Contrary to popular belief, including nuts such as almonds in your diet won’t stop your weight loss, according to a new study by Temple's Center for Obesity research and Education. In fact, including a small portion of almonds will also help your heart by lowering your cholesterol. "Calories count when it comes to weight loss, but as long as you watch portions, you can incorporate foods that you enjoy, in this case almonds, and still get weight loss and get impressive benefits in heart disease risk factors," said Temple's Gary Foster, who led the study.