Almonds are a High Fat Food That's Good For Your Health
Although we think of the almond as a nut, it is technically the seed of the fruit of the almond tree – rather like the peach or apricot pip. While almond trees can be found in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa, virtually all commercial trees are grown in California.
Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats
This is the same type of health promoting fats as are found in olive oil. But don’t think that because of the presence of fats that snacking on almonds is going to make you put on weight (except if you eat a lot of sugared almonds of course!).
Quite the opposite as these are monounsaturated fats "good fats".
There are so many benefits to eating almonds
- Reduced risk of heart disease.
- Reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol.
- Rich in magnesium which is nature’s own calcium channel blocker.
- Rich in potassium to help protect against high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.
- Protects against diabetes by lessening “after meal” surges in blood sugar.
- Rich in flavonoids (found in the skin) and vitamin E (found in the meat) which together produces extra antioxidants.
- Ounce for ounce, almonds are the one of the most nutritionally dense nuts.
- If you are eating foods with a high glycemic index, adding almonds can help keep the blood sugar under control.
- Almonds help with weight loss because of their nutrient density. A body that is well nourished no longer craves food. The traditional US diet is so depleted of nutrients that the body continues to send out hunger signals. In response to these signals, more nutrient deficient food is eaten and more hunger signals are sent. This vicious cycle leads to a steady weight gain.
- Eating almonds or other nuts is one of the 4 top factors for extending longevity.
- Rich in laetrile or vitamin B17 which is thought to prevent cancer.
- Almonds have prebiotic properties, helping to improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria. And they taste good too!
Here are some ideas for getting the most out of almonds
- Enjoy a handful of almonds as a between meal snack.
- Spread a little almond butter on your toast or to be really healthy, down the centre of a stalk of celery.
- Add a handful of almonds to your salad.
- Use as a topping for pasta, steamed or sautéed vegetables.
- Almond extract can be used instead of vanilla extract for diabetic safe recipes.
- Sweet almonds can be roasted and turned into slivers or chunks for texture in ice cream or puddings.
- Almonds can also be processed into essential oils or extracts.
Always look for raw and organic almonds for the full health benefits
If almonds are not always available, there are other options you can use with great benefits too. Go for walnuts, pecans or chestnuts as these have the highest antioxidant content of all the tree nuts.
However, we are lucky as the delicately flavored and versatile almond is available throughout the year to make a healthy and tasty addition to both sweet and savory dishes. They are freshest in mid-summer which is when they are at the height of their season.
Sources
Almonds reduce the risk of heart disease, research shows. (2014).
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140630094527.htm. (Accessed, 2 October 2021).
Appendix 7. Nutritional goals for age-sex groups based on dietary reference intakes and Dietary Guidelines recommendations. (2015).
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-7/. (Accessed, 2 October 2021).
Barbagallo, M., & Dominguez, L. J. (2015). Magnesium and type 2 diabetes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549665/. (Accessed, 2 October 2021).
Choudhury, K., et al. (2014). An almond-enriched diet increases plasma α-tocopherol and improves vascular function but does not affect oxidative stress markers or lipid levels [Abstract].
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/10715762.2014.896458. (Accessed, 2 October 2021).
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Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.