Almonds might come in small sizes, but this nutrition-packed dried fruit has numerous physical and mental health benefits. You may have seen your elders soaking almonds in the water overnight and eating them the next day. Almonds are also added to many desserts as toppings. We have researched the 21 health benefits of eating almonds daily. Let’s take a look.
21 Healthy Benefits Of Almonds
You and your body will benefit much from eating almonds because of the abundance of beneficial nutrients they contain. Almonds are good for you on multiple fronts, including cardiovascular health, bone health, and libido. They include a lot of beneficial nutrients like good fats, anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
1. Control Blood Sugar Levels
Diabetic patients are often concerned about meals with high sugar or large meals in general. The blood sugar levels tend to spike rapidly after your meal, which is why people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin shots just to keep their glucose levels in check. While almonds can’t replace your diabetes pills or insulin, they can help control your blood sugar level to a certain extent. 2-3 almonds before meals can help absorb and digest food faster.
2. Control Blood Pressure
One of the best benefits of eating almonds every day is that it can control your blood pressure. Research shows that high protein intake can lower your blood pressure and regulate it over time. Plant protein has proven to be more effective than animal-based protein. High protein content in almonds, and other vital ingredients, play a significant role in regulating blood pressure.
3. Good for Your Brain
Almonds are considered the best food for cognitive development in kids. It’s long been considered a healthy dried fruit for your brain development and overall mental health. It’s rich in L-carnitine and riboflavin, both of which reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Although more research is needed to link almonds to your brain health, experts believe this magical ingredient can improve your brain activity.
4. Help in Weight Loss
If you are on a weight loss journey, try almond milk. Add this incredibly delicious and sweet drink to your daily meals and see its effect on your weight in a few weeks. Almonds keep you full for a prolonged period. It prevents overeating. The best part is almonds are low in calories and promote the feeling of fullness, even if you eat a few every day. All these things contribute to fitness and a perfect weight. Almonds, with other low-calorie foods, can help you shed those excess pounds. But almonds alone can’t help. You need exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and good food choices to lose weight.
5. Improve your Bone Health
Of many nutrients and minerals, phosphorus in almonds is considered the most crucial for kids and adults. Your body needs adequate phosphorus for your bone health and teeth. You must add adequate phosphorus to your diet for bone strength and prevent bone diseases like osteoporosis. Almonds are an excellent source of phosphorus. Unfortunately, there’s no clinical study suggesting the benefits of almonds for people with osteoporosis or arthritis. But, if you have low bone density or pain due to phosphorus deficiency, have a few almonds daily.
6. Good for Cholesterol
You should have low LDL (low-density lipoproteins) and high HDL (high-density lipoproteins) to have good cardiovascular health. A study shows that almonds can reduce bad cholesterol and achieve a perfect balance in your cholesterol levels, preventing the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adults. Replacing your evening snacks with a handful of almonds is a great way to improve cardiovascular health.
7. It Reduces Inflammation
Fats have a bad reputation. While certain fats have a negative impact on our body, some are essential to fight inflammation. Our bodies do not produce fatty acids, which is why it’s important to incorporate foods rich in fatty acids into our diet. These fats are important for our development. Linoleic is one such vital fatty acid that improves our body’s ability to fight inflammation. This acid promotes healthy skin and hair health and reduces LDL cholesterol. Almonds are a good source of linoleic acid. A few almonds a day can do wonders for your overall health.
8. Reduce Constipation
Foods rich in fiber help regulate your bowel movements, which in turn reduces the risk of constipation. Drink plenty of water with almonds to ensure rapid digestion and easy absorption. All you need is 4-5 almonds a day. The high fiber content in almonds promotes regular bowel movements, flushing out all the toxins. This keeps your weight in check and your gut healthy and happy. There you go! A healthy gut means a healthy life.
9. Good for Your Heart Health
Rich in antioxidants, regular consumption of almonds may improve your heart health. Although more research is needed to prove the effectiveness of this dry fruit on your cardiovascular function, experts believe almonds improve blood circulation. This reduces the risk of heart disease. Almonds contain magnesium, which prevents the risk of a heart attack. It’s also rich in vitamin E, potassium, and antioxidants that keep your heart in good shape. Earlier, we mentioned how this fruit increases HDL and reduces LDL levels. This can improve your
cardiovascular function.
10. Rich in Antioxidants
Our bodies need antioxidants to fight inflammation, free radical damage, infections, and serious chronic diseases, like cancer. Almonds are an excellent source of antioxidants. It can help treat the deficiency of antioxidants, protecting your skin, hair, and overall health from free radical damage. It also reduces oxidative stress.
11. It has Anti-cancer Potential
Almonds improve your digestion and ensure an unobstructed movement of food through your colon, which ultimately reduces the risk of colon cancer. A study by the University of Colima showed that almonds and other nuts like walnuts and peanuts are effective against breast cancer. Mayo Clinic suggests the same, although we need more clinical research to consider almonds an effective nut for cancer prevention.
12. Good for Your Eyes
Many nuts, including almonds, are quite good for your eye health. Almonds' high vitamin E content proves quite effective against cataracts and other conditions that can cause age-related eye issues. This vitamin, combined with other minerals and essential nutrients, can do wonders for your eyesight. It offers protection against free radicals, which might damage your eye tissues. It also prevents macular degeneration.
13. Improves Your Skin Health
Being an excellent source of copper, almonds can help fight skin pigmentation. As mentioned above, almonds are rich in linoleic acid, which helps fight skin dryness. Vitamin E plays a vital role in delaying aging and keeping your skin nourished. Not only does almond have many skin healing properties, but it gives you smooth, shiny, and radiant skin. It is great for acne-prone skin. You can make a thick almond paste or eat them raw, whatever you find suitable. Rich in antioxidants, almonds maintain your skin's suppleness and elasticity.
14. Prevent Anemia
If you are anemic, your doctor will recommend a diet rich in iron to help fight anemia. While seafood and eggs can raise your hemoglobin levels drastically, nuts can also help maintain your hemoglobin. There's no clinical evidence showing the benefits of almonds for anemia, but this dry fruit can be of great help if you are looking to add something healthy to your diet. You should add almonds to your evening snack, as this dry fruit has all the essential nutrients your body needs to balance the hemoglobin levels. Just 1 ounce of almonds contains iron found in 3 ounces of turkey, which means a handful of almonds a day is all you need to give your body the right nutrients.
15. It Prevents Grey Hair
Nothing feels worse than the hair greying. Due to the increasing level of pollution and environmental elements, more and more people report premature hair greying. Earlier, we mentioned how your body needs copper to produce sufficient amounts of melanin, which helps retain your hair color and prevent greying.
In addition, this nutrition-packed dry fruit contains vitamin E and protein, the two essential ingredients that can reverse hair greying. You should add almonds and other protein-rich nuts to your diet to prevent premature hair greying. However, almonds alone can't reverse hair greying if a large number of your hair strands have turned grey.
16. Helps in Digestion
One of the many benefits of eating soaked almonds is that it helps in digestion. Your body requires lipase, an enzyme that's important for the absorption of fats in your food. This is especially necessary if you eat fried foods excessively. Almonds are rich in vitamin B, which works wonders in breaking down gluten and flushing out the toxins from your colon. Note that eating too many of them can significantly increase your risk of indigestion, poor absorption, and other digestion issues.
17. Boosts Hair Growth
Achieving long, strong, and healthy strands is the dream of all women. You may have tried all home remedies and chemical treatments. While some treatments work, they often have a temporary effect that fades fairly quickly. To maintain the shine, elasticity, and moisture in your hair, you should add dry fruits to your diet.
Of all the nutrients almonds offer, protein is the most crucial. Rich in protein, almonds can strengthen your hair root and reduce hair fall significantly. Magnesium also helps reduce hair fall. Your hair needs biotin to grow longer and thicker. And if you're looking for a natural way to get biotin, almonds are your best bet. It also reduces stress levels, which eventually stops hair fall and improves your hair health.
18. Good for Pregnancy
You may have heard a myth that says eating almonds is unsafe for pregnant women. People think almonds produce heat in your body, which might be unsafe for the child. That's not true.
Almonds, like other nuts, increase your energy levels, improve digestion, and keep toxins out of your body. All of these health benefits are excellent for pregnancy. Generally, 4-6 almonds a day are considered healthy for people, but a pregnant woman should eat 5-10 a day (either in its raw form or mashed and mixed in the milkshake). The best way to eat almonds is by soaking them in the water overnight, peeling their skin, and eating them the next day.
19. Boost Memory Retention
Every parent wants their kids to perform well in academics. One way to boost your memory retention is by adding healthy fruits and nuts to your diet. Almonds are one of those dried fruits that can boost your memory significantly. This study shows that eating almonds for 28 days had a great impact on memory. The good news is you don't need too many of them. Just a few almonds (about 8-10) soaked in the water overnight are enough to help you with memory. The
soaked almonds help you absorb its nutrients effectively, thus giving you all the benefits of this superfood.
20. Treat Stretch Marks
Becoming a mother is great news for any woman. A female body goes through many changes before and after pregnancy. A Stretch mark is one of those changes. These marks can lower your confidence. The worst part is that stretch marks remain for years after delivery. Have you tried all possible treatments to get rid of those hideous stretch marks that wont fade on their own? Well, you haven't tried almond oil yet. A gentle massage with almond oil can help reduce and fade stretch marks easily. Try almond oil every day to fade these marks.
21. It can Treat Acne
Almond oil has long been used as a moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin. This nourishing oil can help you get rid of pimples, acne, whiteheads, blackheads, and all types of skin problems effectively. Almond oil is also pretty good for protecting your skin from sun damage. However, it should never be used as a substitute for sunscreen. The fatty acids in the almond oil work wonders for people with oily skin types. ‘
Bottom Line
These were a few benefits of eating almonds. Not only for your immune system, but this little dried fruit can be very beneficial for your skin and hair health too. Use it to give a delicious flavor to milk or your favorite sweet foods. Or, you can eat a handful of almonds raw to reap their best benefits.
