Servings Of Pistachios For Weight Loss

Pistachios are a heart-healthy nut full of nutrients to benefit your weight loss plan. While these nuts can be included in your diet, going overboard increases your caloric intake and can slow you down as you pursue your weight loss goals. Portion out your servings of pistachios ahead of time and leave them in the shell so it takes longer for you to get to the nut. If you are starting a new diet, let your health-care provider know ahead of time.

Serving Size

One serving of pistachios is 16 nuts, which is about 1 oz. of pistachios with the shells on. Enjoy one serving between breakfast and lunch, and one between lunch and dinner to help set you up for weight loss success. Or, instead of having plain pistachios as a snack, add them to your salad at lunch or toss them in with your favorite pasta creation at dinner. The added texture and flavor adds a little something extra to your dish.

Caloric Information

One serving of pistachios offers less than 65 calories; approximately 45 of the calories come from fat. The remaining calories come from protein and carbohydrates; 8 g and 12 g respectively. While fiber from pistachios is a type of carbohydrate, it does not break down into glucose in the way other carbs are digested. Instead, fiber travels through your digestive tract relatively intact.

Beneficial Fiber

Adding a serving or two of pistachios to your diet provides some of the essential fiber you need to aid in weight loss. Nuts, such as pistachios, provide insoluble fiber. This type of fiber takes a while for you to chew, allowing your body to register that it is full early on during your snack or meal. Insoluble fiber travels through your gut like a broom, pushing through waste products, creating easy-to-pass stools. It helps to keep you regular so you don't suffer from constipation while dieting. A serving of 16 nuts provides a little more than 1 g of fiber. Each day, women need around 25 g and men require about 38 g, says the Mayo Clinic.

Fat in Pistachios

While the high fat content may sound discouraging for your diet plan, the fats in pistachios are healthy monounsaturated fats, or MUFAs. This type of fat has been shown to improve cholesterol levels, thus decreasing your risk of heart disease. According to research published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" in 2010, enjoying moderate portions of pistachios daily may help to improve triglycerides. While triglycerides are not cholesterol, they are a type of fat in your blood that can increase your risk of heart disease when levels get too high. The study also concluded that adding pistachios to your weight-loss regimen may help to improve your weight loss efforts, especially if they replace starchy, low-nutrient foods such as pretzels.