How California Almonds Help with Blood Sugar
This week we’ve been talking about the health benefits of almonds. Today our topic is blood sugar, also known as blood glucose. People obtain this sugar from their diet. The body regulates blood glucose levels on its own, providing enough glucose to fuel the cells but not so much as to overload the bloodstream.
Almonds are an extremely healthy superfood containing high levels of vitamins and minerals our bodies need to operate efficiently. Correct levels of these vitamins and minerals have been shown to help maintain blood sugar levels.
As we mentioned in our last article, this is not health advice. We are merely stating the facts about our favorite, arguably the best, snackable item known to man/women. Please seek your doctor or a certified nutritionist’s advice before making any changes to your diet. Enough! Let’s jump into the good stuff.
How does food affect blood sugar?
Carbohydrates are the most significant contributor to increased blood sugar levels. Most carbs convert to sugar when the body processes them. This is an oversimplification, of course. You must fuel your body with healthy carbs as unhealthy carbs will spike blood sugar levels rather than maintain and support them. Thankfully, almonds are a healthy carb that packs many other nutrients that sustain a healthy body.
Almonds also contain magnesium, a mineral involved with more than 300 bodily processes, including sugar management (1). Two ounces of almonds provide about half of the recommended daily intake of magnesium.
Many studies have shown that consuming a low-carb diet can help prevent blood sugar spikes (2).
Almonds are a healthy carbohydrate
Almonds are a low-carb nut with a high nutritional value. They are an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, riboflavin, copper, phosphorus, and manganese (3). A one-ounce serving of almonds contains 6 grams of carbs, and 15% of its calories are from carbs. No wonder almonds are used as replacements for so many other products such as milk and flower.
Almonds and Diabetes
Studies show that 25-38% of people with type 2 diabetes are deficient in magnesium. Correcting that deficiency has shown to improve or prevent chronic complications from type 2 diabetes (4). Did we mention that almonds are magnesium dense?
Other foods are healthy; why almonds?
No single food item alone is going to produce perfect blood sugar levels. Combining almonds with a proper diet should yield fantastic results.
Make sure to check out our other articles on the health benefits of California Almonds.
How to eat almonds
You can enjoy almonds in a variety of ways. At Stewart & Jasper Orchards, we produce high-quality California Almonds. We recommend having some raw almonds on hand to enjoy as a snack rather than running to the nearest vending machine. If raw almonds are too plain, we offer a variety of flavored almonds as well. We have a variety of recipes on our website that include almonds and related almond products. Please take a moment to check them out.
We hope you consider almonds as a replacement if you need to cut unhealthy snacks from your lifestyle. Remember to talk to your doctor or nutritionist when making lifestyle changes.