An everyday athlete is someone who combines mindful movement with healthy eating to reach his peak. A person may have spent thousands of hours playing a sport in high school or college. Someone who tries to hit the gym, studio, or rock climbing a few times a week to break a sweat, maybe between picking up a daycare and preparing meals. Or even someone dropped everything at the park for a summer volleyball tournament.
As you can see, that’s a wide range. But there’s one thing that’s important for all athletes on a daily basis, and that’s staying energized with the most nutritious snacks, such as almonds Jennings Containers. Professional athlete Kerri Walsh Jennings, American beach volleyball legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist agrees: “We are our habits and we become what surrounds us. If we surround ourselves with unhealthy snacks, it can affect our energy levels and emotional state, keeping us from feeling and performing at our best. I like to fuel my body with almonds because they are the natural fuel that helps me feel and look my best.
Kerri knows how to turn up the heat on and off the pitch. His experience balancing a professional athlete’s schedule can help inspire an athlete’s ambitions on a daily basis. Every day athletes are interested in doing their best no matter what life throws at them, and almonds are the simple fuel that helps sustain that intention. With nutrients important for an athletic lifestyle, this is our favorite energy snack for six scientific reasons:
- Chewing on almonds reduces cravings.
Athletes are always looking for opportunities to exercise every day. But with an active lifestyle, our metabolism is active, which is why we need snacks that help us stay healthy, fuller for longer. Research has investigated the impact of almonds on reducing appetite and body weight.1 As everyday athletes, we always have goals and aspirations…We needed a snack that could go far.
- Just one serving of almonds provides 6 grams of powerful protein.
Protein will always hold a special place in our hearts. And while we may be great at preparing an instant protein smoothie, there’s no denying that a handful of almonds is an easier pre-workout snack. And luckily, just 1 ounce of almonds provides 6 grams of powerful plant-based protein.
- Almonds can help boost pre-workout energy.
“Natural Energy” are two magic words for any workout enthusiast. Almonds are high in magnesium, a nutrient that is involved in nearly every process that affects muscle function, including energy production, oxygen absorption, and electrolyte balance. Athletes can lose magnesium through sweating, and even a mild magnesium deficiency can impair physical performance. A handful of almonds (about 23) provide 20% of your daily needs… So let’s count those 23 almonds and calculate our correct
energy levels.
A professional athlete’s schedule can help inspire an athlete’s ambition on a daily basis. Every day athletes are interested in doing their best no matter what life throws at them, and almonds are the simple fuel that supports that intention. With nutrients important for an athletic lifestyle, here’s our favorite energy snack for six scientific reasons:
- Get your B vitamins by chewing almonds.
Riboflavin and niacin are two B vitamins found in almonds that help convert the food we eat into energy. One serving of almonds provides 25% of the daily value for riboflavin and 6% of the daily value for niacin. With an active lifestyle, it’s essential that our bodies can maximize the nutrients we give them – and these vitamins help us do just that! All the more reasons to keep a box of almonds with you at all times – in your purse, in your backpack, on your desk, and more.
- Eating almonds helps you recover better.
With all their incredible nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, almonds are our ultimate workout fuel. But they’re also a great post-workout snack. Along with other outstanding nutrients, like 1mg of iron, 210mg of potassium, and 13g of good unsaturated fats, we will deeply nourish the body by chewing almonds after sweating. (The good news about fat: The US Dietary Guidelines recommend that the majority of your fat intake be unsaturated fat. One serving of almonds [1 oz./28 g] contains 13 g
unsaturated fat and only 1 g saturated fat.)