Chronicles of a Late Bloomer

• Taste Rating:
  
• Health Rating:
  
• Environment Rating:
  
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Taste Rating: I tend to like them roasted but raw taste good, too.

Health Rating: Tons of healthy fats, but high calorie. Use restraint if you must.

Environment Rating: Unless you buy almonds in shell, you will have to buy these packaged. Buying bulk will raise this score, but I had mine in a little can that I don’t think is recyclable.

Processed Rating: Sure, you buy them out of their shell, but these are a good, whole food with lots of fiber and no preservatives or artificial sweeteners.

Portability Rating: These pack well, and don’t make a mess if they spill in your lunch bag.

Overall Rating:

Click here to complete a survey that will reward you with a free almond tin.¹ The tin is sort of cute, sure², but it also purports to hold exactly one ounce of almonds. Free portion control gadget! Nice! I’m envisioning this thing to arrive looking a hell of a lot like an altoid tin, but I’ll report back when it gets here.

Are the reported health benefits of almonds just the product of a clever marketing ploy? Almonds are high in fat, which eliminates them from healthy eating plans, right?

Almonds are rich in Vitamin E and healthy (monounsaturated) fats. One ounce (about 22-25 almonds) is 163 calories and only 4 Weight Watcher points. South Beach recommends nuts as a healthy snack, but restricts the recommendation to about 3/4 oz (which is only 15 pieces) of almonds as opposed to 30 pistachios (which may feel more satisfying, if you’re all about the quantity). On the flip side, almonds contain many more nutrients (including as much calcium as 1/4 cup of milk) than pistachios, so take your pick.

Also, almond growers have hired great PR guys and I am a sucker for good advertising and ersatz research.

Eating almonds may help maintain or even lose weight. A 2003 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that adding a daily ration of almonds to a low-calorie diet enhanced weight loss, as well as significantly improved risk factors associated with heart disease, when compared to a low-fat, low-calorie diet. Researchers cited almonds’ heart-healthy monounsaturated fat as being very satiating, helping satisfy the appetite and prevent patients from overeating.

1/8/07: Edited to add that a magazine which came to my house tonight cited an “Iowa Nurse’s study” which apparently showed that 1 oz of nuts per day apparently reduced the risk of heart disease by up to 60%. I wish people would cite their research so I could do follow-up, but it does seem like good nut news all around.

1. While supplies last, so hurry. [↩]
2. And totally matches my current website colors! [↩]