...about nuts.  If you consume a fair amount of nuts and peanuts you are most likely slimmer and healthier than your non-nut eating counterpart.  

At least that is the takeaway from two studies that the NY Times highlighted.  The results of one of the studies was published this March in JAMA Internal Medicine by researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. 

Two other delicious tidbits for my readers looking to stay lean....

•Participants in studies that included nuts in a weight-loss regimen lost more weight and ended up with a smaller waist and less body fat than participants who did not eat nuts.

•Richard D. Mattes of Purdue University and co-authors most often found that adults who eat nuts weigh less than nut avoiders. And children who ate peanuts usually had a lower body mass index than those who did not.

Finally, in a 2013 study in The British Journal of Nutrition, Dr. Mattes and colleagues reported that consuming peanut butter or peanuts for breakfast helps to control hunger, stabilizing blood sugar and reducing the desire to eat for up to 8 to 12 hours.

The positive impacts of nuts on your overall health is potent. Here the Food and Drug Administration states that “Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.” Two exceptions are macadamia nuts and cashews, which have too much saturated fat to qualify for this claim.

So go ahead and add some nuts to your daily regimen and see if the nut fat satiates your hunger, helping lower your overall body fat like those in the studies.

And please keep in mind, simplicity is key when enjoying the benefits of nuts and peanuts.  Honey glazed or chocolate covered or some other sweeten variation is not what was studied. And may negate the benefits the studies found to be positive.

More can be found here in the NY Times article.

A series of studies found that the more nuts people consumed, the less likely they were to die at any given age, across classes and ethnic groups.  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/nuts-are-a-nutritional-powerhouse-for-rich-and-poor/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Awe is...?

On the heels of my last post comes this NY Times article postulating that being upbeat is good for you.  Another reason to have HOT (Happy Optimistic Thoughts) days, it's good for you! If you go back to the "Ten Keys to a Happier Life" you'll find all of these can help you find awe in your daily life and lower your IL-6.  

Especially if you:

1.Notice the world around you

2. Realize your part of something bigger

3. Connect with people who you can help and who appreciate your support. (They have to do their part too!)

4. Take stock of what's important and appreciate what you have and let minor things stay that way.

5. Gratitude goes a long way in being happy

6. And of course do does... Exercise!

7. Remember Einstein once said...

"You can live your life as though there are no miracles or you can live your life as though everything is a miracle."  Go with Awe!Awe, that goose-bumpy mix of fear and wonder, appears to be particularly good for the body.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/an-upbeat-emotion-thats-surprisingly-good-for-you/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Wishing you a day and weekend full of happiness!  I've included some tips for you to share with others, to make #InternationalDayofHappiness a worthwhile day.  As I embrace the G,R and E's today,

I encourage you to try them all with an emphasis on the E's and A's. And Sharing!!

(Hint, Share this with others, spread the happiness.)

And when you see the color yellow think

 HOT ...Happy, Optimistic Thoughts!

If anyone ever says that to you, it could be true! According to research led by the University of Vermont along with Cornell, people who are "cooking from scratch" wound up being heavier.  

Lizzy Pope, the lead researcher, found that women's had a higher BMI ( body mass index) if they utilized the receipts presented on the show.  The researchers surmised, "Although some cooking shows present healthy recipes, many others present more indulgent fare." 

Could it  simply be the case that cooking shows, relying as they do on food-porn effects to keep viewers watching, are pushing unhealthier recipes?

What role does gender play in influencing your partner and their exercise routine? This article covers various variables.

For example: Changes in one married partner’s exercise routine tend to be echoed in the other’s, highlighting the extent to which our exercise behavior is shaped by the people around us.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/how-to-get-your-spouse-to-exercise/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

More than 100,000 apps claim to help consumers track their conditions. That doesn’t mean they are all accurate.

Why you shouldn't put all your faith in these apps, it's possible that they may do more harm than good.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/health-apps-provide-pictures-if-not-proof-of-health/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Identical twins who shared the same sports and other physical activities as youngsters but different exercise habits as adults soon developed quite different bodies and brains, a new study from Finland found.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/one-twin-exercises-the-other-doesnt/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

How do you make Chipotle part of a healthy diet? (If you want to be healthy should you eat at Chipotle?) The long paragraph is taken from the NYTimes article answering the question the author poses.

Yes, you should (assuming you want to). The barbacoa, the marinated chicken, the black beans, the salsas and the chips are tasty. They’re vastly better – and only somewhat more expensive – than the fast food that Americans have endured for decades.

There’s only one problem. You shouldn’t fool yourself into thinking Chipotle is a normal part of a healthy diet. It isn’t. It’s a treat — a savory, spicy treat. Chipotle has succeeded in creating much better-tasting fast food, but they didn’t really try to create healthy fast food, whatever their marketing material may suggest. The same goes for Shake Shack, Potbelly and other growing chains.

I say go ahead and indulge intelligently.

If places like this appeal to you do the following more often:

1. Choose the salad versions instead of the burrito and sandwich.

2. Eat part of the meal for lunch and save the other portion for dinner.

3. Skip the rice or the sour cream or the beans.

Or edit all three out.

4. Indulge and just eat lightly the rest of the day.

This adage has been around for 60+ years and it still holds true!