From Skin to Energy Levels: How Almonds can Help to Power Your Wellness

Sure, almonds are a delicious snack, but did you know they’re also a major wellness-boosting one too? Almonds are packed with essential nutrients and vitamins, which can benefit your skin (including wrinkle reduction and evenness of skin tone), fuel your exercise, aid your post-workout recovery and according to research, even help curb appetite throughout the day when eaten as a mid-morning snack. Read on to discover how they do it, and how you can reap the benefits for yourself.

Improve Your Skin, Hair and Nails

Almonds have been linked to skin health for centuries. Originally used within ancient medicines such as Ayurveda, nowadays they’re embraced by beauty brands for their skin-boosting benefits and are often used as a topical ingredient in creams and beauty treatments. Of course, eating almonds can also help you to shine from the inside out.

These nuts are rich in antioxidant vitamin E, which may help protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals caused by pollution, UV rays from the sun, cigarette smoke and other environmental factors. Just one serving of about 23 almonds provides 60% of your daily recommended vitamin E – but that’s just the start.

Almonds are the perfect addition to your daily beauty regime because they provide two B vitamins (niacin and riboflavin), and zinc, all of which contribute to skin health. They’re even a good source of copper, a mineral that helps maintain collagen and elastin, two types of protein that are important to our skin. According to new research, almonds can even help to improve wrinkles in postmenopausal women¹. Another first of its kind study into almonds and skin-sun protection suggests that daily almond intake could increase resistance to harmful UVB light in a study of Asian women².

Fuel Your Exercise – and Your Recovery

We all know that engaging in exercise promotes a healthier lifestyle, but even when performed correctly, exercise can cause fatigue and muscle damage. That’s why it’s important to take your recovery seriously, as doing so can improve your muscle gain and fitness over time.

Indeed, a recent study involving those who exercised occasionally (less than three times per week) found that snacking on two handfuls of almonds per day reduced their feelings of fatigue and tension, increased their leg and lower back strength during recovery and decreased their muscle damage during the first day of recovery³.

“What we found tells us definitively that almonds should be added to sports nutrition strategies to help people recover better from exercise,” explains Dr David C. Nieman, who led the research. “Almonds are food for fitness. Carbs get most of the attention when it comes to fuelling for exercise, but almonds offer a nutrition package, including good unsaturated fats, antioxidant vitamin E, and proanthocyanidins (a class of polyphenols, which are protective compounds in plants) that help explain the beneficial outcomes in our study.” Of course, almonds’ medley of vitamins and minerals also make them a great source of natural energy, so they’re great as a pre-workout snack too!

Help Combat Hunger

When we experience those pesky hunger pangs, it’s normal to want to reach for the quickest and most convenient snacks in your cupboards, though the easiest options aren’t always the healthiest. The good news is that research suggests that a mid-morning snack of almonds (42g), compared to no snack, helps control appetite and results in reduced calorie intake at lunch and dinner. Results suggest that, rather than skipping out on a snack, eating almonds as a mid-morning snack may curb hunger⁴.

Studies show that choosing these nutrient-rich nuts will make it easier to maintain a healthier weight thanks to their monosaturated fat, protein and fibre, which are all associated with improved measures of appetite and satiety⁵.

Experience Long-Lasting Energy

Along with all the other exciting health and wellness benefits almonds can offer, they’re also celebrated for their slow-release energy, thanks to the combination of protein, fibre and good fats. What’s more, almonds are high in magnesium, which helps fight fatigue, and they’re also high in riboflavin (B2) and two other B vitamins, niacin (B3) and thiamine (B1), which help your body convert food into energy. So, why not try starting your day with a handful of almonds and see if you can unlock their magic for yourself?

See what BBC Good Food has to say about almonds.