Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all the nuts, and therefore, in my opinion, they are the KING of the nuts. Botanically speaking, the almond is not actually considered a true nut, despite common usage. Almonds are the SEEDS of the almond tree. Nature has essentially made the almonds’ enzymes dormant until they come in contact with water. At which time, the almond seed begins to sprout to create the nourishment needed to grow into a tree.

Because almonds contain these built-in enzyme inhibitors, many people have trouble fully digesting them. Fortunately, there’s something we can do about that: sprout them! When raw almonds are soaked for at least 8 hours, they sprout. This unlocks the enzyme inhibitors and the almonds become LIVING FOOD. Almonds do not grow tails like many other sprouts do. They just swell slightly, becoming softer to chew and easier to digest.

One way of looking at it is that sprouts digest themselves, since they contain live enzymes. Therefore, our bodies don’t have to work hard to extract the nutrition from a sprouted almond. Also, raw, sprouted almonds are less fattening and have over 200% more micronutrients than unsprouted ones. (The fat in almonds is unsaturated, also known as the “good” fat. The fat digesting enzyme, lipase, is only available to us once the almonds have been sprouted.)

Almonds contain many protective ingredients: calcium and magnesium for strong bones and vitamin E and phytochemicals, which may help protect against cardiovascular disease and even cancer. And, they are a good source of potassium, which is important for active muscles and nerves. In addition, almonds are high in protein and fiber! Eating almonds may help us maintain or even lose weight.

Raw almonds contain practically no carbohydrates, and may therefore be made into flour (almond meal) for use in low carbohydrate diets or for those who suffering from diabetes or any other form of glycosuria.  Almonds are truly one of nature’s POWER FOODS.

Here’s an easy almond recipe for you to enjoy.

Raw Almond Milk

1 cup soaked RAW almonds (Soak in a bowl of water in the refrigerator overnight and rinse before using)
3 cups water
3-5 soft pitted dates (or soak hard dates in water for 1/2 hour) or other healthy sweetener to taste such as raw honey or stevia

To make raw almond milk, blend the soaked almonds with the water until smooth. (Do not use roasted or salted almonds.) Then strain the mixture through a sprout bag, cheesecloth, or strainer into a big bowl. Save the almond pulp in a container and put in the refrigerator for later use. (This pulp adds a lot of fiber when added to other foods such as granola, cereal, oatmeal, or fruit smoothies. So don’t throw the almond pulp away!) Put the almond milk back into the blender carafe and blend in the dates or other sweetener until smooth. This milk will last in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days. Shake well before using. Yum yum!

Do YOU like almonds?  How often to you eat them?  If you make the above almond milk, let us know how you like it by leaving a comment below. Also, feel free to share a favorite almond recipe with us. Thanks!