Almonds

Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts.
Almonds has vitamin E and it is a very important antioxidant.
Almonds forms a vital part of many tonic preparation in Ayurveda and unani medicines.

Here are the advantages of eating almonds:

Loose weight - Almonds can also help you lose weight. Because they contain fiber, protein and the good type of fat, they help keep you full, making them an ideal healthy snack.  It has even been noticed that almonds reduce the risk of weight gain, if taken twice a week.

Good for heart - Almonds are very beneficial for heart health. It reduces the risk of heart attack. You may decrease your risk by as much as 50 percent just by eating almonds five times a week!


Blood sugar- Almonds assist in controlling diabetes, by lowering blood sugar after meals.This offers protection from diabetes. Almonds also helps hypoglycemic people.

 Anti-oxidant- Almonds provide essential anti-oxidants and help in the clean up of the free-radicals in the body. They also contain lots of fiber, which is good for the system.

Good for brain-  Almond is a source of many nutrients which help in development of the brain. Almond induces high intellectual level and has been considered as an essential food item for growing children. In India, many mothers give almonds soaked in water to their children daily in the morning (2-3 pieces of soaked almonds are good enough ). It is highly beneficial in preserving the vitality of the brain.

Regulates blood pressure- Potassium present in almond helps to regulates blood pressure.

Good in pregnancy- Almond contains folic acid. Folic acid helps to reduce the incidence of birth defects in newborn babies.

Boosts energy- The presence of manganese, copper and riboflavin helps in energy production.

Prolong life- Almonds helps physical and mental health and prolong life. It helps in the formation of new blood cells and hemoglobin. It also helps in maintaining smooth physiological functions of brain, nerves, bones, heart and liver.

Loss of memory- Almond is valuable food for increasing memory, strengthening the brain and curing disorders of the nervous system.

Beauty aid-  Almonds are good for hair and skin health.
     Skin:  Face pack made from almond paste mixed with milk cream and rose bud paste is an effective beauty aid. It softens and bleaches the skin and nourishes it.
     Soak almonds overnight and then boil and blend them with whipped cream. This acts as a natural moisturizer and gives soft and supple skin.
     Hair: One type of food that can fight against hair loss is almonds. They are a good source of protein, and contain abundant amounts of iron and vitamin E. A teaspoon of almond oil mixed with a teaspoon of amla juice messaged over scalp is valuable remedy for hairfall, dandruff.

Actress karishma kapoor has been snacking on almonds since childhood. Maybe this is the secret of her ever glowing face!

Acidity and acid reflux - A few almonds chewed very well have been hailed as the new miracle treatment for acid reflux by some people. The oil in almonds helps neutralize the acidity in the stomach.

Teeth and bones-  The phosphorus in almonds helps build strong bones and teeth.



Disadvantage-
 But just like any other food, even almonds have their cons. They contain oxalates and excessive oxalates can cause crystallization. So people having kidney or gallbladder problems should avoid eating too much almonds.



How many almonds to eat:
The Almond Board of California  recommends eating 23 almonds a day for maximum health benefits.
According to Ayurveda about ten almonds a day is the general recommendation, but if you have a Kapha imbalance, then eat about five almonds per day.

How to eat almonds:
There are two ways of eating almonds. Either eat it as it is or soak in water, remove the outer skin and eat. Ayurveda recommends the latter.
According to Ayurveda, the skin of almond is hard to digest for some and to make it easy to digest we should remove the skin after soaking and eat. It is also said the almond skin can cause allergy for some so these people also benefit by eating with without skin. And I have found that a general belief in Ayurveda is soaking nuts makes it more nutritious and imparts a cooling tendency in the nut so they recommend pitta people to soak nuts and eat. But I am still somewhat skeptical about this! I have a pitta tendency too but never felt worse by eating almonds as it is. It is so tasty as it is:) why soaking and remembering to eat after few hours! Eat whenever you feel like. Moreover I think almond skin may also contain some nutrients and why leave that out! If anyone has any suggestions, recommendations or personal experiences regarding this please share. I would really like to hear from others.




Almond Halwa

Here's a very tasty recipe of badam halwa. The pictures look so yummy that you can't resist to try some. Its very tempting and why should you resist it when you now know that almonds are so good for you. This recipe is of Saffron from Saffron hut. Thank you Saffron!

http://saffronhut.blogspot.com/2006/10/good-nut-almondbadam-halva.html