Photo by dhanya purohit

Almonds are a nutrient superpower for you. We all at some time or another have been encouraged to eat more almonds. February 16th is National Almond Day and a good time to reflect on how you can incorporate almonds in your diet.

Almonds have a ton of Benefits:

• Improves cholesterol-lowers bad cholesterol(LDL) and increases good cholesterol(HDL)
• Helps in brain health
• Anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties
• Provides satiety, helps you feel full because of fiber, fat, and protein content
• Lowers blood pressure-lowers systolic blood pressure, helps blood vessels relax and reduces artery stiffness
• Helps in gut health-act as a prebiotic food to good gut bacteria and promotes good gut flora
• Regulates blood sugars
• Promotes skin health

Almond Nutritional Information

• ¼ cup(or 23 almonds or one ounce of almonds) has about 152 calories, 6 grams of protein, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, and 3 grams of dietary fiber.

Key points:

• High in protein
• Has healthy fats-unsaturated fat or monounsaturated fat such as olive oil or olives-improves cholesterol level in the body as well as reduces inflammation in the body
• Provides fiber
• Has micronutrients: vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin B, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper, calcium, phosphorus, phytochemicals, flavonols

Almonds provide satiety and make you fill full but they are also rich in calories so be wary of added extras… avoid honey, sugar, added oil, or salt as that will add on extra calories

Don’t shy away from grabbing a handful of almonds and making it a part of your daily intake in some way or another…..eat it as a snack, add some to salads, cooked veggies, cereal, yogurt, or relish them as a topping on ice cream and desserts.