As a young aspiring bodybuilder who was just starting out learning a lot of different methods of building muscle, I was taught “by experts” that fat in the diet was taboo. Any kind of fat. It didn’t matter the source. It was just bad. They were wrong. If you still believe in this myth, I hope I can change your mind after reading this article.
The fats I am talking about are from nuts. Peanuts, walnuts, almonds and all other nuts. Being mainly composed of unsaturated fat provide an excellent source of energy. They are also rich in nutrients that are lacking from most people’s diets. Nuts also have phytochemicals, which help prevent cancer, diabetes and hypertension. High in natural fiber. As a whole, nuts are a very healthy nutrition treat that tastes good.
As a bodybuilder that is trying to gain muscular weight, nuts can provide the extra calories that are needed. You can snack on them between meals. They are easy to take along with you anywhere.
For the bodybuilder that is trying to lose fat, nuts fit into your low carbohydrate day. And you don’t have to feel guilty eating them. The key is to replace carbohydrate calories with the calories you would be getting from the nuts.
Women and Nuts
In a controlled study, postmenopausal women who ate a bag of low-salt soy nuts a day had a rather great reduction in blood pressure. Each bag had 25 grams of soy protein. You can find soy nuts at most grocery stores.
Nutrition Breakdown of a bag of almonds. ¼ cup
Calories 200, from fat 150
Total Fat 18g 2g saturated
Carbohydrates 7g
Protein 7g
The US Department of Agriculture did a study with nut eaters and non-nut eaters and found even though the nut eaters consumed more energy calories they actually had a lower BMI (body mass index) than the non-nut eaters.
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