RESEARCH UPDATE: Morning Almond Snacking and Overall Calorie Consumption
As the New Year kicks off, so do many people’s intentions to lose weight. A new study1 , funded by the Almond Board of California, shows that eating a morning snack of almonds – one small, simple habit – in place of a high carb snack may help in shedding pounds by reducing overall daily caloric intake.
In this randomized crossover trial, 100 New Zealand adults aged 18 – 65 years ate a standardized breakfast. Two hours later, they ate their assigned snack food: either 1.5 ounces of almonds or a calorie-matched sweet biscuit. Both snacks accounted for 10% of total calorie intake. Blood glucose and appetite ratings were measured at baseline and again at 15 or 30-minute intervals after they finished eating. Two hours after the snack, lunch was offered to participants, who ate as much or as little as desired and consumption was recorded. Participants then recorded their food intake for the remainder of the day.
This same protocol was repeated on a different day, with participants eating the opposite snack food: those who ate almonds on the first test day switched to the sweet biscuit on the next test day, and those who ate biscuits on the first test day ate almonds on the next test day.
Results showed that the blood sugar response was lower among participants after they ate the almond snack versus the biscuit snack. Appetite ratings did not differ except for the appetite score at 90 minutes, which was lower for the biscuits compared to the almonds. This was unexpected, since the almond snack resulted in a more stable blood sugar response.
There were no differences in the number of calories eaten at lunch after either snack. However, based on the participants’ food intake records, those who ate the almond snack reported eating ~150 calories less (on average) over the course of the day. If sustained, this calorie deficit could theoretically result in approximately one pound of weight loss per month.
As with all studies, there were a few limitations. First, this was a short-term study, so results may not necessarily translate into long-term behavior. Secondly, blood glucose monitoring was short; over a longer time period, results may be different, since other research has shown whole almonds reduces glycemia acutely and the effects persist after a second meal. Finally, the participants were of normal weight or were overweight, so results cannot necessarily be extrapolated to other populations.
