Best Dry Fruits That Can Speed Up Your Weight Loss

Introduction

Maintaining healthy body weight is not just about looking good but also staying fit. Being overweight and obese can lead to multiple health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, diseases related to inflammation, kidney problems, liver problems and so on. Furthermore, increased weight can hamper your confidence and lead to low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Therefore, shedding those extra kilos is crucial for a healthy body and mind, although it can be a difficult task, especially when your body has a low metabolism. While many people set regular goals to lose weight but sadly few are able to follow them religiously. This often happens in people who find it challenging to give up the habit of snacking. While regular physical activity is equally important, it is crucial to be mindful of what you eat, especially when you’re trying to lose weight. Replacing snacks with healthy food items like dry fruits can be a good option to aid your weight loss journey. 

In this blog, we have compiled a list of dry fruits that are healthy for your body and can help support your weight loss efforts. Let’s see which these are and how they may help! 

How Dry Fruits May Help with Weight Loss?

Now, you might be wondering why you should eat dry fruits instead of your regular snacks. Well, it’s because dry fruits are filled with healthy nutrients and many of them are considered superfoods due to their high nutritional value. Thus, when you choose to eat them instead of regular snacks, you ensure that you do not increase your intake of unhealthy fats and carbohydrates that promote weight gain. 

Moreover, dry fruits can also help people who have low metabolisms. This is because certain kinds of dry fruits can boost your metabolism, which is very helpful for losing weight. Plus, they keep you full for a longer time, reducing your cravings for unhealthy food and overeating.

What are the Best Dry Fruits for Weight Loss?

The following dry fruits can help you the most during your weight loss journey: 

1. Almonds

Almonds have very low amounts of calories. A 100 grams of almonds contains only 549 kcals¹. Eating small amounts of almonds on a daily basis can provide your body with high levels of nutrients such as proteins, mono-saturated fats and antioxidants that are beneficial for overall health. Furthermore, almonds also improve your health by lowering bad cholesterol², which tends to be high in people who are obese or overweight.  

2. Pistachios 

People who like to snack frequently can benefit a lot from eating pistachios. This is mainly because they have very high amounts of fibre, which helps your body feel full for longer periods of time³. Additionally, fibre is good for digestion as it aids with bowel movement. 

3. Cashews 

Cashews are delicious nuts that are quite popular in India. They are a very rich source of magnesium, which can be beneficial for weight loss because it helps regulate the fat and carbohydrate metabolism in the body. 

4. Dates 

Dates are rich in flavour and good for weight loss. This is because they have high fibre content, which may help to suppress food cravings by making you feel full. As a result, you will be less prone to snacking between your meals.  

Dates are also beneficial as they provide your body with Vitamin B5. This vitamin is known for boosting your stamina, which means that you can exercise for a longer period, and work towards getting your ideal weight! 

In my experience, I have observed that the digestion process can actually enhance the health benefits of dried fruits. For example, when dried fruits like apricots, figs, and raisins are consumed, their antioxidant activities increase after undergoing gastric digestion. This means that the dried fruits can provide even more antioxidant protection for our cells, shielding our body from the damage caused by harmful free radicals and promoting overall health¹². 

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

5. Walnuts 

Walnuts are a great dry fruit as they contain high amounts of good fats such as omega 3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Therefore, walnuts can help support your cardiovascular health and is also good for lowering body fat⁴. This can be a great addition to the diet as many people who are overweight are already at risk for cardiovascular problems and this can be a great way to try and prevent them. 

6. Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts have many properties that may aid weight loss. They contain an essential amino acid known as L-arginine, which can be  helpful in burning fat. It increases body metabolism and thus, prevents the accumulation of unhealthy fat. Brazil nuts have high amounts of certain minerals such as selenium, thiamine, phosphorus and magnesium which can help maintain optimal cholesterol levels in blood and prevent damage to blood vessels⁵. 

7. Hazelnuts 

Hazelnuts have high fibre content as well as healthy fats, and both of these help with weight loss⁶. Like all the other high-fibre dry fruits mentioned in this article, hazelnuts also help in keeping you full for a longer time and controlling unhealthy snacking, which is often the first step in losing weight! 

8. Apricots

Apricots can stop you from feeling hungry for a long time after you eat them. Additionally, they provide your body with magnesium, which regulates fat metabolism. Apricots have a slightly sweet taste, and you can add them to certain desserts instead of sugar.

9. Raisins 

If you are looking for  low-salt foods with weight loss properties , then it can be difficult to find suitable snacking options.. However, raisins offer both benefits! In 100 grams of raisins, you will find only 0.5 grams of fat and 299 kcal, making this a great snack for people who are trying to lose weight. They are proposed to help regulate cholesterol levels and may reduce hunger by influencing hormones responsible for satiety⁷. 

10. Prunes 

Prunes are also commonly called dried plums. They have high dietary fibre content, which promotes peristaltic movements in the intestines. As a result, waste and toxins get released from your body quickly and this can help you in losing weight. Additionally, 100 grams of prunes contains only 240 kcal, making this a good snack for people who need to control their daily calorie intake⁸. 

11. Black Currant 

Black currant makes for a great pre-workout snack. It is easy to include in your diet and a versatile dry fruit like raisins. These dried fruits are high in nutrition and taste, making them a desirable snack. The dietary fibre and low sugar content.  aids in weight loss. It also helps with other health issues like diabetes and heart disease due to its antioxidant properties⁹. 

12. Figs 

Dried figs are abundant in dietary fibres that aid the digestive system to function optimally. Figs also contain a digestive enzyme known as ficin. This enzyme helps you lose weight as it by improving lipid metabolism and reducing your craving for sugar. It also has a positive effect on gut microbes and helps fight oxidative stress¹⁰. 

13. Goji Berries 

These tiny red berries are packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Goji berries have high fibre content and help increase the metabolism of your body. Drinking goji berry juice can boost metabolism and aid your weight loss journey¹¹.

Over the years, I have observed that besides aiding in weight loss, dried fruits may also have a positive impact on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While the consumption of dried fruits alone may not be significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality, when combined with fresh fruit intake, it has been found to lower the risk of CVD mortality. Therefore, incorporating a variety of dried and fresh fruits into your diet can help promote heart health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues¹². 

Dr. Smita Barode, BAMS, M.S.

How to Add Dry Fruits and Nuts to Your Diet

• Pack a bunch of nuts, dry fruits along with a banana or apple for lunch.  
• Grind or process nuts and dry fruits into a powder or fine mixture, this nutrient-heavy mix can be added to smoothies, beverages and desserts as a topping or base. 
• Choose an appropriate nut and crush it a bit, add it to soups and salads to replace the crunchiness of croutons. 
• Add chopped or crushed almonds, cashews or pecans to your breakfast cereal and skip the sugar. You’ll add healthy fats, fibre and boost your energy levels for the rest of your day.  
• Nuts can also be added on top of baked fish (and other proteins), this gives both something crunchy to contrast with the fish but also does wonders for your plate presentation.  
• Stir fry dishes (think Thai cuisine and anything cooked in a wok) all can do with the flavour a handful sprinkling of nuts can bring.  
• Mughlai Cuisine also makes use of cashew nuts (usually blended into the base) which add a deep richness, making each platter truly fit for a king.  
• You can bite into dry fruit chikki as a snack. Peanut chikkis are widely available in stores all over India. But it is always best to make yours at home. And when you do make healthy dry fruit chikki for weight loss at home, you have the leeway to add your choice of nuts such as almonds, walnuts and cashew nuts.  
• You can make yourself a nice plum cake with lots of dry fruits soaked in wine while keeping the base of your cake healthy like a wholewheat plum cake to ensure maximum nutrition.  
• If you love kebabs you are surely going to love this one. Make at home a batch of anjeer (fig) ke kebabs made from figs, hung curd and paneer. These kebabs are great for your breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can even have them as a healthy and tasty snack!  
• Try out healthier sweets such as anjeer barfi made from dried figs, pistas, jaggery and ghee. You can even keep a few in your tiffin box to have as a mid-meal snack. 

Based on my experience, I have observed that incorporating dried fruits into your diet can be beneficial for your overall health. Dried fruits are a great source of dietary fiber, containing approximately 3.7 to 9.8 grams per 100 grams. By consuming around 20 to 30 grams of dried fruits per day, you can fulfill about 10 to 16% of your recommended daily fiber intake, which is around 14 grams¹². 

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, B.A.M.S, M.D (Ayu)

Different Ways to Consume Nuts on a Daily Basis

If you do not want to eat a bowl of raw nuts, you can consume them in other ways that are equally beneficial for you. For example: 

• Drinking almond milk can provide you with the nutrients of almonds and the goodness of milk. Additionally, almond milk has low fat and calorie content so it can fit into your diet plan quite well. 
• Eating protein bars can help you curb your cravings and also benefit from eating different types of nuts at once. This is because typically, protein bars contain more than one dry fruit. But you must confirm this on the product packaging as it can vary from brand to brand. 
• Drinking a smoothie in the mornings with almonds, raisins, hazelnuts, or cashews. 
• Coating your main protein in a meal with nuts (for example, chicken coated with pistachios). 

Keep These in Mind When You Consume Dry Fruits for Weight Loss

• Always consume dry fruits in moderation. They are packed with nutrients and a regulated amount of consumption in a day is enough for your health. Overconsumption can be harmful as these dry fruits are very calorie-rich.  
• Always consume dry fruits without any additives. Consuming sugar-coated dry fruits or salted dry fruits are not as beneficial as consuming natural dry fruit.  
• When you purchase dry fruits, check the labels to see whether it has any additives or not. Sometimes they are mixed with sugars, spices, etc.   

Other Helpful Tips

If you plan on adding dry fruits to your diet, here are a few other helpful tricks to speed up your weight loss: 

• Don’t skip breakfast: If you miss the first meal of the day, you will be short on nutrients and end up snacking all day long. 
• Eat at regular times: When your body is accustomed to regular mealtimes, you will have a stable metabolism. It also helps to avoid snacking. 
• Include fruits and veggies: Fruits and vegetables are high in fibre and low in calories and fat making them a perfect combo for weight loss. 
• Exercise: A great diet will only help so much. You need some form of regular physical activity to speed up the weight loss process. 
• Hydrate: Drink enough water daily to keep your body in balance. Being thirsty can sometimes confuse us into eating food unnecessarily. 
• Check the label: Most food labels will give you an idea of the calorie and fat content, check these labels to make sure the food you buy fits into your diet. 
• Use smaller plates: A smaller plate will trick you into eating smaller portions. Also eating slower will convince your brain that you are full even with less food. 
• Reduce or stop alcohol: Alcohol can contribute to weight gain heavily, not to mention that it is linked to several other health issues. 

Conclusion

Your health depends a lot on your weight as it can impact various body functions. Therefore, monitoring the same diligently can help you improve the way you look and feel. Ultimately, this can have many positive impacts on your life such as improved confidence and self-esteem, better social skills, more motivation and positive thoughts. Even if it may seem very difficult initially, you should know that if you take simple steps such as eliminating unhealthy food items and including weight loss foods like dry fruits in your diet can help you achieve your goals! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

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