Including almonds in your diet is the perfect way to recognize Heart Month
Photograph by: Handout, National Post File Photo
Whether roasted, ground or turned into butter, just a handful of almonds will help maintain healthy cholesterol.
February is Heart Month, the perfect occasion to eat right, including snacks that love your heart right back. And this includes nutritionally dense almonds.
A one-ounce, 164-calorie serving of almonds is an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium, and a good source of fibre. It also contains heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat, protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and iron. "Eating a handful of almonds a day can help maintain a healthy cholesterol level," says registered dietician Jean Lamantia.
According to a recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition, people who added almonds as a snack to their regular diet increased their overall intake of several important nutrients. (The study's researchers concluded that incorporating almonds in a diet may promote the natural displacement of less nutrient-dense foods.) Another recent study, this one in the International Journal of Obesity, found that adding some almonds to a low-calorie diet each day enhanced weight loss and significantly improved risk factors associated with heart disease, when compared to a low-fat, low-calorie diet, sans almonds. Researchers found that the heart-healthy fat of almonds is satiating and kept patients from overeating.
So, nuts to you! Here are five creative uses for almonds in your cooking from the Almond Board of California:
1. Make "nut crumbs" by coarsely grinding almonds in a food processor. Use them as a gratin topping for casseroles, or sprinkle on pasta and grain dishes.
2. Almond butter is a nutritious topping for bagels and is a snap to prepare. Just grind whole almonds in a food processor and blend with a little vegetable oil and salt until almost smooth.
3. To give hot cereal a little more panache, mix in dried cranberries or cherries, plus a generous amount of chopped, roasted almonds just before serving.
4. To make surprisingly delicious and crunchy "croutons," heat oven to 350F then toss 2 /3 cup slivered almonds with 2 teaspoons olive oil in a shallow baking pan and arrange them in a single layer. Next, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon garlic salt. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, tossing once. Allow to cool. Toss the "croutons" with green salads just before serving, or sprinkle on steamed vegetables.
5. Spruce up a plain roasted chicken by stuffing it with diced apples, onions, garlic, herbs and coarsely chopped, roasted almonds.
- For more from Amy Rosen, go to thenationalnosh.blogspot.com.
A one-ounce, 164-calorie serving of almonds is an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium, and a good source of fibre. It also contains heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat, protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and iron. "Eating a handful of almonds a day can help maintain a healthy cholesterol level," says registered dietician Jean Lamantia.
According to a recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition, people who added almonds as a snack to their regular diet increased their overall intake of several important nutrients. (The study's researchers concluded that incorporating almonds in a diet may promote the natural displacement of less nutrient-dense foods.) Another recent study, this one in the International Journal of Obesity, found that adding some almonds to a low-calorie diet each day enhanced weight loss and significantly improved risk factors associated with heart disease, when compared to a low-fat, low-calorie diet, sans almonds. Researchers found that the heart-healthy fat of almonds is satiating and kept patients from overeating.
So, nuts to you! Here are five creative uses for almonds in your cooking from the Almond Board of California:
1. Make "nut crumbs" by coarsely grinding almonds in a food processor. Use them as a gratin topping for casseroles, or sprinkle on pasta and grain dishes.
2. Almond butter is a nutritious topping for bagels and is a snap to prepare. Just grind whole almonds in a food processor and blend with a little vegetable oil and salt until almost smooth.
3. To give hot cereal a little more panache, mix in dried cranberries or cherries, plus a generous amount of chopped, roasted almonds just before serving.
4. To make surprisingly delicious and crunchy "croutons," heat oven to 350F then toss 2 /3 cup slivered almonds with 2 teaspoons olive oil in a shallow baking pan and arrange them in a single layer. Next, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon garlic salt. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, tossing once. Allow to cool. Toss the "croutons" with green salads just before serving, or sprinkle on steamed vegetables.
5. Spruce up a plain roasted chicken by stuffing it with diced apples, onions, garlic, herbs and coarsely chopped, roasted almonds.
- For more from Amy Rosen, go to thenationalnosh.blogspot.com.
