Almonds are one of the healthiest nuts you can get, even though they are technically not nuts but actually the seeds of the fruit of the almond tree. Like its cousins, the peach, cherry and apricot trees, the almond tree bear fruits with stone-like seeds within. The seed of the almond fruit is what we refer to as the almond nut.

These nutlike seeds have gained quite a reputation as being contenders for being a superfood. Almonds are not only tasty but have many benefits to secure your health, these benefits are and not limited to according to WebMD:

Lowering Cholesterol

Eating almonds as part of your regular diet helps raise “good” cholesterol levels while reducing “bad” cholesterol levels.

Regulate Blood Pressure

High blood pressure often goes hand in hand with diets that are high in sodium and deficient in calcium and potassium. Almonds are high in potassium and low in sodium, both factors that help to regulate blood pressure.

Prevents Cancer

The fiber in almonds has a detoxifying effect. This fiber allows food to move through the digestive system more efficiently, cleansing the system and preventing colon cancer. The National Cancer Institute recently released a study linking high-fiber diets to a lower risk of colon cancer.

Protect Against Diabetes

Almonds also have a stabilizing effect on sugar and insulin levels after meals, offering protection from diabetes.

Boosts Your Energy

Almonds are rich in manganese, riboflavin, and copper, all of which aid in energy production. If you are always on the go, try making your own almond based energy bar, and take your energy with you.

Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease

Almonds contain a high level on monounsaturated fat, the same heart-healthy fat as olive oil. Vitamin E, also found in almonds, is an antioxidant that is very effective in reducing the risk of heart disease. Almonds are also high in magnesium, which improves blood flow and the movement of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

Provides Healthy Fats and Aids in Weight Loss

Although nuts are high in fat, frequent nuts eaters are “thinner on average than those who almost never consume nuts” as recorded in the Data from the Nurse’s Health Study. Those who ate nuts at least two times per week were 31 percent less likely to gain weight than were those who never or seldom ate them in a study involving 8865 adults.

Improve Brainpower

And as if this superfood couldn’t get any better, almonds also contain phenylalanine, a brain-boosting chemical that aids healthy development of our cognitive functions.

So forget all of the voices in your head that are saying that nuts are bad for you, and add almonds to your daily routine.