ALMONDS

ALMONDS

Almonds are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber, and are associated with a number of health benefits. Just a handful of almonds — approximately 1 ounce — contain one-eighth of our daily protein needs.

One cup of whole, raw almonds (143 grams) contains:

Water - 6.31 grams

Energy - 828 kilocalories

Protein - 30.24 grams

Total lipid (fat) - 71.40 grams

Carbohydrate, by difference - 30.82 grams

Fiber, total dietary - 17.9 grams

Sugars, total - 6.01 grams

Cholesterol - 0 grams

Calcium, Ca - 385 milligrams

Iron, Fe - 5.31 milligrams

Magnesium, Mg - 386 milligrams

Phosphorus, P - 688 milligrams

Potassium, K - 1048 milligrams

Sodium, Na - 1 milligrams

Zinc, Zn - 4.46 milligrams

Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid - 0 milligrams

Thiamin - 0.293 milligrams

Riboflavin - 1.627 milligrams

Niacin - 5.174 milligrams

Vitamin B-6 - 0.196 milligrams

Folate, DFE - 63 micrograms

Vitamin B-12 - 0 micrograms

Vitamin A, RAE - 0 micrograms

Vitamin A, IU - 3 International Units

Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) - 36.65 milligrams

Vitamin D - 0 International Units

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 0 micrograms

Caffeine - 0 milligrams

Almonds belong to the Prunus family, along with other famous edible fruits like apricots, cherries, plums, peaches and nectarines. It has a scientific name of Prunus dulcis and is native to the Middle East and South Asia, North Africa and Southern Europe. Almond trees were brought to California during the 1700s by Franciscan missionaries from Spain. Today, California is not just the sole state in America that produces almonds commercially, but it’s where 80 percent of world’s almonds come from.