History
Almonds are an ancient fruit being mentioned as far back in history as the Bible. They were a prized ingredient in breads served to Egypt's pharos. Their exact ancestry is unknown but it is thought that almonds originated in China and Central Asia. Botanically, the almond is a stone fruit related to the cherry, the plum, and the peach. The almond tree was brought to California from Spain in the 1700's. Today, California is the only place in North America where almonds are grown commercially. Approximately 6,000 almond growers produce 100 percent of the commercial domestic supply and more than 70 percent of the worldwide production. Almonds rank as the seventh largest U.S food export with over 90 nations importing California almonds.
Health Facts
It's okay to go a little “nutty” once in a while. Especially if you go “nutty” by eating almonds. Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first qualified health claim for conventional food, saying that eating one and half ounces of most nuts, including almonds, may reduce the risk of heart disease when they're part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Almonds contain no cholesterol and most of the fat they contain is monosaturated, also known as the “good” fat. Other health benefits of eating almonds include cancer prevention, high intake of phytochemicals, reducing heart attack risk, and lowering cholesterol. Almonds are also an excellent source of alpha-tocopherol Vitamin E, the form of Vitamin E most easily absorbed by the body. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that protects the body from oxidative stress from free radicals. It has been noted that most people in the United States are only consuming about half of the alpha-tocopherol Vitamin E they need daily, 7.5 milligrams as opposed to the recommended 15 milligrams. A one-ounce handful of almonds provides 7.3 milligrams of alpha-tocopherol Vitamin E. Along with Vitamin E, one ounce, or 20-25 whole almonds, also contains 12 percent of one's daily allowance of protein. Even though it is little, the almond is loaded with minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc as well as lots of healthy fiber, folate and calcium!
Nutrition Information per 1 ounce serving: 170 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (10 g monounsaturated) , 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 10 IU Vitamin E, 75 mg calcium, 84 mg magnesium