National Chocolate with Almonds Day on July 8th each year offers a combo deal to celebrate. What a great way to wrap up chocolate and almonds in one package. Celebrate it by giving some to a friend or neighbor.
- The almond was spoken highly of in the Bible, and finds its origins in the Middle East. There it has been used as a source of food, medicine, and decoration
- Snickers now makes a bar with almonds, as does Hershey’s with their almond variation on their traditional chocolate bar.
- The protein in almonds is more like the proteins in human breast milk of all the seeds and nuts, which is why it is the choice of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine as the base for its baby formula.
- Almonds are the most nutrient-dense tree nut. One ounce of almonds (20-25 almonds) contains 160 calories and only 1 gram of saturated fat and no cholesterol.
- Almonds are also an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium and a good source of protein and potassium.
- The Jordan almond is a large plump variety of almonds from Malaga, Spain, considered to be the finest cultivated almond. They are frequently sold with a hard colored sugar coating or salted.
- It takes 1000 pounds of almonds to make 1 pint of almond oil.
- HEALTH BENEFITS OF ALMONDS:
- Reduce the risk of heart attack
- Lower ‘bad’ cholesterol
- Protects artery walls from damage
- Help build healthy bones and teeth
- Provide healthy fats and aid in weight loss
- Lower the rise in blood sugar and insulin after meals
- Help provide good brain function
- Nourish the nervous system
- Alkalize the body
- In the mid-1700s, the Franciscan Padres planted almond trees to grace their missions along El Camino Real (The Royal Road) that stretches along the California coast from San Diego to Sonoma.
- Cinnamon-glazed almonds were President Clinton’s snack of choice at both the 1993 and the 1997 inaugurations.
- The world’s largest almond factory is located in Sacramento, California and processes over 2 million pounds of almonds per day. California produces over 80% of the world’s supply of almonds.
- Chocolate manufacturers currently use about 40% of the world’s almonds and about 20% of the world’s peanuts.
- Consumers worldwide believe almonds make chocolate more satisfying, uplifting and relaxing.
- Raw Almonds contain prussic acids. Eating of more than a handful can be lethal. this is why all almonds are dried, roasted and/or pasteurized.
- The bitter taste in Almonds is derived from the 4-9 mg of hydrogen cyanide in each.
- The almond is botanically a stone fruit related to the cherry, the plum, the peach and the apricot
- The pollination of California’s almonds is the largest annual managed pollination event in the world, with close to one million hives (nearly half of all beehives in the US) being trucked in February to the almond groves. Much of the pollination is managed by pollination brokers, who contract with migratory beekeepers from at least 49 states for the event.
Sources
