Wellness Wednesday: March 17
ALMONDS
Almonds can come in so many forms: raw almonds, roasted almonds, chocolate-covered almonds, slivered almonds, almond mylk, almond flour, almond butter, almond oil; you get the idea! But did you know that almonds can also help you live a happy and healthy life in addition to being a delicious ingredient in your diet? For this week’s Wellness Wednesday, we’re highlighting almonds.
Almonds are believed to have originated in China and the Middle East. They’ve been enjoyed by humans in Asia and along the Mediterranean coast for thousands of years. It’s also been said that almonds were praised by the Romans and Egyptians and were used in bread recipes served to royalty. The almond didn’t originally arrive in the United States until the 1700s when an almond tree was brought to California from Spain. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s when these tree nuts began to be cultivated in California’s Central Valley.
Almonds are actually a part of the peach and stone fruit family; they’re considered to be the hard fruit from the Prunus dulcis, or almond tree, and are grown inside of a harder shell. Because of this, they can also cause similar allergic reactions in those with stone fruit allergies.
As with most nuts, almonds deliver a large amount of nutrients in a small serving. Just one once of almonds contains 6 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber, 14 grams of healthy fats, and more than a third of the recommended daily value of Vitamin E and manganese.
We’ve mentioned this before, and we’ll mention it again; almonds are incredibly high in antioxidants, which supplies our bodies with numerous health benefits. Antioxidants protect against and reduce oxidative stress in the body, which helps lower the risk of cancer, slow the aging process, and reduce inflammation. The majority of these antioxidants can be found in the dark brown skin of the almond, so it’s best to opt for raw or roasted almonds rather than blanched.
Almonds can also help to lower blood sugar levels. While low in carbs, almonds are high in healthy fats, fiber, protein, and magnesium. In just two ounces of almonds, you’re consuming more than half the RDI of magnesium, which is involved in lowering blood sugar levels and improving insulin production, thus also contributing to the management of type II diabetes.
Almonds are incorporated in almost all of our menu: Our protein shakes and smoothies use an almond milk base (with a couple exceptions that opt for coconut water instead), our Classic açaí bowl and Pesto flatbread are topped with raw slivered almonds, and our Sunshine açaí bowl, Blueberry Pie smoothie, and Salted Caramel smoothie all incorporate almond butter in their ingredient lists.
You can always request your bowl, toast, or flatbread to be topped with slivered almonds, and we can also add almond butter to your açaí bowl, avocado toast (an underrated combination), and protein shake or smoothie so that you can take advantage of the nutritious goodness that almonds have to offer!
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