The 1 Snack That Will Get Your Body Bikini-Ready

 

pistachio nuts in the shell.

Add this to your grocery list:

Two new studies published in the journal Appetite found that this snack can help curb calorie consumption and lead to weight loss. (Not mentioned in the study, but unscientifically verified by us: pistachios are also delicious.)

Scientists and nutritionists have known for a while that pistachios in any form (well, maybe not pistachio ice cream) are a good weigh-management food. That's because they're the lowest calorie nut, but still provide lots of protein and fiber. And a recent Harvard study found that this particular kind of nut is associated with shedding pudge.But these newest studies found that the benefits of eating pistachios increase when you have to de-shell them first. The reason why is actually pretty fascinating...
Researchers observed two groups of subjects eating pistachios (served still in the shell). For one group, the bowl of empty pistachio shells was left on the table for the whole day. For the other group, the bowl of shells was cleared periodically. Both groups had an unlimited supply of fresh pistachios. The group whose shell bowl was left on the table ate 22 percent less than the other group, whose shells were discarded throughout the day.

Author of the study James Painter, Ph.D., R.D. explained to the site scienceblog.com: “Choosing in-shell pistachios instead of shelled nuts is a simple way to decrease calorie consumption without restriction. This is in keeping with existing research showing that when a person has visual cues of ‘leftovers,’ such as pistachio shells, they can see how many or how much they have eaten, helping to control portion size and consumption.”

Makes us think that the idea of "visual clues" could work with other foods too. We're totally going to experiment with this.