Today, February 16th, is national almond day, and a good reason to remind ourselves how much we love almonds.
A native of the Mediterranean, the almond tree has successfully acclimated to California, where most of America’s almonds are sourced. The US is the world’s largest producer of almonds – with over 1 million tons a year!
Almonds are a heart healthy snack – despite the fact that they contains fats. A serving of almonds contains 14 grams of total fat, but only one of them is saturated. The rest are heart healthy unsaturated fats. Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium and provide potassium, calcium, and iron as well.
A serving of almonds is one ounce, approximately 23 pieces accounting for 165 calories. But updated studies suggest that those 23 pieces are only 130 calories. Researchers explain that something in the fiber structure of the almond causes less of the fat in the almonds to be absorbed in the body. Woohoo!
In any case, when choosing almonds, opt for unsalted. Buy in bulk to save money!