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One of my favorite after dinner snacks to have with tea is almonds. I love the delicately flavored nut with its soft texture and light, sweet taste. If I don’t watch myself, I’m inclined to eat far more of them than I should, because I find the taste of almonds addictive. Fortunately, unlike the chips and candy many people like to snack on, almonds are extremely healthy. If you eat more than you should, no harm is actually done to your health, aside from the extra calories.
Where do almonds come from?
Almonds grow on almond trees, which are medium sized trees. Almond trees grow fruits with pits in them and those pits, not the fruits, are the almonds that many have grown to love to eat.
What makes almonds healthy?
Almonds are best known for providing a great source of monounsaturated fats, which are also found in olive oil. These healthy fats have been directly linked to improved cardiovascular health. Eating a healthy diet that includes almonds has been shown to reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL). That reduction in LDL is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
In addition to the benefits to heart health, almonds are also loaded with vitamin E (an antioxidant), magnesium, potassium and protein. Plus, studies have shown that eating almonds may help with weight loss and may be beneficial in lowering blood sugar after a high glycemic meal.
How can I incorporate almonds into my diet?
Almonds’ light, sweet taste makes it easy to incorporate into your diet. Unlike many healthy foods, it feels like the opportunities to use almonds are near unlimited. Here are a few suggestions:
- Almond butter: Add some almond butter to a shake or spread it on a sandwich, instead of peanut butter.
- Chopped/sliced almonds: Garnishing your granola, yogurt, salad, quinoa, rice, fish, or sauteed vegetable dish with almonds both enhances the taste and improves the presentation. Almonds are also great in baked goods.
- Plain almonds: Makes a great healthy snack at any time.
Just remember, because of their high fat content, almonds can turn rancid. That robs them of much of their health benefits and of their taste. To prevent that, almonds should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry environment and kept away from sunlight.
The bottom line:
Almonds are a tasty, healthy food that can easily be incorporated into your diet either as an ingredient in a meal or as a between meal snack. So, the next time you are at the store, don’t forget to stop in the nut aisle and get yourself some almonds. Your heart (and your tastebuds) will thank you for it!
Source: Whfoods.com
