A study published in the Journal of Nutrition Research shows that consuming just a handful of almonds a day may lead to a healthier diet.
The researchers studied the effect that the addition of almonds can have on a person’s diet quality, based on data collected from 28 parent-child pairs living in Florida. The parents were instructed to eat 1.5-oz of whole almonds each day during the three-week intervention portion of the research period, and the children were encouraged to eat 0.5-oz of whole almonds or an equivalent amount of almond butter each day.
At the beginning of the 14-week research period the research subjects’ average Healthy Eating Index scores were 53.7 ± 1.8 for the parents and 53.7 ± 2.6 for the children. The Healthy Eating Index is a measure of diet quality that assesses conformance to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A score below 51 is reflective of a poor diet, a score between 51 and 80 reflects a need for improvement and a score greater than 80 indicates a good diet.
After the almond intervention, the average Healthy Eating Index score for parents and children increased, with parents’ average increasing to 61.4 ± 1.4 and children’s average increasing to 61.4 ± 2.2. They increased their Healthy Eating Index component scores for total protein foods and decreased the intake of empty calories.
The researchers believe the parents and children were replacing salty and processed snacks with almonds, said Alyssa Burns, a doctoral student in the University of Florida food science and human nutrition department who conducted the study. The study’s results suggest whole food approaches, like adding almonds to one’s diet, may be an achievable way to improve overall public health.
