Have a break, have some almonds
has found that snacking doesn't have to be bad for you, especially
if your preference is for almonds.
The study found that when individuals added almonds as a snack to their regular diet, their overall intake of several important nutrients increased.
Researchers followed eighty-one men and women, ranging in age from 25 to 70 years old, for one year, to evaluate the long-term impact of a diet supplemented with almonds.
During the first six months, patients in the study followed their standard diet. For the next six months, they added an average of 52 grams of almonds per day (approximately two one-ounce handfuls) to their routine.
After incorporating almonds into their diets, patients demonstrated a significant increase in their intake of several nutrients, including monounsaturated fats (42 per cent), polyunsaturated fats (24 per cent), dietary fiber (12 per cent), vegetable protein (19 per cent), alpha-tocopherol vitamin E (66 per cent), magnesium (23 per cent), and copper (15 per cent).
Moreover, researchers found a decrease in patients' intake of trans fats (14 per cent), sodium (21 per cent), cholesterol (17 per cent) and sugars (13 per cent).
"A daily supplement of almonds can induce favorable nutrient modifications for chronic disease prevention to an individual's habitual diet," concluded the researchers.
In the US, the government funded Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recently released its report on Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2005. In the report, vitamin E, magnesium and fibre were identified as nutrients that are generally lacking in modern diets. The Committee also called for consumers to lower their intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
"The changes we saw in nutrient intake are consistent with the dietary recommendations experts make to reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases, including recommendations recently set forth by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee," said Karen Jaceldo-Siegl, the study's lead researcher.
"We found that those who ate almonds tend to naturally balance their calorie intake. So, even though they were introducing an additional food into their repertoire, they were making appropriate dietary substitutions so there was not a significant change in body weight."
Researchers also noted that not only did the nutrient profile of the almond supplemented diet meet dietary recommendations, but it was also well above the average nutrient intake of the general population.
This study will be published in the British Journal of Nutrition, dated 6 September, 2004
