Healthy day with a fistful of almonds

It must have been different when the Beatles sang Here Comes The Sun... As the mercury soars this summer, leaving us sweating in the sweltering heat, there are not many who would perhaps want to sing along ...It’s All Right... to the rising sun.

Then again, may be you can. When the sun is bright, all you need to do is eat right and the shine will well be on. It can bring the glow back on your face, ensure dull skin is a thing of the past, and maintain the lustre in your hair and keep you feeling energised through the day.

One of the biggest hurdles in planning the summer diet has been the lack of on-the-go snacks and food to beat hunger pangs in peak summer times. An evening with friends or a late night work is seldom complete without a munching session. And more often than not, this is often translated into a sudden stoppage for a session at a roadside food stall or a trip to the neighbourhood joint offering the best of fries. Either way, along with the conversation or work, you often tend to load up on calories.

But help is closer than you think
If you take around 23 almonds – the perfect portion of the nut – you are giving the body just 160 calories, a healthy serving of monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, protein, fibre, potassium, magnesium and iron.
Add a handful of almonds to your regular diet and you are ready to beat the heat. This little nut packs in a number of benefits and can ride you through the hot, sunny days with ease.

The great health benefits of almonds have been known for ages. Almonds are a great source of vitamins. They help you keep a watch on your weight, as they provide the body with many essential nutrients and satiate your hunger without adding any extra fat. Almonds are great for the heart too, since they have been shown to lower LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol, one of the important factors leading to healthy hearts.

Eat Right, Look Good
It is true that you can only look as good as you are feeling from inside. Almonds are just right as their health benefits make them more than just a fruit with great taste. Rich in Vitamin E, the skin-loving antioxidant, almond, when paired with leafy veggies rich in Vitamin A and C and Selenium work wonderfully to help keep your skin protected. A handful of almonds also provide the body with nine grams of monosaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat, good fats that help protect the skins cells.

What’s more, just like the little compact or lipstick in your bag, a small tin or pouch of almonds in your bag will ensure you keep those dull moments away.

Apart from making for great taste, almonds are also great on the ‘outside’. From being great exfoliating agents when finely ground and used on the skin to being used along with honey and lemon juice or as moisturising agents in the form of almond oil, it has varied use.

They are, of course, great from the inside. The right diet with the necessary portion of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients ensures you have a ‘skin-tastic’ day. Almonds have both these nutrients and also the right healthy fats that could provide nourishment to the skin.

Sweet smiles with almonds
The power of almonds is quite similar in this way to soy and oats, which are extremely healthy and are part of every fitness freak’s diet plan. What makes almonds special is the fact that they are easy to carry and consume. Just a small jar or pouch filled with almonds, and you are ready to face the day.

The diverse ways in which the fruit can be consumed – right from plain and toasted to as an add-on to salads and even main course dishes. Almonds could well be your best bet to beat summer. You could choose from an array of almond food pairings. Go for a cup of green tea with a handful of almonds or toss up a citrus salad with grapefruit, oranges and onion with a sprinkling of almonds. You could even add them to your baked sweet potato dish or grab a fistful of almonds everyday in your food or as a glass of cold frappe or shake. Just go healthy the almond way! TNN