Healthy Snack Idea

Recently, my mom started mixing dried fruits and nuts and making snacks for us at home claiming that this was healthier. Basically she took raisins, cranberries, cherries and any other dried fruits we had and mixed it with almonds and walnuts. It tasted pretty good but I was wondering about how healthy it actually was. I am not sure how many of you know this but I was surprised to learn about the health benefits of almonds and walnuts.... might be a new snack to test out!

Almonds:
Nutritional Value of Almonds: Almond is incredibly rich in minerals like Mangnese, Magnesium, Copper, Phosphorus, Iron, Zinc and Potassium. However, Selenium is also present in good amount.

Vitamin Content of an Almond: These small nuts are a powerhouse of Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Niacin and Folate. Good amounts of Vitamin B6 and Pantothenic Acid are also present.

Calorie Content of an Almond: Almonds have a large calorie content, being 575.0 per 100 gm.

Health Benefits of an Almond: The small sized Almond comes packed with sizeable amount of health benefits. It lowers the risk of gallstones, weight gain (instead makes you lose weight), high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It reduces blood sugar level, weight and LDL (bad)cholestrol, including almonds in your diet keeps heart and blood healthy.

Walnuts :
Nutritional Value of Walnut: Walnut is oil-rich food, which is a great source of all important omega-3 fatty acids.

Nutrition Facts and Information about Walnut: Walnut is an excellent source of manganese and copper. They also contain very good levels of magnesium and phosphorous. Good levels of zinc, iron, calcium and selenium can also be found in walnut. They also contain traces of iodine. Walnuts are low in sodium.

Vitamin Content: Walnuts contain excellent levels of vitamin B6, thiamin (B1) and pantothenic acid. They also contain very good levels of vitamin E, niacin (b3) and riboflavin (b2).

Calorie Content: As in the cases of nuts, walnut also is a high calorie food. It contains 618 calories for every 100 g. Walnut contains excellent levels of folate. Though walnut is rich in oil, it low in cholesterol.

Health Benefits of Walnut: Regular consumption of walnuts helps in lowering cholesterol levels, controlling high blood sugars, and improving cardiovascular functions. It is good for various hearth problems. The reason for these benefits of walnuts is that they contain unsaturated fats and little cholesterol, significant amount of omega-3 and antioxidant properties. Walnuts can help prevent gallstones.