If you ever ask anyone if they like almonds or not, there is a high chance they will say yes. Almonds are one of the tastiest nuts you can get your hands on. In addition, they are chock full of nutrients like minerals, vitamins, proteins, and fiber.
All these make almonds a very healthy nut to have in your diet. You can easily add it to your breakfast bowl of cereals or have it raw, usually straight out of the box. So it will still be pretty tasty that even kids will not have trouble liking almonds.
After hearing all of this, don’t you want to know why is almond good for you and what nutrients and health benefits it offers? If you are interested in learning them, then keep on reading!
Contents
What Are Almonds?
Almonds are nuts that get extracted from the almond tree grown primarily in the middle east. It gets exported from middle eastern gulf countries like Iran and its neighboring countries. It is found inside a shell, which gets removed to take the seed out.
Shops sell it on the market as a seed and without the shells. However, many variants like crushed almonds and almond milk are also available.
Also, when almonds get shelled, they are brownish, with a whiter seed inside them. The brown coat often gets removed while shops sell them in this form. Then these nuts are sold as blanched almonds.
The USA has the highest amount of almond exports due to approximately 1,000,000 acres of crops in California. The USA alone produces 60% of the entire world’s almond produce, with six different types of almonds. They are followed closely by Spain and Iran.
Why Are Almonds Important?
Almonds are one of the healthiest nuts you can incorporate into your diet. They are healthy because they offer a lot of nutrients, more so than many other nuts.
So what are almonds good for you? The importance of almond benefits is as follows:
1. Provides A Lot Of Antioxidants
When your body goes through the oxidation process, a lot of oxidation occurs in your body. It is because of this oxidation that you get older. It has certain nutrients in them, like Magnesium which has a lot of antioxidants in them.
However, this magnesium is only found in the brown peel of the nut. Therefore, include it with your meals, especially for breakfast and lunch.
2. High In Vitamin E
If you want antioxidants to retain your youthful looks for a longer time, then almonds have got you covered. Alongside Magnesium, it also has a lot of Vitamin E, which helps protect your organs from the oxidative damage that takes place in your body every day.
This is one of the main reasons why many consider it one of the best Vitamin E sources, alongside tofu and salmon. Since it is so high in Vitamin E, it has a higher chance of lowering heart diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and even some forms of cancer.
3. Can Help You Control Blood Sugar Levels
If you are a diabetic person with a sweet tooth, then the nutritional value of almonds will make you want to eat more of them. These nuts are low in carbohydrates but high in unsaturated fats, healthy proteins, and fiber.
All these nutrients combined with magnesium make them great for diabetic people to control their blood sugar levels. But unfortunately, one of the minerals that diabetic people lack in their bodies is magnesium.
4. Can Help You Lower Your Cholesterol Level
Most people refer to LDL Lipoproteins as bad cholesterol. It is one of the main components to create higher heart risks in people. However, it is here to save the day because of their properties that effectively reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your body.
These nuts contain a lot of good cholesterol that mitigates the risks of their harmful counterpart by preventing their oxidation. But, of course, the same can be said for broccoli and yogurt.
5. Helps You Lose Weight
Since these nuts are so full of essential nutrients, eating a handful of them makes you feel less hungry. This is because these nuts contain a lot of healthy proteins, fats, and cholesterol but less saturated fat and carbs in almonds. Therefore, if you want to make your tummy feel full without having too many fatty foods, then almonds benefits will make you eat more of them.
6. Lowers Risk Of Breast Cancer
If you want to maintain your health, then we recommend having lots of almonds every day to lower the risks of suffering from breast cancer. The same can be said for other nuts, like walnuts, cashews, peanuts, citrus fruits, and quinoa.
7. Improves Heart Health
If you want a healthy heart that ticks for a hundred years, then the benefits of eating almonds are a must for you. This gets attributed to the presence of antioxidants and vitamin E, two essential nutrients that improve heart health.
Downsides Of Eating Almonds
Are almonds healthy? They are one of the most nutritious nuts globally. However, almonds have minor drawbacks that many people will not like. They are all related to eating too many every day.
- Too many of these nuts will provide way too many nutrients and calories that you will soon start gaining weight.
- The high amount of fiber in almonds can cause diarrhea and constipation.
- Many people are allergic to almonds. So if you are one of them, you better stay away from it.
- The oxalates in these nuts can develop into kidney stones.
- Too much Vitamin E can cause blood coagulation, leading to internal hemorrhages.
Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQs)
So how many almonds to eat per day? Experts suggest that you should eat no more than 23 almonds every day.
Yes, it’s okay to eat an ounce every day (not more than 23).
The nutrients of almonds provide a lot of antioxidants and essential nutrients to keep you healthy, fit, and young.
Earring more than an ounce (23 pieces) has a higher probability of making you fat.
Conclusion
The health benefits of almonds far outweigh the drawbacks of eating them. Therefore, we recommend eating not more than 10 to 15, even if 23 is permissible. This is because different people will react differently to its consumption.
It contain many antioxidants and magnesium in them that are highly beneficial for your health and heart. It controls your blood sugar levels and even helps you to maintain your weight and cholesterol levels.
If this made you eat more almonds, please check out our other articles and share them with others!
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