Almonds have important benefits and properties, which is why they are ideal for diabetes, growth and against cardiovascular diseases. Discover all its qualities.

What are almonds?

The almond is the fruit of the sweet almond tree, that is, the edible seed of the fruit of this tree, scientifically known as Prunes dulcis. It is an extremely bright white fruit, which is wrapped with a brown cover.

This fruit tends to be consumed as a dried fruit, whether fried and salty or raw, but we must not forget something fundamental: if we consume it fried, its qualities would not be the same, since it would have a high fat content. Furthermore, we will tend to convert a food that is generally nutritious and healthy, into one that is less suitable from a nutritional point of view.

So, first of all, we can tell you that it is best to always consume raw or toasted almonds, but never fried.

They provide us with incredible benefits for our health, especially when we consume them regularly and in small handfuls (so that their high caloric content does not obviously become a problem for our weight).

We can enjoy them alone, in handfuls, or prepare delicious and nutritious recipes. In fact, they become the indispensable ingredient for a wide variety of desserts. Although with them we can also make the popular almond milk, a delicious and above all nutritious drink ideal for those who suffer from celiac diseaselactose intolerance or even those who do not consume animal products.

Not in vain, in addition to being certainly delicious and delicious nutsalmonds also have a series of very prominent benefits and properties for the health of people who tend to consume them regularly.

Of course, like many other nuts, its consumption should be taken care of, since they provide a fairly high amount of calories that can help us gain a few extra kilos.

10 benefits and properties of almonds

High nutritional content

As we will see in a next section, almonds stand out for their high nutrient content.  Among other aspects, it stands out for its vitamin and mineral content, as well as fat and fiber.

For example, among the most important vitamins we can mention the presence of vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B3, B6 and folic acid) and vitamin E. While, among the minerals, the presence of potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium.

Although they have many calories and therefore provide a lot of energy, we must not forget that their regular consumption is interesting thanks to their nutritional wealth.

Antioxidant benefits

As you surely know, antioxidants are substances that protect our body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals, which contributes to cell aging and the appearance of certain diseases.

Did you know that almond shells are especially rich in antioxidants? These substances are especially useful when it comes to preventing the negative action of these free radicals, protecting our body and, above all, protecting cells from oxidative damage.

On the other hand, almonds provide vitamin E, a recognized vitamin with precisely antioxidant benefits.

Useful and beneficial against diabetes

The almond becomes a very interesting dry fruit for people with diabetes, thanks to its high content of healthy fats, fiber and proteins, and its low content of carbohydrates.

In addition, almonds are especially rich in magnesium, a mineral that, in addition to other important functions, helps control blood sugar levels. If we take into account that people with type 2 diabetes tend to have an inadequate intake of magnesium, almonds can be very useful, being suitable precisely in the prevention of metabolic syndrome and to lower glucose levels.

Heart-healthy properties: useful against cholesterol

Almonds are rich in healthy fats, which, among other functions, help reduce high levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, in turn preventing the oxidation of this type of cholesterol. In addition, it helps to maintain HDL cholesterol to a good extent. In particular, its contribution in essential fatty acids omega 6 and omega 9 stands out.

They help to take care of the heart

Like most nuts, since we are dealing with a heart-healthy food, almonds therefore become very beneficial nuts when it comes to taking care of our heart health, useful for preventing cardiovascular diseases and preventing heart disease.

Full of phosphorus, very good for the brain

100 grams of almonds provide about 90 mg. phosphorus. If we take into account that phosphorus is essential for the health of our neurons, in addition to improving cell exchange and improving the structural function of cell membranes, we find that almonds are tremendously good for the health of our brain.

They provide an excellent amount of calcium, very good not only for your bones

On the other hand, 100 grams of almonds provide about 252 mg. calcium. Calcium, as you probably know, is an essential nutrient for the health of our bones. But it is not only essential for our bones, but also for the health of our teeth, and also for proper growth.

Therefore, it is very useful for our children to eat a handful of almonds and other nuts a day. Of course, if our children are small we must be careful and divide them very well before giving them, in addition to always being with them when they go to consume them.  The reason is that nuts, especially almonds and walnuts, tend to be the most choking foods in young children.

Good source of fiber

As we explained very briefly at the beginning of this note, almonds also stand out for their contribution of fiber, an essential essential element for our intestinal health. Therefore, eating a handful of almonds every day will help us improve our intestinal transit. Also, fiber helps lower cholesterol.

Ideal against hypertension

In addition to being suitable in case of high cholesterol and high triglycerides, did you know that almonds are also very interesting in case of high blood pressure (hypertension)? This is due to its potassium content, capable of regulating blood pressure.

High content of vegetable proteins

Almonds, like many other nuts, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. So its consumption is very interesting for vegans and vegetarians. In fact, 100 grams of almonds provide almost 19 grams of protein.

Nutritional qualities of almonds

From a nutritional point of view, almonds provide a lot of energy, thus becoming a dry fruit with a good amount of calories. In fact, 100 grams of almonds provide around 610 calories.

In any case, this does not mean that it has to become a problem for our diet or for our weight. On the contrary:  its incredible benefits make it a nutritionally excellent option, not only because of its high nutrient content, but also because of the different properties it provides. Of course, as long as it is consumed regularly and never in excess.

The almonds stand out from the outset for its high nutrient content. In them, for example, we find a large amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, water, fats, cellulose and carbohydrates.

With regard to vitamins, we take for example their content in vitamin E, A, D, C, PP, B1 and B2. While they also possess minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, copper, zinc, manganese, and chlorine.

Regarding its fat content, two-thirds correspond to oleic acid, its consumption being very positive to help combat or prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases, as well as to reduce high cholesterol levels.

We must not forget at this point that they also have omega-6 linoleic acid, a fatty acid that is certainly essential for the diet.

They also have water and fiber, so they are ideal – for example – to combat cases of constipation.

Nutritional contribution of almonds per 100 grams:

Calories 610 kcal Vitamin B9 45 mg
Carbohydrates 5 g Vitamin E 37.5 mg
Protein 18.71 g Carotenoids 120 µg
Fats 54 g Sodium 14 mg
Fiber 13.50 g Match 90 mg
Vitamin B1 0.22 mg Calcium 252 mg
Vitamin B2 14 mg Potassium 835 mg
Vitamin B1 0.62 mg Magnesium 270 mg
Vitamin B3 5.50 mg Iron 4.10 mg

How many almonds to eat a day to enjoy its properties?

When it comes to enjoying the different benefits that almonds give us, a great option is to try to consume them daily, on a regular basis.

Of course, when we are faced with a dry fruit with a high energy and therefore caloric intake (as it ultimately happens with most nuts), it is best to consume a handful of almonds a day, which is around 28 grams. And how many calories does this handful provide? Only 161 calories.

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