Wow, this tiny snack can accomplish so much!
Almonds may not appear to be the most thrilling snack, but they are. When you consider all of the benefits that eating almonds may have on your body, you'll want to include this nutritious nut in every meal you can think of. Sure, almonds are crunchy and full of healthy fats, but they also have a slew of other health advantages that will keep you feeling energized and gorgeous.
Toby Smithson, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND, Diabetes Lifestyle Expert with DiabetesEveryDay and author of Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies, spoke with us about these benefits in depth. She's also a spokeswoman for the California Almond Board, so she knows a lot about almonds and how they may help your health in various ways.
Here are a few reasons why you should consume almonds regularly!
1. They're high in protein and fiber.
"The crunch of almonds has substantial nutritious power," Smithson says. "Almonds have the greatest fiber (4 grams), vitamin E (50 percent of your daily value), and riboflavin per ounce of tree nut (25 percent DV). They're also one of the best suppliers of magnesium, which is difficult to come by (20 percent DV). In addition, each healthy handful has 6 grams of plant protein."
2. They are beneficial to your skin.
"Research on postmenopausal women has showed that consuming two (one ounce) servings of almonds each day may help minimize wrinkles and skin discoloration," Smithson advises.
Smithson claims that the severity of wrinkles has decreased by 16 percent, and the overall intensity of facial pigment has dropped by 20 percent.
"The researchers speculate that vitamin E and niacin may play a role in these effects," Smithson adds. "However, the findings underline the importance of viewing almonds as a whole diet with various nutrient components that interact together rather than oversimplifying benefits to single elements."
3. They can help you lose tummy fat.
"Those who incorporated almonds daily (15 percent of total calories from almonds) vs those who did not observed equivalent weight loss in a 12-week research among healthy overweight and obese individuals who were complying with a calorie-restricted diet," Smithson says. "However, what's most intriguing is that the almond-eating dieters shed proportionally more body fat, notably fat from the truncal region (or belly fat)."
Reduced belly fat is connected to a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood sugar, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to Smithson.
4. They're good for your heart.
"Heart health is a crucial area of research, and a comprehensive evaluation of 18 studies indicated that consuming almonds lowers total and 'bad' LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while having no detrimental influence on 'good' HDL cholesterol," Smithson explains.
She also mentions a study published in The Journal of Nutrition by Penn State researchers that found that eating almonds instead of a high-carbohydrate snack can help your body's "good" HDL cholesterol.
5. You will save calories.
Although almonds have a high-calorie content (170 calories per 1/4 cup), the manner your body digests these calories may differ significantly from that of other meals. Smithson cites UC Davis research demonstrating that roasted and unroasted almonds have fewer calories than you may think.
"The researchers were able to determine the quantity of calories really digested and absorbed from almonds using a new method," Smithson explains. "When compared to the quantity of calories given on nutrition labels, whole unroasted almonds have 25% fewer calories, whole roasted almonds have 19% fewer calories, and chopped roasted almonds have 17% fewer calories."
"What's the deal with the discrepancy? Bioavailability is not taken into account when calculating calories for the label "Smithson keeps going. "Almond cell walls are not entirely broken down after chewing, leaving a portion of the cells intact and unabsorbed during digestion. Mechanical activities including roasting, chopping, and grinding, as well as chewing, damage the cell wall of almonds, affecting particle size and, as a result, calorie availability."