I love to munch on nuts (the real ones!) a lot and one of my favourites are almonds. People used to think that almonds are fattening and not very healthy but it was actually a myth.
Almonds, raw or roasted plain (without salt), are great as snacks or addition to salads. It is also a healthy snack for those counting calories / on a diet.
Here are the benefits of almonds:
- If you eat 3 ounces of almonds daily, it can lower your cholesterol by 14%
- this is because the fat in almonds are 90% mono-unsaturated fat (which could lower cholesterol)
- therefore, almonds do not have any cholesterol
- it containes protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E , phytochemicals and antioxidants.
- it contains folic acid which could lower levels of homocystein and reduce buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries.
- Studies show links of consumption of almonds and lower risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses.
- it is also a great source of fibre, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, riboflavin, niacin and iron.
Here are two recipes with almonds (although not as healthy as when it is eaten raw!):
Crunchy Honeyed Almonds
Instructions
2 cups almonds, blanched
4 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
Instructions
1. Heat up non-stick pan and then pour in the sugar and butter.
2. Add in the almonds and stir over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the sugar turned brown.
3. Add the honey and coat the almonds evenly.
4. Stir for a while more and remove from heat.
5. Let the mixture cool and then break it into pieces to serve as delicious sweet snacks!
Chocolate Covered Peanut butter Almonds
Ingredients
1 cup whole almonds
250g cooking chocolate / dark chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp natural sugar-free peanut butter
Instructions
1. Roll each almond onto the peanut butter and roll into a ball.
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and stand it over a boiling pan of water over medium heat.
3. Stir the chocolate till completely melted.
4. Remove the chocolate from heat.
5. Using a spoon, roll the almonds around the chocolate. Make sure it is coated with the chocolate.
6. Place on aluminium foil and let the chocolate to set. You can also refrigerate it for it to set.
Enjoy! However, it is always best to just eat almonds raw (yes, it can be eaten raw!) or toasted without salt or any other flavouring to enjoy the full health benefits of this nut.
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OK.. but now, where can you get almonds for cheaper? I can only find those in small packets, for RM13-RM20 0.0 …
Want to share & buy wholesale? Maybe much cheaper
tm: the trick is in buying raw almonds, you know the ones they use for baking. If that is also expensive, try Jaya Jusco. Here in Penang they sell raw almonds at reasonable prices. A medium-sized packet at around RM10. I also get from organic shop in Nagore Road, it is RM10 for a packet also.