A new study published in the Nutrients journal has revealed that a common snack could play an important part in improving young the diets of young people. Researchers say that while a significant number of young adults are showing early signs of cardiometabolic disease, with their snacking habits contributing to daily calorie overload and increased health risks, one straightforward food swap could be a game-changer.
The researchers discovered that substituting high-carb snack foods with tree nuts such as almonds and walnuts could curb cravings for sweet treats and fast food, whilst also enhancing diet quality among young adults at greater risk of metabolic syndrome. The study involved 84 participants aged between 22 and 36 years old, all of whom had at least one risk factor for metabolic syndrome, which is a group of health issues that can heighten the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart-related conditions.
Participants were divided into groups, with one group snacking on tree nut snacks twice daily between meals, while the other group indulged in high carb snacks over a period of 16 weeks.
The tree nut snacks consisted of a 33.5-gram blend of unsalted almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, and cashews.
Following the 16-week period, the tree nut group reported a noticeable decrease in their cravings for specific foods. They found themselves desiring fewer cookies, brownies, donuts, sweets, ice cream and pizza.
This group also experienced a decline in their preference for sweet flavours, consumed fewer frozen desserts and salty snacks each week, and began incorporating more high-protein meals including seafood and plant proteins into their diets.
In summary, this led to an improvement in their overall diet quality, although their body weight remained stable.
Those eating high-carb treats didn’t experience any meaningful drop in their cravings. The sole notable change this cohort observed was a reduction in their fruit servings.
The research team determined: « Replacing more typical between-meal snacks with tree nuts may reduce food cravings, particularly for sweeter food items that are likely to be nutrient poor and energy dense.
« By reducing cravings and the frequency of intake, substituting tree nuts for high-carbohydrate snacks could facilitate having a higher quality more nutrient-dense diet and mitigate potential negative effects of snacking on metabolic health of young adults. »
The experts acknowledged that the investigation had certain constraints, as it depended largely on participants’ own accounts of their desires for food and eating habits.
They called for upcoming research to examine how these discoveries might impact elderly individuals and those with existing metabolic conditions through more extensive and prolonged studies.
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