Almonds are a great snack because they are natural and nutrient dense. A one-ounce serving contains 160 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of good mono- and polyunsaturated fat (plus only 1 gram of saturated fat). They contain no cholesterol and are a great source of vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium. If you buy unsalted almonds you will also enjoy their naturally sweet flavor and consume no sodium. I like to buy raw organic almonds from Whole Foods.
So what's a one-ounce serving? Well, it is 23 almonds, and the website offers a variety of ways to measure them out besides counting. (Remember the glamazon counting out almonds for her breakfast at the beginning of the movie, The Devil Wears Prada?) A one-ounce serving fills a 1/4 cup measure or a shot glass, and it covers a 3" X 3" post-it note in a single layer! The most fashionable method offered on the website, though, is to order a special almond tin, and these are really cute. There are four different patterns, the price is only $1.87 each, and I ordered a whole bunch to use as health coaching client gifts. The dimensions of the almond tins are 2 3/4" long, 2" wide, and 3/4" high, which is similar but not identical to an Altoids tin size (according to another Google search). If anyone has an Altoids tin lying around and wants to let me know how many almonds fit into it, I'd greatly appreciate the info!
Beyond eating almonds on their own, I recommend you try almond milk, but get the unsweetened varieties from Silk or Trader Joe's or whichever brand you like, to avoid unnecessary sugar or artificial sweeteners or flavors. Our cat, Raz, rejects dairy milk and soy milk, but meows if I don't give her a bit of almond milk in the morning! Almond butter is also wonderful if you like nut butters, and again try the natural creamy or crunchy versions. Once you open your new jar of natural almond butter and stir it up once, keep it in the refrigerator and it will stay integrated. Sprouted grain toast with almond butter, plus a sliced Honeycrisp apple, is my favorite at-home lunch these days.
Finally, here's a super-easy recipe that gets rave reviews every time I make it, most recently for a CAbi party. It features edamame in addition to almonds, so it is really packed with great nutrition.
Edamame Almond Salad
1 (12-ounce) package frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 large red bell pepper
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons almond oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Sea salt to garnish
Place edamame into a bowl. Trim and seed bell pepper; slice into very thin strips, each about 1 1/2 inches long; add to edamame along with almonds. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Pour over salad and toss gently. Garnish with a light sprinkling of sea salt, and serve.
The Almond Board website includes tons of almond recipes too, for us all to try. Let me know your favorite!
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