People who eat almonds regularly tend to weigh less than those who don’t, even if they ingest more calories in a day. That’s what researchers have been saying for years.

Now a study is helping to explain the mechanisms at work behind this nut’s power to provide valuable nutrients and help decrease LDL cholesterol without adding pounds.

Researchers instructed women to eat 344 calories’ worth of almonds, a bit more than two ounces, daily for 10 weeks.

For the following 10-week period, they ate their usual diets. During the time they ate almonds, the women gained no additional weight, and they met daily recommendations for vitamin E and magnesium – two nutrients most of us don’t consume in adequate amounts.

Eating almonds also led to increases in consumption of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, protein, and fiber. Rick Mattes, PhD, RD, coauthor of the study, notes, “Solid data has shown that eating one to three daily ounces of almonds can help lower LDL cholesterol levels. But many healthcare providers have been hesitant to recommend almonds … because they’re a relatively high-calorie food …

This study challenges that assumption.” In fact, a serving of almonds may not have as many calories as indicated on the nutrition facts label, since the satiating effect of these nuts may replace other foods in the diet, including carbohydrate-rich ones. Also, the fiber in almonds may block some of the fat from being digested and may cause an increase in resting energy expenditure. [source: Taste for Life]