Almonds are great dietary sources of fiber. Just a serving can help us meet our daily fiber needs.
What’s the recommended daily intake of fiber?
A high-fiber diet has been associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases. Also, it may reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol, enhance immune functions, and improve insulin sensitivity.[1]
We should consume at least 28 g of fiber per 2,000 calories. Higher amounts are better, though. Consuming too much fiber is rather unlikely to cause any side effects.
Actually, most people fail to meet the recommended daily intake. In fact, about 90% of Americans don’t get enough fiber.
What’s the fiber content of almonds?
Almonds are pretty rich in fiber. Dry or roasted almonds have between 10 and 12.5 g of fiber per 100g. This amount is about 44% of the Daily Value (DV).[2]
A handful of almonds (about 23 almonds) provides 3.5 g of fiber, or 12% of the DV.
Avoid consuming much higher amounts, though. Almonds are mainly fat. Hence, they’re high in calories. So, too many of them can make you gain weight.
Just an almond contains 0.15 g of fiber. 10 almonds (1/2 handful) contain 1.5 g of fiber, or 5% of the DV.
Prefer to consume almonds with the skin. They have a much richer fiber content, as compared to peeled almonds. Also, the skin is particularly rich in minerals.
How much fiber is in other almond products?
Most almond products are good dietary sources of fiber as well.
For instance, almond butter has about 10 g of fiber per 100g. Just a tbsp of almond butter provides 1.65 g of fiber, or almost 6% of the DV.
Actually, almond butter is the richest common spread in fiber! Only tahini has a similar fiber content.
Almond paste has a decent amount of fiber as well. It has 4.8 g of fiber per 100g.
Almond flour is also rich in fiber. It has 9.3 g of fiber per 100g. Just for comparison, whole wheat flour has about 10.6 g of fiber per 100g. Almond flour is a great nutritional value, though. It’s an excellent dietary source of vitamin E, and it has a much higher protein content than wheat flour!
In contrast, almond milk has a negligible amount of fiber. It can’t help us meet our daily needs,
What’s the main type of fiber of almonds?
Fiber is classified into soluble and insoluble fiber. Almonds contain both. However, almonds are mainly insoluble fiber.
In fact, they’re 90% insoluble and only 10% soluble fiber.[3]
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in the water. It absorbs water, making the stool softer. So, it helps defecation. On the other hand, soluble fiber dissolves in water, turning to a gel. It slows down digestion, it’s filling, and supports weight loss.
Common foods high in fiber
Only plant-based foods, like vegetables, fruits (e.g. avocado), beans, legumes, whole-grains, pseudocereals (e.g. quinoa), mushrooms, seeds, and nuts (e.g. peanuts, walnuts), are good dietary sources of fiber.
Even dried-fruits like raisins, prunes, dates, and goji berries are great dietary sources of fiber.
Beans are the richest foods in fiber, though. For instance, a serving of lentils, chickpeas, or soybeans can provide up to 55% of the DV.
Berries, like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries are particularly rich in fiber as well.
Animal-derived, like dairy, eggs, and meat, as well as refined foods are poor in fiber. They can’t help us meet our daily needs.
