[Mandorle] "It's spring, wake up girls," he sang the famous song. And not surprisingly, because spring is the season of rebirth par excellence, with days getting longer, temperatures rising and the nature that flourishes.
Yet this "renaissance" is not as simple and painless as it may seem. According to the Life and Energy research: the biorhythms of the Italians – promoted byAlmond Board of California – despite the fact that in the spring the Italians claim to be more energetic, in the first days of this period the sense of could prevail fatigue and exhaustion, a consequence of winter sedentary life and a lack of attention to food.
It is the so-called 'Lethargy Syndrome', which identifies a state characterized by difficulty concentrating and low energy: the phenomenon – according to the Department of Neuroscience of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Milan – affects about 2 million inhabitants of the Bel Paese, and it is precisely here that almonds come into play, very important allies to gain new momentum.
A concentrate of natural goodness, vitamins and minerals, almonds (discover a very good recipe here) are rich in magnesium, which helps to reduce tiredness and exhaustion; they also boast a high content of riboflavin (B2) and are a source of niacin (B3), thiamine (B1) folate (B9) and zinc, elements that contribute to energy metabolism, maintenance of the skin as well as nails and hair.
A handful of almonds (23 almonds or 28g), contains 6 grams of energy vegetable protein and healthy fats, and provides 60% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin E, which helps protect cells from oxidative stress caused by pollution, UV rays, smoke and others environmental factors.
It is a delicious snack to stay full during the day, easily integrated into any balanced diet and much loved by celebrities such as Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex recently revealed in an interview that almonds and almond butter are among her favorite snacks, both for their health benefits and for their role in the daily beauty routine.
And not by chance: easy to tease out of the house and to carry in your bag, they don't even have the annoying contraindication to fill it with crumbs … because just like a better friend, they don't play bad jokes at all!
Marianna Tognini
April 2019
DISCOVER THE COOKING COURSES OF SALT & PEPE