Almonds

Food · Grains & Legumes · Nuts, Seeds & Oils

Connected to · 2

food source · 2

Vitamin E
Almonds are among the richest foods in vitamin E: a handful (about 28 g) has about 7 mg, close to half of an adult's daily need. Vitamin E sits in cell membranes and shields unsaturated fats from free radicals.
Mechanism · 2
Mechanism · It guards the fats in membranes
Vitamin E dissolves in fat and sits in cell membranes, where it takes the hit from free radicals for the unsaturated fats that oxidize easily. Almonds are full of oil and carry plenty of vitamin E at the same time, which makes evolutionary sense: it protects the almond's own fat. Taking the molecule on its own in a high-dose capsule is a different matter.
Numbers · A handful of almonds
Almonds have about 25.6 mg of alpha-tocopherol per 100 g against an adult need of about 15 mg a day, so a handful of about 28 g gives about 7 mg, close to half a day's need. The calories come with the fat: a handful is a source, a jar is a lot of energy. Only about 20% of the calcium in almonds is absorbed, because phytate and tough cell walls both hold it back, so almonds are no substitute for milk.
Magnesium
ATP has to bind magnesium before enzymes recognize this energy currency. Almonds are a good source of magnesium, and a handful supplies roughly a fifth of an adult's daily need.
Mechanism · 2
Mechanism · Enzymes recognize magnesium with ATP
ATP has to bind magnesium before enzymes recognize it. Magnesium is not energy itself but the ion that lets the energy currency be spent; without enough of it, energy-producing steps all over the body lose a little strength.
Numbers · A mainstay for E, a helper for magnesium
A handful of almonds supplies 18–24% of an adult's daily magnesium need of 320–420 mg, a helper for magnesium, while for vitamin E it is a mainstay. Phytate locks up part of the minerals, and the portion is limited by the calories in the fat: a handful works, while a meal of almonds sends the calories up.

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An almond is not really a nut

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Some of the fat in the almonds you chew never reaches your body. It stays locked inside cells your teeth did not break open, digestive enzymes cannot get in, and it leaves in the stool — so a handful of almonds gives you fewer calories than the package label says. That is the most useful thing to know about almonds; how researchers measured it is in the chapter on why the real calories are lower than the label.

That chain gives you two practical calls on the spot: whole almonds are absorbed less than almond butter, and the finer you chew, the more calories you take in.

Beyond that, an almond packs fat (mostly monounsaturated fat), protein, fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium into one small kernel, and the later chapters take them one at a time.

One safety note comes first: bitter almonds (including the bitter apricot kernels used in Chinese medicine) release cyanide in the body when eaten raw and are not a snack. If you feel dizzy, nauseated, vomit, or breathe fast after eating them, get medical care right away.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

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