I'm not much of a snacker. I believer in three square meals a day, seven days a week. And usually I follow this and am satisfied. But there are times when I must eat something in between, whether it was because I skipped a meal or the meal I had was unsatisfactory. And what's my favorite thing to snack on? Almonds.
There are two types of almonds, bitter almonds and sweet almonds. Bitter almonds are hard to find, and for good reason. Not only are they bitter as their name suggests, but a small amount of cyanide naturally occurs in bitter almonds. Usually, this is removed before bitter almonds are sold to consumers. Sweet almonds are what most people find in stores and are readily available to everyone, especially people in the United States, the largest almond-producing country in the world.
Nuts, in general, are pretty good for your health. Although relatively high in fats, most of these fats are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Almonds are high in Vitamin E. Especially eaten with their skins (not shells) intact, they are high in fiber and antioxidants. As long as you eat them in small amounts, almonds are wonderfully good for you. It's culinary uses are also important. Not only can you eat the nut itself, whether raw, blanched, or roasted, but it can be made into almond butter (yum), or even ground into a gluten-free flour. A wonderful oil is made from almonds, and it can even be processed into "almond milk," a milk substitute great for those who cannot intake dairy but who also don't like soy products. Personally, when I get a good food processor, I'm going to buy lots of raw almonds, toast them, and make my own almond butter.
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