Although certainly not a diet food -- due to their high fat content -- eating nuts can be an effective natural approach to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, report Spanish researchers in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study of more than 1,200 adults showed that those who ate moderate amounts of nuts daily--about three walnuts, seven to eight hazelnuts, and seven to eight almonds--lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels more significantly than those on low-fat meal plans or on Mediterranean diets rich in heart-healthy olive oil. Nut-eaters also lost more belly fat (though not more body fat overall) than those on the other diets.
