The Almond – Small All-Rounder with Great Impact

Almond trees belong to the rose family and are therefore direct relatives of the peach and the plum. The edible almond seed is surrounded by a hard shell that keeps the almond fresh. You usually buy the almonds without a hard shell.

A distinction is made in the almond between the sweet almond (crackled almond) and the bitter almond. The bitter almonds are not suitable for raw consumption. Bitter almonds are often used to make liqueurs or bitter almond oil, which is mainly used to flavor baked goods.

Sweet almonds, whether brown, blanched, roasted, as splinters, leaves, or as a whole. They are popular with many due to their sweetish mild taste. Thanks to the valuable ingredients, the almonds are particularly suitable as a healthy snack.

But what makes almond a small all-rounder? How is it grown and where do almonds come from?

You can find the answers to these questions and much more worth knowing in this blog post.

To do this, we will give you a few tips on how to incorporate almonds into your healthy diet and especially into your healthy breakfast .

How healthy are almonds really?

The almond is so popular because it contains so many important nutrients. In a handful of almonds alone there are 6 grams of protein, about 14 grams of fat, and about 2 grams of carbohydrates.

Although the fat content may seem very high at first glance, almonds contain predominantly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids , which, unlike saturated fatty acids, are particularly important and healthy for our body.

Nuts and almonds contain important antioxidants that help prevent cardiovascular disease. The fiber and unsaturated fatty acids also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.

Vanilla pudding oats with almonds and berries

Preparation time 15 min.

Total time 15 min.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 70 g oatmeal
• 25 g pudding powder (vanilla)
• 200 ml plant-based drink
• 350 ml water
• 25 g protein powder (to your liking)
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• 15 g whole almonds or ground
• 50 g berries

Preparation

• First of all, put the oatmeal in a pot together with the custard powder, the protein powder, the water, and the milk.
• If you want, you can add some more maple syrup to sweeten it.
• Bring to the boil and stir well with a whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. At first, the mass will be very liquid, but after a few minutes, it will gradually become thicker.
• When the mixture begins to thicken, turn off the heat and continue stirring for another minute.
• Then remove the pudding oats from the stove and leave them to stand for about 2 minutes.
• Finally, place the pudding oats in a bowl and top with almonds and berries. Of course, you can also use other fresh fruit.

What valuable nutrients are in almonds?

As mentioned earlier, almonds are a wonderful source of high-quality unsaturated fatty acids . In addition, almonds are a good source of fiber that supports your digestion. The fiber is mainly in the brown skin of the almonds.

The nuts also contain important vitamins and minerals such as vitamins E and B, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and folic acid .

Almonds provide the following nutritional values per 100 grams:

Furthermore, the seeds lower cholesterol levels. However, you should still only eat about a handful of almonds every day, e.g., as a small snack.

Here you will find an overview table with the most important macro- and micronutrients and the recommended reference values for adults according to the Austrian Society for Nutrition (ÖGE) and the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) .

In comparison, you will find a daily dose of almonds, which corresponds to 30 grams, and the corresponding proportion of macro and micronutrients.

How many almonds can I eat per day?

Although almonds are generally a very healthy food, you should not eat more than 30 g per day. The official recommendation according to ÖGE for the maximum daily dose for sweet almonds is 30 grams of almonds, which is 1-2 tablespoons of nuts per day.

Even this small amount of almonds provides you with important nutrients. Nuts are also important for our brain and can even increase its performance. Therefore, a small portion of nuts should never be missing from your daily diet.

Do almonds make you fat?

Even though nuts are generally considered to be fattening, despite their high calorie content, nuts don't necessarily make you fat. Because almonds satiate you due to the high fiber and protein content .

However, due to the high calorie density, you should still make sure not to eat more than about 30 grams of almonds per day. If you incorporate nuts into your diet properly, the nuts can even help you lose weight.

Tolerability of almonds

Since almonds have a very high amount of healthy fats, they are therefore rather difficult to digest. Therefore, when eating almonds, you should make sure that you always chew well. In general, however, fewer people are allergic to them than to hazelnuts, for example.

If you suffer from histamine intolerance, almonds are even better tolerated than peanuts or hazelnuts, for example. In addition, the almonds are usually better tolerated when they are baked or in the form of nut oils.

Beware of bitter almonds

In addition to the normal sweet almonds, there are also almonds that taste bitter. Bitter almonds are toxic when eaten raw due to hydrocyanic acid (amygdalin). However, as an adult, you would have to consume 50-60 of these almonds to experience serious health problems.

In children, even eating 5-10 bitter almonds can be dangerous. If the bitter almonds are processed, for example into almond flour and then baked, they are harmless to health.

Normally, however, the unpleasant bitter taste of these bitter almonds prevents the consumption of a dangerous dose.

How can almonds be incorporated into different meals?

Incorporating almonds into different meals is also not difficult. For example, you can easily add them to your cereal or porridge for breakfast.

Whether as a base for your porridge, chopped as a topping for your breakfast or simply as a snack, the almond is really versatile.

The almond can be used not only in sweet dishes, but also in savory ones such as salads, pesto, or dressings.

In general, in your healthy diet , you should make sure to eat a handful of nuts every day, as they have many positive effects on our bodies.

How to store almonds correctly

Proper storage of food is generally very important, as it has a positive effect on the shelf life of food. Almonds of all kinds are best stored dark, cool, and dry.

This means that it is best to store them in a tightly closed can or jar once you have opened the package. Dry storage is especially important, as mold can form when the almonds become moist.

Where do almonds come from and how are they processed?

The almond tree, also called Prunus dulcis, is a rose plant and is known above all for its delicate pink flowers. The almond flowering takes place annually between March and April .

The almond tree originally comes from southwest Asia. The plant loves a Mediterranean climate, and so nowadays you can find the magnificent trees in the USA (especially California), Australia, in the Mediterranean region (especially Spain), Iran, Pakistan, and in China. In botany, almonds are not nuts but stone fruits.

From about 4-5 years, the almond trees bear almonds that can be harvested for the first time. The seeds need a dry and warm to hot climate in summer or mild winters.

They can only withstand very light and short frosts and do not tolerate waterlogging. The soil on which almond trees thrive best must be humus-rich, permeable, loamy, sandy, and slightly calcareous.

At the end of summer, the seeds of the almond tree emerge from the blossom.

Finally, the almond kernel is created, which in turn is encased in a hard brown shell. Strictly speaking, the almond is not a nut, but a core .

Once the almond is ripe, the fruit's shell bursts open and the harvest can take place. During the autumn harvest of the almonds, the trees are shaken manually or mechanically, so that the fruits fall into safety nets.

They are then dried for one to two weeks and turned several times a day. During further processing, the shell of the almonds is broken open. They are then sorted using vibrating machines and checked for foreign bodies.

Almonds are versatile and usable. Products from almonds are, for example, almond oil, almond sauce, almond milk, or marzipan. During the Christmas season, roasted almonds are especially popular with young and old.

Where do the almonds in your Verival breakfast come from?

In order to guarantee the best possible quality, the almonds for the Verival Müslis and Verival Porridges are carefully selected by our quality managers.

We source the almonds from a family business in Sicily, which grows them itself and processes them into various final products.

In July 2019, our quality managers also visited the farmers of the Verival almonds in person and were able to convince themselves of the good quality.

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