Almonds, like any other nut, have plenty of health benefits. It has vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. Almonds are very nutritional, rich in fats, and have antioxidant properties. While almonds are a great way to supplement your daily protein requirements, at the same time, they can also help you poop.
Almonds hold a good amount of magnesium and fiber, which help you with better bowel movements and easy pooping.
Almonds are good for constipation, but it has some side effects when consumed in excess. Eating too many almonds can make you gassy, bloated, and in some cases, it can cause diarrhea.
This article tells you everything about almonds, their relation with your digestive health, and pooping.
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Nutritional value of almonds
Almonds are the powerhouse of nutrition. It has vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and tons of other essential nutrients, making it a healthy choice to include in your diet. Almonds in every form, whether milk, butter, oil, flour, or paste, deliver an impressive nutritional profile.
One ounce (28gm) of almonds contains- fiber(3.5gm), protein (6gm), vitamin E (37% of daily requirement), and magnesium (20% of daily requirement). On top of these, it also provides a good amount of copper, vitamin B2, and phosphorus.
Almonds are also high in phytic acid. It is a substance found in plant-based foods. When consumed, it binds with nutrients within our body to create phytates. Our body does not have enzymes to break phytates, so our body suffers from a deficiency of certain essential nutrients. We will cover the effect of phytic acid found in almonds in a later part of the article.
Do almonds help you poop?
Almonds have been found beneficial in times of constipation. It helps in better bowel movements and makes you poop easily. Almonds contain a good amount of fiber and magnesium. Both of them are linked with better digestive health and improved intestinal movements.
Here are the 4 reasons why almonds make you poop.
1. Magnesium
Every ounce of almonds contains magnesium equivalent to 20% of our daily requirement. Magnesium plays an important role in muscle functions and the immune system of the body. According to various studies, magnesium is associated with better bowel movements. Magnesium helps treat irritable bowel syndrome. It helps give immediate relief to constipation.
Magnesium found in almonds acts as a laxative. It relaxes the muscles of your intestine, resulting in consistent and easy passing of stools. Magnesium draws water into the intestines, which makes the stool softer while stimulating bowel movements.
2. Fiber
Almonds have a good amount of fiber in them. The deficiency of fiber in your diet is one of the main reasons you have hard times passing poop. Fibers in almonds help in better digestion and absorption of nutrients. These fibers draw water, making a bulk of your stool. This bulking effect helps in the easy passing of stool from your intestine.
Eating almonds alone can not fulfill your daily dietary fiber requirements. However, when consumed with other fiber-rich foods, it may help you ease constipation.
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3. Phosphorus
Nuts are considered a good source of phosphorus, and so almonds are no exception. Almonds contain a good amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus is a mild laxative that works in increasing fluid in the small intestine. It results in improved bowel movements and thus easy pooping.
4. Prebiotics
Prebiotics are fiber and sugar that stimulate good gut bacteria growth. Almonds are one of the best vegan foods rich in prebiotic properties. Prebiotics in almonds helps good bacteria or yeast in our gut to improve digestive health. An increased population of probiotics or good bacteria in our intestine constitutes better digestion of food. Good bacteria help in breaking down food into smaller chunks, which hence will be easier to pass.
Do almonds give you gas?
Almonds, when consumed in excess, could cause gas or bloat. However, this is unlikely to have gassiness when consumed in smaller quantities. Almonds are rich in fiber. When you eat a lot of fiber, your body does not do well in digesting them initially. The bacteria in our gut take some time to adjust according to the high fiber environment.
This sudden increase in fiber in your diet may cause abdominal pain, indigestion, gas, or bloating-like symptoms. It is advisable to increase almond consumption gradually in several days to avoid any such discomforts.
Make sure to drink plenty of water, and it helps in better bowel movement and some constipation relief.
Here are a few more reasons for almonds to cause gas.
Raw almonds are hard to digest
Raw almonds, due to the outer layer, are hard to digest. Almonds have a hard texture, which makes them difficult to digest. This undigested almond in your gut can cause you gassiness or bloat.
To avoid any such discomfort, soak the almond in water for a few hours. It’s better to peel off the outer layer before eating the nuts. Soaking makes almonds softer and so easier to digest.
Tannins and phytic acid
Almonds contain tannins and phytic acid. These are not very gut-friendly substances. When almonds are consumed in smaller quantities, it does not cause any significant increase in tannins and phytic acid in our gut, so no side effects can be seen. But when you consume almonds in a large quantity, it causes horrible things to your stomach.
Tannins in large quantities are often associated with side effects such as upset stomach, gas, or bloating. The same thing happened with an excess of phytic acid in our system.
Almonds contain phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient. It binds up with the nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. This binding of phytic acid with other nutrients creates phytates, which our body cannot digest properly.
Our gut enzymes could not break phytates, so we could not absorb nutrients properly. This poor breakdown of phytates may cause digestive problems such as gas and bloat.
Can almonds cause diarrhea?
Almonds contain a good deal of protein, fiber, and magnesium. Eating too many almonds means you are providing your body with excess protein, fiber, and magnesium. It is very much possible that you are taking enough magnesium and protein from your diet already. In this case, when you start eating almonds, you are simply taking too much protein and magnesium, which is not being utilized by your body.
Magnesium is associated with laxative properties. It draws water into the stool, making it loose and watery. At the same time, high protein intake is also linked with loose stool and diarrhea.
If you’re not habitual of high dietary fiber intake, your body starts to retaliate when you consume too many almonds, which also can result in diarrhea.
Conclusion
Almonds are nutritional and have several health benefits in general. It is rich in fiber and magnesium, which makes it easy for you to pass stool. Regular consumption of almonds has been found helpful in constipation with improved bowel movements. When consumed in moderation, almonds are good for your gut, but when consumed in excess can cause side effects such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
