Health benefits, nutrients, and risks of Almonds
Almonds are renowned all around the world for the number of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein that they contain and the health benefits that they provide to the human body. Research studies have proven that a handful of almonds can fulfill an average human’s one-eighth of daily protein requirement.
Despite being so known all around the world, most people mistake almonds for a nut, but in the truth, almonds are seeds. All around the world, these seeds are eaten in many ways, whether it be in raw form, roasted, a snack, or even as the garnishing of sweets.
Health benefits of Almonds
They have been used for centuries due to the innumerable amount of health benefits that they provide to the human body. Some of the most common benefits of almonds are given below.
1.Cholesterol balance
They consist of a great amount of fat, but the type that they consist of is unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat does not increase the chances of piling up bad cholesterol in our blood pathways. On the other hand, researchers have concluded that unsaturated fats are responsible and can increase the blood cholesterol status of a person.
2. Cancer prevention
Many kinds of researches have been conducted for finding a relation between almond consumptions and the risk of cancer. What the researchers have concluded after seeing the result of their studies is that the people who consumed almonds every day had two to three-time lower risk levels of getting breast cancer than people who did not. Researchers have also concluded that nuts and seeds appear to act as a protective barrier for the body against breast cancer.
3. Cardiac conditions
Almonds consist of a considerable amount of vitamin E, healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants which prevent the body from getting cardiac blockages. Many types of researches have shown that almonds prevent such cardiac conditions by providing healthy fats to the body and reducing the amount of harmful free radicals and hence, increasing the blood pressure as well.
Nutrition
After all the researches and chemical tests that have been made on almonds, the researchers have come up with the approx. amount of nutrients that are contained in them. A handful amount of almond kernels, about 23 kernels, weighing about 28.4 g of almonds, consist of about one-third of every nutrient and vitamin that our body needs in a day.
People who follow a vegan diet and are unable to consume the required amount of protein, b vitamins, and choline can consume almonds to fulfill it.
Risks of Almonds
Along with having numerous amount of health benefits and nutrient composition, there are also some risks associated with the consumption of almonds.
- Allergy: They are not fine for consumption for anyone who has an allergy to them. The allergic reaction that can happen to such a person can be the appearance of hives, swelling, and difficulty in breathing.
- Choking: Many children, as well as adults, have difficulty in swallowing the whole nuts and this can become a hazardous thing for them if they try to swallow an almond in one go.