Nuts to you

The motto of most diets today are "fat is bad" but not so fast. New research shows that some fat is good and may even help you lose weight. i.e. monounsaturated fats.

The best known source of monounsaturated fat is olive oil, but another great source is nuts! In one study three groups that all had the same cholesterol were compared. All three groups were given what is considered a moderate-to high-fat diet. One group used olive oil, one almonds, and a the third used dairy. Blood-cholesterol dropped in people on both the monorich diets-11 percent for the almond group and 4 percent for the olive group. The dairy groups cholesterol increased by 5 percent. One reason for these results according to Paul A Davis, a researcher at the University of California, nuts act like time-release pills, slowly parceling out their fat in a more healthful fashion.

But what about those that are concerned more with weight, won't the high fat content of nuts make them gain weight? In one study two groups of women called "hard-core dieters" who have failed on many diets, and weighed 200 pounds were divided into two groups. One group ate a high-mono diet deriving 35 percent of their calories from fat. The second group ate a standard low fat diet deriving 20 percent of theircalories from fat. Both groups lost from 5 to 30 pounds before stabilizing. There was no difference in the two groups.
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