Almonds
My all time favourite nut!
I eat them as a snack and use them in cooking and in baking. I whiz them up in my blender to make almond meal, nut butter and almond milk. I've also been known to dip celery sticks into the almond butter when a sugar craving rears its ugly head.
Interestingly, they are one of the most nutritionally beneficial foods on the planet, so indulge!
~ just a few of the benefits ~
- 1/4 cup of almonds = 8 grams of protein (more than the protein found in an egg).
- Filled with heart-healthy fats (as found in olive oil), lowering cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease.
- They lessen after-meal surges in blood sugar, protecting against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Contain antioxidants - preventing cell damage that causes chronic diseases.
- Manganese (1 cup = 50% of your daily intake), essential for bone, nerve and thyroid health, as well as controlling your cholesterol levels.
- Vitamin E (3/4 cup = 45% of your intake), an antioxidant that protects your cells from damage, as well as supporting healthy hair and clear glowing skin.
- Magnesium - essential for enabling over three hundred different enzyme functions around the body, including the secretion of insulin and glucose.
