Go nuts with almonds!

It’s official, almonds are good for you! To promote the humble nut’s benefits, the Almond Board of Australia have just launched a clever series of marketing images, including a short, sexy dress made out of almonds. The goal is to encourage more people to eat Australian almonds.

The board’s executive officer Julie Haslett said a handful of almonds a day was good for your heart, your waist line as well as tasting great. “The sexy little almond dress says it all really,” she said. “You can look and feel great by adding almonds to your diet.”

Major benefits of almonds include:

• Being high in protein, fibre, and although high in fat, they contain beneficial monounsaturated fats. Studies show that diets which replace saturated fat with monounsaturated fat are beneficial for the heart.
• Good for lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol: Nine clinical studies over the last thirteen years have shown that almonds can lower cholesterol as part of a diet low in saturated fat. 
• Feel full for longer! Scientific research has found that almonds can help with weight loss because of their high nutrient density. Two recent studies found that despite adding a daily serve of almonds to their existing diet, participants showed non-existent or insignificant weight gain. It appears the fibre structure of almonds stops some of the fat getting digested. Try swapping that daily donut for a handful of almonds and the benefits to your waistline could be enormous!
• Almonds are one of the best sources of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant and great for a healthy heart and blood vessels. Just a small handful - about 30g or 25 almonds provides over half your daily requirements.
• Put more almonds in your diet by adding chopped almonds to your cereal, to your favourite salad, making up small bags of almonds to keep handy at work for a snack, or try a slice of wholegrain bread with nut butter...mmm delicious!