Most nuts and seeds are deemed as powerful superfoods and why not? These tiny delights can do wonders to your health and wellness. One of the best nuts to consume regularly is almond or badaam as we call it in Hindi. Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts and come power-packed with protein, fibre, vitamin E, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Most health experts suggest eating a few almonds daily for a healthy mind and body. Most of us like eating them raw (meaning un-soaked or roasted) considering most benefits lie in the almond peel. However, a common belief suggests that one shouldn’t eat raw almonds, especially in summers. Let’s find out why.

Almonds are believed to produce heat in the body and hamper your digestion process. One should ensure eating almonds soaked in water, especially when the weather outside demands you stay cool on the inside. According to the Health Practitioner and Macrobiotic Coach Shilpa Arora, “Almonds should be soaked and consumed as the nutrients are then more easily absorbed by the body. In summers, soaking is a good idea as they produce heat in the body. This is even more important for people with pitta dosha, they should soak almonds before consumption as it may create imbalances in the body leading to boils, piles and other conditions.” However, think twice before letting go of the peel. As per the book Healing Foods by DK Publishing, “Eat with their skins on, as the flavonoids in the skins work synergistically with the vitamin E to more than double their antioxidant power.”

How To Soak Almonds The Right Way?

In order to soak almonds in water, follow these steps and ensure you extract all the goodness from the superfood that almond is.

1.Place a cup of almonds in about two cups of water. Make sure you use filtered water to ensure that the flavour of the almonds is not affected. Also ensure that the almonds are completely soaked in water.

2.Leave on the counter overnight, for about eight to 12 hours.

3.Drain and rinse the almonds.

4.You can immediately eat them or remove the skin and store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Almonds are healthy superfoods and they should be a part of your daily diet. So, ensure adding at least five to six soaked almonds in summer to avoid any complications in your tummy.