Kurt's Fitness Tips

You may consume fewer calories by eating nuts that are still in the shell! By eating nuts in a shell it is more difficult to eat, but psychology also plays a role when you start seeing the number of shells add up after you eat them. Scientists from Eastern Illinois University gave college students pistachios either with or without the shells, and allowed them to eat as much as they wanted during class. Students who ate pistachios WITHOUT shells consumed an average of 211 calories, but those who ate them WITH the shells only consumed 86 calories!

Nuts such as Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews, Walnuts, and Pistachios contain heart health monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats!  I suggest a minimum of one serving daily regardless of goals, age, or gender.  However, make sure you don’t overindulge as nuts are calorically dense!  To help make sure you buy nuts still in the shell.

Make sure you do something to stay physically active everyday! Barry Braun from the University of Massachusetts and co-workers have found that just one day of physical activity decreases insulin sensitivity! Insulin sensitivity defines how well your body metabolizes blood sugars. In other words the more sensitive to insulin you are, the less insulin you will produce in order to keep blood sugar stable. The take home message is: One day of physical inactivity has a negative effect on metabolic health!