Almonds are my favorite nut. Most mornings I add 7 to 10 almonds to my breakfast. Almonds are tasty and nutritious as most people will agree.

Almonds health benefits:

1.  They reduce heart attack risk.

2.  They lower ‘bad’ cholesterol.

3.  They protect artery walls from damage.

4.  Almonds help build strong bones and teeth.

5.  They provide healthy fats and aid in weight loss:

6.  Almonds lower the rise in blood sugar and insulin after meals.

7.  They help provide good brain function. 

Homemade Almond milk:

 

Ingredients

- Pure, filtered water for soaking
- 1 cup raw, organic almonds
- 4 cups pure, filtered water

 Optional Add-Ins
- Sweetener to taste (i.e. maple syrup, honey, stevia)
- Homemade vanilla extract (I like to add 1 teaspoon to the mix)
- Carob powder (Chocolate almond milk anyone!?!)
- Spices (i.e. cinnamon, allspice, cloves)

Method

1. Allow the almonds to soak covered in pure, filtered water for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. Overnight will do, if you’re in a pinch. But, I like to give mine a good couple of days.

2. After soaking, strain the soaked almonds and toss the soaking water.

3. Place your almonds, four cups of pure, filtered water, and any optional add-ins in a high-speed blender and blend on high until the mixture becomes frothy…approximately 1-2 minutes.

4. Pour the contents of the blender through a cloth lined strainer — or if you have one, nut milk bag — into a 1 quart glass canning jar. Squeeze to extract all the goodness of the almond meal.

5. Store the milk in the refrigerator. It should keep for up to 3 days. Shake the jar prior to use.

! Per Serving: Serving size: about 3/4 cup, 35 calories (25 from fat), 3g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 5mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 1g protein

Almond Butter

  

1. Add 3 cups of raw almonds to food processor
2. Turn machine on LOW & allow to run for 10-20 minutes (make sure to stop periodically to scrape down the side)
3. After about 5 minutes, the almonds will be coarsely chopped
4. After about 10 minutes+, the almonds will be finer
5. After about 20+, the almonds will start to gum up looking more like a thick mash

Almond butter -VS- Peanut butter

 Recent years, almond butter was somehow anointed the chosen nut butter among health-conscious eaters, who smear it on their sprouted breads and gaze upon peanut butter as its low-brow relative. 
But the creamy almond treat is not cheap (it's often about double the price of peanut), and when pressed, most people really can't tell you why they're willing to splurge. 
So, we asked top nutritionists and health coaches to really break down the health differences between the two nut butters we're obsessed with most

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How to lose weight the healthy way?

Preparations for the long, hot and sunny summer are in full swing. To be able to walk the beach without embarrassment, we are offering you a list of products that will help in melting the pounds.

Almond milk

 

If you want to lose some weight, replace the animal milk with almond milk . Its creamy taste will perfectly fit into your daily routine, and has only 30 calories and contains no soy, sugar, carbohydrates, lactose or gluten.


Lemon


One lemon contains less than one gram of sugar making it a favorite ingredient of refreshing drinks. You can use the squeezed with water or as an addition to tea or juice. Except that you have extinguish the thirst, Lemon is known as a product that cleanses the body of toxins. 


Stevia

 



Regardless of whether you drink coffee, tea, lemonade, juice or cocktail, Stevia is a great alternative to unhealthy white sugar. Stevia is sweeter than the sugar from 200 to 400 times, but almost no calories and is suitable for diabetics. Keep in mind when buying to take stevia liquid or powder. 


Кefir


Although it sounds tasteless, kefir can ennobles your summer drink. This protein drink is good for intestines and encourages the development of good bacteria. 


Watermelon



Besides a single cup of watermelon has only 45 calories, this fruit improves the general health of the body. Thus it reduces the possibility of cancer and heart disease. 
 

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Almonds - Nutrition value

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Beauty tips: Mask for silky hair

To be satisfied with the the look of your hair, it is important to take enough time and attention to its care. Just washing and conditioner is not enough. Routine in hair care should include a regularly applying of masks.

Certainly in stores you can find many different masks that promise miraculous effects, but often those that you will make by yourself will be much better choice . So this time we offer a recipe for a simple mask that your hair will be silky soft and smooth.
You will need:
- Banana and almond oil
Smash the banana and add a few drops of almond oil and mix well. 
Apply the mixture in the usual way, let it stay for one hour, wash well with warm water (the banana is a bit hard in washing) and after that it is necessary to put conditioner. 

Hair benefits:

Banana - Traps moisture into dry fizzes, helps in maintaining natural hair elasticity, prevents split ends, helps with dandruff etc.  

Almond Oil - Penetrates deep into the scalp, it is rich with vitamins and omega fatty acids, promotes hair growth, also helps with dandruff.

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Almond and honey mask for dry skin

Dry skin is inclined towards problems that  rarely occur in normal skin type.Often peeling,it tends to redness, sunburn, premature appearance of wrinkles and similar problems. To be healthy and beautiful, dry skin needs special attention.

The routine care should include mandatory masks that will feed the dry skin and restore moisture. Here's a recipe for a simple mask that will make your skin shine.

You'll need: 
- almonds and honey

Preparation: 
Put the Almonds in water. Leave them 20 to 30 minutes.Then put them in blender so you will get a paste out of them.Add a tablespoon of honey and stir until you have a homogeneous mixture. Apply the mask to clean skin.Leave the mask on for 20 minutes, then wash with warm water. 

This nourishing mask will restore the shine on your skin and will give you smooth complexion and make the skin soft and gentle.

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