.
- Nuts are high in fiber, which is linked to reducing the risk of chronic diseases and increasing life expectancy. They also feed healthy gut bacteria.
- Nuts are well-studied, particularly in relation to cardiovascular health, and have a unique food matrix that makes them special in terms of their impact on weight gain.
Food Matrix Affects Nutrient Absorption
- The food matrix refers to the structure of a food, which affects how the nutrients are absorbed in the body. For example, whole nuts have a different structure than ground nuts, leading to 30% fewer calories being absorbed from whole nuts.
- This phenomenon is true for nearly all nuts, where the back-of-pack labeling overestimates the calorie amount by about 30%. However, the impact of cell wall structure varies in other plants.
- The amount of calories absorbed from nuts varies greatly among individuals, with some extracting 56 calories from a 30-gram portion of almonds while others extract 168 calories. Despite this, research has shown that nuts do not cause weight gain and are a great addition to the diet.
Nuts: Essential for Your Diet
- Dr. Sarah Berry and Jonathan Wolff agree on the importance of nuts in one's diet. They recommend trying Zoe's personalized nutrition program for health improvement and weight management, offering a 10% discount. Join them next week for another Zoe podcast.