Don’t Fear the Fat: Why Almonds Should Be Part of Your Diet

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Almonds have long been touted as a nutrient-dense food; just a handful a day offers the body a high serving of recommended daily levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber and protein.

Many people may be leery of almonds, though, due to their high fat content. While almonds do contain fat, the type of fat is important to understand. Almonds are packed with monounsaturated-fatty acids. Research studies suggest that these fats can not only lower LDL levels (“bad cholesterol”) but also increase HDL levels (“good cholesterol”) and therefore helping to prevent health complications, including coronary artery disease and strokes. When eaten in moderation, this type of fat is encouraged to be in our diet.  We recommend keeping your serving of almonds to approximately 12-14, depending on the size of the almond.

When shopping for your heart-healthy alternative to pretzels and potato chips, search for almonds that are raw or roasted without extra oils, salt, sugar and seasonings made with artificial ingredients.  We love sourcing our almonds from the Michigan based company, The Health Nut, because of their cooking process. Rather than using extra oils, salts and preservatives to impart a crunchy roasted almond flavor, The Health Nut uses a natural process of sprouting and dehydration. Sprouting is a technique that is very beneficial to our health, as it makes nutrients within the food more easily accessible, thus allowing our body to more readily absorb and digest them.

Almonds are very energizing and a small handful can ward off hunger for hours on end, especially during a busy work day.  Add almonds to your favorite breakfast and lunches to help you stay full throughout the day, or make your own snack mix! Because of their durability and convenience, almonds are a great snack to pack in your travel bag, purse or store in your desk without any additional preparation.  Check out our tasty recipe for a heart-healthy Spinach, Orange and Almond Salad at https://savorfull.com/products/the-health-nut-almonds.

Stacy Goldberg, MPH, RN, BSN is the CEO & Founder of Savorfull (part of the Quicken Loans family of companies), which provides nutrition consulting, wellness programs and healthy “free from” product boxes to businesses, corporations, nonprofits, schools, fitness studios, health systems and retail stores.