Nutritional Value of Almonds
<h2 >Nutrition</h2>
<table class="infobox" >
<caption >Almond, nut, raw</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" >Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)</th>
</tr>
<tr >
<th ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy" title="Food energy" >Energy</a></th>
<td >2,503 kJ (598 kcal)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_(nutrient)" title="Protein (nutrient)" >Protein</a></th>
<td >19.5 g</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_A" title="Vitamin A" >Vitamin A</a> equiv.</td>
<td >2.0 μg (0%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine" title="Thiamine" >Thiamine (vit. B<sub >1</sub>)</a></td>
<td >0.19 mg (17%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riboflavin" title="Riboflavin" >Riboflavin (vit. B<sub >2</sub>)</a></td>
<td >1.4 mg (117%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin" title="Niacin" >Niacin (vit. B<sub >3</sub>)</a></td>
<td >3.9 mg (26%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantothenic_acid" title="Pantothenic acid" >Pantothenic acid</a> (B<sub >5</sub>)</td>
<td >0.47 mg (9%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6" title="Vitamin B6" >Vitamin B<sub >6</sub></a></td>
<td >0.14 mg (11%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folate" title="Folate" class="mw-redirect" >Folate</a> (vit. B<sub >9</sub>)</td>
<td >29 μg (7%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C" title="Vitamin C" >Vitamin C</a></td>
<td >0.0 mg (0%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_E" title="Vitamin E" >Vitamin E</a></td>
<td >26.2 mg (175%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium#Nutrition" title="Calcium" >Calcium</a></td>
<td >250 mg (25%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron#Biological_role" title="Iron" >Iron</a></td>
<td >3.9 mg (30%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_in_biology" title="Magnesium in biology" >Magnesium</a></td>
<td >260 mg (73%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese#Biological_role" title="Manganese" >Manganese</a></td>
<td >2.29 mg (109%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium#Potassium_in_the_diet_and_by_supplement" title="Potassium" >Potassium</a></td>
<td >740 mg (16%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium#Biological_role" title="Sodium" >Sodium</a></td>
<td >5.0 mg (0%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc#Biological_role" title="Zinc" >Zinc</a></td>
<td >3.7 mg (39%)</td>
</tr>
<tr >
<td colspan="2" >Percentages are relative to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake" title="Dietary Reference Intake" >US recommendations</a> for adults.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p >The almond contains about 26% <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate" title="Carbohydrate" >carbohydrates</a> (12% dietary fiber, 6.3% sugars, 0.7% starch and the rest miscellaneous carbohydrates), and may therefore be made into flour for cakes and cookies (biscuits) for low-carbohydrate diets. A standard serving of almond flour, 1 cup, contains 20 grams of carbohydrates, of which 10 g is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber" title="Dietary fiber" >dietary fiber</a>, for a net of 10 g of carbohydrate per cup. This makes almond flour very desirable for use in cake and bread recipes by people on carbohydrate-restricted diets.</p>
<p>
Almonds are a rich source of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_E" title="Vitamin E" >vitamin E</a>, containing 26 mg per 100 g (Table). About 20 percent of raw almond is high quality <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_(nutrient)" title="Protein (nutrient)" >protein</a>, a third of which are essential amino acids.<sup class="Template-Fact" >[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" >citation needed</a></i>]</sup> </p>
<p>
They are also rich in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber" title="Dietary fiber" >dietary fiber</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamin" title="B vitamin" class="mw-redirect" >B vitamins</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_mineral" title="Essential mineral" class="mw-redirect" >essential minerals</a> and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monounsaturated_fat" title="Monounsaturated fat" >monounsaturated fat</a> (see nutrient table), one of the two fats which potentially may lower <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDL_cholesterol" title="LDL cholesterol" class="mw-redirect" >LDL cholesterol</a>. </p>
<p>
Typical of nuts and seeds, almonds also contain <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytosterol" title="Phytosterol" >phytosterols</a>, associated with cholesterol-lowering properties.</p>
<p>
Potential health benefits, which have not been scientifically validated, include improved <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexion" title="Complexion" >complexion</a> and possibly a lower risk of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer" title="Cancer" >cancer</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds#cite_note-28" >[29]</a></sup> Preliminary research associates consumption of almonds with elevating blood levels of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_density_lipoprotein" title="High density lipoprotein" class="mw-redirect" >high density lipoproteins</a> and lowering <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_density_lipoprotein" title="Low density lipoprotein" class="mw-redirect" >low density lipoproteins</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds#cite_note-29" >[30]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds#cite_note-30" >[31]</a></sup> A preliminary trial showed that, in spite of the high fat content of almonds, using them in the daily diet might lower several factors associated with heart disease, including cholesterol and blood lipids.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds#cite_note-31" >[32]</a></sup>
Almonds contain polyphenols in their skins consisting in a combination of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavonol" title="Flavonol" class="mw-redirect" >flavonols</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavan-3-ol" title="Flavan-3-ol" >flavan-3-ols</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxybenzoic_acid" title="Hydroxybenzoic acid" >hydroxybenzoic acids</a> and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavanone" title="Flavanone" >flavanones</a><sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds#cite_note-32" >[33]</a></sup> analogous to those of certain fruits and vegetables.
Almonds may cause <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_allergy" title="Food allergy" >allergy</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_intolerance" title="Food intolerance" >intolerance</a>. Cross-reactivity is common with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach" title="Peach" >peach</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergen" title="Allergen" >allergens</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_transfer_proteins" title="Lipid transfer proteins" class="mw-redirect" >lipid transfer proteins</a>) and tree <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_(fruit)" title="Nut (fruit)" >nut</a>allergens. Symptoms range from local symptoms (e.g., <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome" title="Oral allergy syndrome" >oral allergy syndrome</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_urticaria" title="Contact urticaria" class="mw-redirect" >contact urticaria</a>) to systemic symptoms including<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis" title="Anaphylaxis" >anaphylaxis</a> (e.g., <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticaria" title="Urticaria" >urticaria</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angioedema" title="Angioedema" >angioedema</a>, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms).<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds#cite_note-33" >[34]</a></sup></p>