# Are Almonds the Healthiest Nut? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 8, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637 "2014-04-08T14:41:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/1 "2014-04-08T14:41:18Z")
I’ve been seeing [a lot of hype](http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=20)about almonds as some sort of superfood. Is this true, or is it marketing mixed with light quackery? How do almonds stack up against their peers, like peanuts\* and cashews? \*Yes, I know peanuts are legumes, but work with me here. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/2 "2014-04-08T15:15:28Z")
Almonds are pretty good, not much different than cashews but slightly lower in calories. They also have more fiber and calcium. I don’t think they can be considered a superfood, but then I don’t think anything can be. [http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/the-best-and-worst-nuts-for-your-health-1](http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/the-best-and-worst-nuts-for-your-health-1) And diet with some mix of almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc in moderate amounts should be good. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/3 "2014-04-08T18:59:18Z")
How do peanuts stack up? I understand opinion is divided. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/4 "2014-04-08T20:30:55Z")
Anything that has a skin that can flake off and stick to the inside of my throat, causing me to cough up half a lung trying to get it loose, doesn’t count as healthiest in my book, so almonds, pecans, peanuts & walnuts are right off the list. Besides, peanuts aren’t nuts, they’re beans. ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/5 "2014-04-08T20:39:52Z")
Almonds are very healthy to eat, as most nuts are. It is best to buy them unroasted and unsalted. Nuts are very good for travel, too. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/6 "2014-04-09T06:22:09Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Anything that has a skin that can flake off and stick to the inside of my throat, causing me to cough up half a lung trying to get it loose, doesn’t count as healthiest in my book, so almonds, pecans, peanuts & walnuts are right off the list. Besides, peanuts aren’t nuts, they’re beans. Then don’t eat the skin, silly! But, seriously, I didn’t even know peanuts had skins for a while. You can shelled and skinned peanuts. And peanuts have nothing on spaghetti squash, if you scrape it too close. I had something stuck for three days and had to both cough and jam my finger down my throat to finally get it out. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/7 "2014-04-09T06:34:33Z")
They also use almonds to make a substitute for milk, though rumor has it [the texture is less than appealing](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=662047) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/8 "2014-04-09T11:31:43Z")
It is not a very meaningful question. Whether a food is healthy or not (assuming it is not actually poisonous) depends on what other foods you are eating, and in what proportions. A diet consisting entirely of almonds (or, indeed, any other single thing) would not be at all healthy. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/9 "2014-04-09T12:36:53Z")
I don’t know about healthiest but they’re one of the best sources of vitamin E. I downloaded nutrient data from the USDA a few years ago and used Excel to calculate the best foods for vitamin E relative to their Calorie count. Excluding certain convenience foods that are supplemented with synthetic vitamin E (like vitamin water) and certain foods that are not eaten in large enough quantities to be a reasonable source (like some spices), the best sources are wheat germ and wheat germ oil, clams, snails, conch, certain greens (including spinach), asparagus, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, peppers, and almonds. Of those almonds and sunflower seeds are the tastiest sources you can reasonably get a significant amount of vitamin E from. Yes you can get 100% of the RDA of vitamin E from eating just spinach, and consume only about 150 Calories, but you’d have to eat close to a pound of spinach. Who wants to eat that much spinach except Popeye? Meanwhile, you only need about 2 oz. of almonds to get 100% of the RDA at around 350 calories. The almonds are a lot tastier. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/10 "2014-04-09T13:21:33Z")
They’re also great if you’re a tad deficient in hydrogen cyanide. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/11 "2014-04-09T15:29:18Z")
Since this is about nutrition and not cuisine, moved to IMHO (from Cafe Society). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/12 "2014-04-09T16:13:34Z")
The original almonds were toxic to humans. Funny how over millenia, selective breeding has made them not only palatable but nutritious. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/13 "2014-04-09T17:59:01Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Since this is about nutrition and not cuisine, moved to IMHO (from Cafe Society). If it has to be moved, why would you move it there and not to General Questions? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/14 "2014-04-09T19:16:26Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Anything that has a skin that can flake off and stick to the inside of my throat, causing me to cough up half a lung trying to get it loose, doesn’t count as healthiest in my book, so almonds, pecans, peanuts & walnuts are right off the list. Besides, peanuts aren’t nuts, they’re beans. You can blanch almonds briefly in boiling water and then immerse them in cold water. After that, the skins peel off easily, although the almonds sometimes go flying across the room if you try to squeeze them out of the skin. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/15 "2014-04-09T19:26:03Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > If it has to be moved, why would you move it there and not to General Questions? I don’t think there’s a factual answer to the question since there’s no single healthiest type of food. It’s going to depend on your goals for healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/16 "2014-04-09T20:44:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > You can blanch almonds briefly in boiling water and then immerse them in cold water. After that, the skins peel off easily, although the almonds sometimes go flying across the room if you try to squeeze them out of the skin. See? You could put someone’s eye out with that. Still not healthiest. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/17 "2014-04-09T20:57:53Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > \*Yes, I know peanuts are legumes, but work with me here. If you want to be strict about the use of botanical terms, almonds and cashews aren’t nuts either; they’re drupe seeds. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/18 "2014-04-09T21:17:55Z")
Pecans and walnuts are drupe seed kernels, too. I have read that as far as their fat content and antioxidants go, walnuts are best with pecans a close second. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/19 "2014-04-09T21:18:38Z")
I would think that walnuts would rank pretty highly, are a rich source of omega-3 oils - and for this attribute have quite a jump on their close relative, the pecan. oops, ninja’d by california jobcase… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637/20 "2014-04-09T21:43:18Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > You can blanch almonds briefly in boiling water and then immerse them in cold water. After that, the skins peel off easily, although the almonds sometimes go flying across the room if you try to squeeze them out of the skin. > > See? You could put someone’s eye out with that. Still not healthiest. Half the fun is watching naked almonds go flying across the room. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-almonds-the-healthiest-nut/685637.md?page=2)