One of your Hearts Best friends.

 Introduction

It is my view that every part of the human body has a "Best Friend" By best friend I mean the food that possesses the nutrients that it loves and uses most, I mean the food that can help it solve problems it often encounter, there was an earlier post on your guts best friend, however, its the turn of our heart. We shall know the best friend and why the choice. 

Almond Nut is among the best friend of our heart

Almond was not as popular 25 years ago as it is today.  Common and popular nuts are peanuts, cashews, walnut and in some other regions,  macademia nuts and other nuts.  However, due to awareness from internet and other information sources, majority of us have come to know almond nut and enjoying it as part of our diet,

It would have been okay to call it the best friend but there are other heart friendly foods like garlic, tamarind seeds, oats and even fatty fish, but amongst all these, the almond seems to stand out because of its unique nutrients, though it must be take at the right time and the right quantity or else you wont get the expected result.

Here are 4 unique nutrients that make me choose almond nut today, though it has long existed before now.

1.  Magnesium

2.  Calcium

3.  Vitamin E 

4.  Monounsaturated fat

I come to understand through studies that the mineral magnesium works hand in hand in helping the heart to  contract and relax. The ability to contract and relax keeps our heart working, these two minerals work together to give our heart this result in our breathing mechanism, it is important to get enough of this minerals if our heart must continue to work well.  

Common food sources of magnesium are:

Pumpkin seeds

Most leafy greens

Cocoa

Grains like oats, millet, soghurm bicolour, wheat, soyabeans, almonds, peanuts, cashews.

Common food sources of calcium are:

Milk

Almond

Tigernut

Chia seeds

Leafy greens like moringa leaves, okra, soyabeans, grains like unpolished rice, seeds like sesame seeds, coconut and some other nuts

Vitamin E Food sources

This powerful antioxidant vitamin E is great for heart health, it is  fat soluble, but unfortunately not many foods are good sources:

Commons food  sources are:

Almond nut, peanuts, sunflower seeds and most other nuts

It is found in fatty fish or fish oil, avocados, walnut, some seeds like sunflower seeds

Monounsaturated fat

Why this type of fat is important is because it helps handle bad cholesterol wbich is one of our hearts worst enemies. You can find it in almonds, foods like cold pressed olive oil, avocadoes too.  Due to its unsaturated nature,it does not stress the heart but supports it against unhealthy fats especially those with bad cholesterol, the heart needs monounsaturated fat and it is found in almond nut.

Summary

Remember to soak your almond for a few hours remove the peels, I prefer it at bedtime, though you can have it anytime of the day.  It is dense in nutrition and supports blood sugar and blood pressure. In addition to supporting heart health, it helps with healthy weight loss.  All the benefits comes only when taken in moderation and at the right time.  4 to 6 nuts in a day is okay, those who ate lots of  it in a day have reported with some ugly side effects like itching.  It is also said to contain cyanic acid, which is also found in cassava. Watch 👇to learn more.