Eating almonds daily good for health
According to a team of American researchers, almonds are a healthy nut to have. A moderate amount can be eaten daily either raw or soaked overnight in water. They are packed with protein, vitamin E and magnesium; in addition to monounsaturated fats that have been shown to be good for heart health.
‘Almonds are a good source of plant protein – essential fatty acids, vitamin E and magnesium,’ said Alyssa Burns, a doctoral student at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in US.
For the 14-week study, scientists gave almonds daily to 29 pairs of parents and children. Most of the adults were mothers with an average age of 35, while their children were between 3 and 6 years old. The children were encouraged to consume 0.5 ounces of almond butter daily. Parents were given 1.5 ounces of almonds per day. At the end of 14 weeks they resumed eating their typical intake, which included other food as snacks.
Researchers based their conclusions about improved dietary intake on participants’ scores on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a tool used to measure diet quality and adherence to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Researchers used an online dietary recall to find out what adults had eaten and how much. That way, researchers could measure diet quality, Burns said.
When parents and children were eating almonds, their HEI increased for total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins and fatty acids, Burns said, while they ate fewer empty calories. Parents also decreased sodium intake. Parents and children consumed more vitamin E and magnesium when eating almonds, she said.
It may be a good idea to replace one snack with a handful of almonds for their effect on cardiovascular risk factors, weight management and to a lesser extent on cancer, inflammation and hypertension.
