BY DR. ROOPA CHARI, M.D.
Oct 6th, 2013
Almonds are so nutritious and are a delicious source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, zinc, calcium and magnesium.
In Part 1 we discussed the importance of eating almonds due to its healthy effects on your heart. In this article, we will talk about how many almonds to eat per day and the best type and way to eat them.
A healthy habit is to eat nuts as a snack instead of chips or cookies but remember you still should not overdo how many nuts you eat per day.
One ounce of unsalted nuts (approximately 23 almonds) has 163 calories, almost 3 grams of fiber and approximately 14 gm of fat (1.1 gram of saturated fat and 12.2 gm of unsaturated fat). The good thing is that almonds have mostly healthy monounsaturated fat. However, even though most of this fat is healthy fat, it’s still a lot of calories. That’s why you should eat nuts in moderation.
What Type of Almonds are Best? The healthiest nuts are raw, unsalted and unprocessed. We buy raw, organic almonds and raw almond butter at our local Farmers Market.
Raw almonds have slightly higher levels of vitamins than roasted almonds because some nutrients are destroyed in the roasting process (particularly B vitamins), though not in very large amounts. In addition, with roasting up to 15% of healthy oils of the almond may be lost. The mineral content overall of roasted & unroasted almonds is approximately the same.
How to Soak Almonds:
Get a handful (or ounce) of raw, organic almonds and put them in a bowl, glass or stainless steel container. Cover the almonds with purified water, put a lid on the container they are in and let it sit overnight for 12 hours. After 12 hours, you can then drain & wash the almonds, refrigerate them and eat them as snacks that day! Even with busy schedules, this is something that doesn’t take much time and is worth it!
How Many Almonds Should You Eat? Most of the research for a healthy heart points to one ounce of nuts per day. This would be approximately 23 almonds or 1/4 measuring cup.
* We personally eat between 5-10 soaked almonds per day and remove the brown skin of the almond after soaking it for easier digestion.
Stay tuned for Part 3 where we’ll discuss even more health benefits of almonds!
About Dr. Roopa Chari, M.D.: "Dr. Roopa Chari is a medical doctor in Internal Medicine and her brother Deepak Chari is an Engineer and Certified Biofeedback Specialist at The Chari Center of Health, an advanced integrative medical center in Encinitas, CA. * Sign up for a FREE 15 minute holistic medical consult with Dr. Chari and/or a FREE 30 minute Stress & Anxiety Relief session with Advanced Voice Biofeedback with Deepak Chari here or call (760) 230-2711."