I love shopping for food, and enjoy taking my time to find my favorites, and even though I always shop with a list, I find new “favorites” on most shopping adventures. Whenever I shop, I see folks peeking in my basket… “What’s the nutritionist eating?” is the unasked question.
When asked about my preferences for snacks, I always list a variety of nuts as good choices. You will typically see almonds, hazelnuts, and my favorite, macadamia nuts in my cart, and in today’s column I’ll share again a favorite almond flour-based recipe, Good Morning Bread, which I usually make as muffins.
Almonds are a common snack and contain a rich array of nutrients with many health benefits. An ounce of almonds has many of the nutrients we need each day, including, six grams each of protein and carbs, 14 grams of fat, vitamins E and B2, copper, magnesium and manganese.
Almonds and almond flour are great choices for folks on a gluten-free or grain-free diet. Almond flour has been a great addition to our baked goods ingredient options, and we get a moist and flavorful result.
Almonds support our health in many ways: Almonds reduce lipid oxidation biomarkers in older adults, reduce 24-hour insulin secretion in non-diabetics, improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetics, improve satiety and postprandial (post-meal) glucose balance when consumed as snacks and do not increase overall energy intake. Almonds also possess potent prebiotic fibers, particularly in their skins.
Phytate levels are high in almonds as with most nuts. Phytate has both good and bad sides (binds minerals and prevents their absorption on one hand but may be converted into beneficial compounds in the gut and have anticancer effects on the other hand); but a good compromise is to avoid a nut-heavy diet.
As a reminder, almonds are best as snacks, not the main course. Soaking and/or roasting almonds can also reduce phytate levels. Raw almonds are hard to procure. Most almonds advertised as raw on store shelves have been pasteurized. Purchasing directly from the producer/farmer can help you obtain truly raw, unpasteurized almonds.