Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Almonds

This month, our healthy ingredient spotlight is on one of our favorites - almonds. Almonds are amazing nuts: they are chock full of nutrition, they taste great and are versatile, so it’s easy to add them to your diet. They help with brain function, cholesterol, and even help you have healthier bones and teeth. Just ¼ cup of almonds gives you 45% of your daily value of manganese and Vitamin E, as well as 20% of phosphorus.

Heart and Circulatory Health

Consuming nuts five times per week can reduce your risk of heart attack by up to 50% - that’s huge! In addition to a healthier heart, the skin of almonds are high in flavonoids, which combined with Vitamin E helps to protect against damage to the arteries, further reducing the risk of heart disease.

Good Fats and Lower Cholesterol

Almonds are high in fat, but they are good fats which can actually help aid with weight loss. Consuming nuts two or more times per week can give you a 31 percent higher chance of avoiding weight gain. By lowering blood sugar levels after a meal you can avoid the “crash” and stay full longer. High in monounsaturated fats, almonds help you to lower LDL cholesterol levels when they replace saturated fats.

Alkanization and Phosphorous

Very few proteins help make your body more alkaline (the opposite of acidic), which is vital for immune function, energy, and weight maintenance. In addition, almonds are the only nut that help alkalize your body. They are also a good source of phosphorus, which is a major factor in the development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth.

Versatility of Almonds

Almonds can be found anywhere, in whole form or slivered, as well as almond meal, almond flour, or almond butter. Besides munching on raw almonds, they can be toasted and added to cereals, salads, and entrees. Natural almond butter can be used to replace peanut butter, while almond meal and flour can be used for baking or in smoothies.