Nuts About Almonds

Barack Obama allegedly eats seven a night, Pete Evans likes his activated, and Beyonce likes hers served with oat crackers. Almonds are well known and well loved — and for good reason too. This humble nut carries a host of attractive qualities both nutritional and beyond.

- Meg Thompson

I remember the first time I came across a whole almond in its shell. My grandparents used to have them around and would shell them fresh. I used to love having a go at cracking them open with the nutcracker and eating them fresh out of the shell.

My next encounter that I remember was with the pastel-coloured sugared almonds at my neighbour’s Greek wedding. A little mesh bag filled with these dusty treasures that I wasn’t really sure if I liked, but wanted anyway.

My almond adventure has come a long way since then, and they are hands down my favourite nut based on their versatility and nutritional prowess.

Nutty nutrition

In fact, almonds are not actually a nut at all. They are technically the seed of the almond fruit on the tree, and are related to the peach, cherry and apricot trees.

Their nutritional value cannot be denied. Rich in monounsaturated fats, almonds have a favourable effect on our blood lipids, and studies have found that the intake of almonds is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.