Walnut and its surrounding issues are the main focus of our discussion. What do you know about this lovely and popular food? Undoubtedly, you are fully aware of the details of the presence of nutrients in it and you know all its benefits and advantages. You are somewhat familiar with the side effects of excessive consumption of walnuts. But one of the side effects of consuming a lot of walnuts in some people is obesity and weight gain, which is a serious issue for many people. Today we are here to answer the question “Do walnuts make you fat?” We will give a correct and clear answer, so stay with us until the end.
Does walnut make you fat
The question is somewhere. The answer to this question cannot be summed up in one word “yes” and “no”. Even in one sentence, this important question cannot be answered, but the answer to it requires a complete and comprehensive and expert discussion. But don’t worry because our mission today is to investigate this issue. We will look at the whys and hows of this issue from different angles and guarantee that by the end of this article, you will have a clear answer to your question.
Obesity due to high consumption
The Australian and Mediterranean Dietary Guidelines recommend eating 30 grams of walnuts (about a small handful) every day, but we all know that walnuts are high in calories and healthy fats, so they may cause weight gain. Now the question arises that “to eat walnuts or not to eat them?” In short, the answer is yes. We should eat walnuts but in moderate amounts. Because if we eat walnuts in moderate amounts throughout the day, we will not gain weight. Note that the fats in walnuts are good fats and apart from that, our body does not actually absorb all the fats in it, so it does not cause obesity.
walnuts; Friend or foe
As we know, walnut contains fat and its fat content is different from other nuts. There are different types of fats in the form of different foods in our diet, and some are better than others. The unsaturated fats in walnuts are in the category of “good fats” because they are unsaturated and plant-based, and not only do not cause obesity, blood pressure, blood lipids, and cardiovascular diseases, but also help regulate blood cholesterol levels. he does.
Cholesterol, if it increases in the blood, blocks the arteries and leads to all kinds of dangerous cardiovascular diseases, but eating walnuts in moderation helps to control and keep the level of this substance in the blood low. So in response to the question “Does walnut make you fat?” We get a negative answer.
What does the evidence say
Even if the type of fat in walnuts or other nuts is good for us, there is still a lot of fat and calories in walnuts. This does not mean that we should avoid eating them to manage our weight. Studies conducted on people’s eating habits and body weight over a long period of time have shown that people who regularly eat walnuts (but not more than the daily allowance) lose weight over time compared to people who do not. have less We saw that the evidence for the question “Do walnuts make you fat?” The answer is negative.
Clinical studies to answer Do walnuts make you fat
In a clinical study, 60 people have been helped to test the hypothesis of “obesity due to walnut consumption”. In this experiment, 30 people included walnuts in their diet during a certain period of time, and 30 people, as a control group, did not consume walnuts during this period. At the end of the period, people with a diet containing walnuts did not experience a change in body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, which clearly indicates a negative answer to the question “Do walnuts make you fat?” is.
Reasons to prove the absence of obesity due to the consumption of walnuts
Even if we tell you that daily consumption of moderate amount of walnuts in short and long periods of time does not lead to obesity, again, you may find it hard to believe. Therefore, we decided to state the scientific and logical reasons to prove this issue. Among the multitude of scientific reasons, we will tell you a few:
We don’t absorb all the fat in walnuts. The fat in nuts is stored in their cell walls, which are not easily broken down during digestion in our digestive system and are not accessible to digestive enzymes, so when we eat walnuts, we do not absorb all the fat in it. The amount of calories we get from eating walnuts may be between 5 and 30 percent of what we previously thought.
Walnuts increase the amount of calories burned by our body. Not only do we not absorb all the calories in walnuts, eating them can also increase our energy and fat burning. It is thought that this may be partially explained by the protein and unsaturated fats associated with our brains. Although we still don’t know exactly how this happens. Increasing the calories consumed in the body can help us maintain or lose weight.
Walnut and other members of its family help us feel full for a longer time. In addition to fat, this food is rich in protein and fiber, so it helps us to feel full after eating it. This means that we are likely to eat less in the upcoming meals. Recent studies have also suggested that the presence of walnuts helps people improve the overall quality of our food.
Opinions of scientists
Researchers at Loma Linda University Health found that walnuts can be included in the daily diet of healthy older adults without negatively affecting weight gain or weight management. These findings were published in the journal Nutrients on September 18, 2016, and provide a wealth of knowledge about how nuts affect older adults. The results of these findings include proving that walnuts do not affect obesity in the elderly.
Conclusion
Overall, evidence and studies show that walnuts are a healthy snack that can provide many of the nutrients our bodies need. Regardless of our age, we can confidently include the recommended 30 grams of walnuts per day in a healthy diet without worrying about its effect on our waist size.