Almonds sometimes get a bad rap because they’re high in calories but what’s the truth about almonds? It turns out that nuts like almonds may be good for our health.
Here are some reasons why you should be adding almonds to your diet.
Almonds help with weight loss
Almonds help with weight loss because they’re full of fiber and healthy fats leaving us feeling full longer. This nut also have a good amount of protein which slows the digestion of the almonds themselves. When you feel full from fiber and protein you won’t be tempted to reach unhealthy snacks. One study found that eating almonds did a better job at helping with weight loss vs people eating complex carbohydrates.
One other way that almonds are good for weight loss is that your body doesn’t absorb all the calories from the nut. The construction of the cells of the almond is more rigid causing up to 20-30% of the calories not to be absorbed.
Almonds and heart health
We all know that high cholesterol is not ideal for heart health and bad cholesterol is a strong indicator of future heart disease. Eating nuts has been shown to improve cholesterol levels because of the high fiber and unsaturated fats in the nuts.
The vitamin-E in almonds helps stop the development of plaque in arteries. This may help prevent a heart attack as you age.
The magnesium in almonds helps keep the heart in proper rhythm. Magnesium also helps to keep your blood pressure down. When taking magnesium supplements, you may have side effects such as diarrhea. Magnesium from foods have no side effects.
Almonds and joint health
Many of my clients come to me because they have joint pain and I always recommend building a diet that promotes optimal health to help reach their goals of pain management. Most of the people that come to me have other health issues going on like being overweight.
Have a diet high in whole foods that are plant based always help people lose weight and weight loss helps with joint health. Walking around with less mass takes a ton of the stress off the body. Imagine walking around 10-20 pounds lighter. Do you think that your joints will feel better? Most likely yes.
Almond are packed with magnesium and calcium which play a role with bone density which affects joint health.
Almonds helps control blood sugar
If you have type 2 diabetes eating almonds is a great choice to help keep your blood sugar under control. Almonds have a lot of fiber and protein both have been shown to help prevent spikes in blood sugar. Adding them as a snack is a great way to keep yourself from feeling the spikes and dips with blood sugar. Protein and fiber digests slower than carbs which will help keep things under control. Pairing almonds with fruit is a good idea for people with type 2 diabetes because the almonds will help slow the digestion of the fruit allowing you to enjoy the health benefits of fruit without the fear of a blood sugar spike.
Check out our blog about if multivitamins are healthy https://www.onthegofitnesspro.com/are-multivitamins-healthy/
References
https://www.nature.com/articles/0802411
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/key-minerals-to-help-control-blood-pressure
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/almonds-can-improve-diabetes-control/
