Emerald 100 Calorie Almond Packs *Review*

These days, it seems grocery store shelves are absolutely littered with "low calorie" or "100 calorie" snack packs.  They usually come in the form of a cardboard box labeled with some colorful picture of a very yummy looking cookie, cracker, or combination of the two.  Sometimes they come with a little bit of frosting, other times they have intricate lacy designs dancing across the surface of these mini cakes.  If you've ever bought a box, you know it's filled with perfectly portioned little foil baggies topped off with miniature versions of the cover art, dry little cakes that aren't much bigger than your fingernails (or more plentiful.)  Rarely do they taste very good, and I can guarantee that almost NEVER will they leave you the least bit satisfied.  Not to mention, despite being only 100 calories, these little treats aren't the least bit healthy for you.  They're filled with artificial ingredients that'll encourage your body to hold onto that body fat you're trying so hard to lose.  Ladies and gentleman, there is an alternative to the nasty 100 calorie snack cake fad.

Luckily for you, this solution comes pre-packaged, therefore you'll get the portions right every single time.  AND it's loaded with tons of vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fats, and low in carbohydrates.  And guess what else, it's a much tastier product than any of those stupid little crackers.  What is this revolutionary low calorie snack pack?  They're called Emerald 100 Calorie Almond Packs.  Now Emerald is a big name in nuts (check out their website here: http://emeraldnuts.com/press/images/products/Emerald_family.jpg), and I believe that these 100 calorie snack packs are probably one of the smartest ideas they could've come up with.  You get around 20 nuts per package (or maybe like 25, I'll have to count next time I have a pack), which equals out to be about 100 calories exactly.  Here's the nutritional label for each snack pack:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 18g (1 pack)

Amount per Serving:  Calories 100

Calories from Fat 81.0

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 9g    13%

Saturated Fat 0.6g    3%

Cholesterol 0mg    0%

Sodium 150mg    6%

Total Carbohydrate 4g    1%

Dietary Fiber 2g    8%

Sugars 1g

Protein 4g    6%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 71.7%

Carbs 17.7%

Protein 10.6%

So what exactly is so great about these little packets of almonds?  Well, obviously it has to do with the properties of almonds themselves.  Not only are almonds one of the healthiest nuts you could ever consume, they're very satisfying and therefore will leave you more full than you might expect (and definitely more full than a 100 calorie cookie pack.)  With plain, roasted almonds, you get all sorts of remarkable health benefits:

Healthy Fats:  Almonds have a very large amount of unsaturated, heart healthy fat.  The fat in almonds has been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol quite effectively, and will also prevent unneccessary inflammation in your body.

Lower Risk of Obesity/Weight Gain:  That's right, you read correctly.  The fats in almonds (and other nuts) has actually been shown (in several studies) to DECREASE the risk of weight gain.  Here's a little blurb from an article regarding the subject:

The 28-month study involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain, found that participants who ate nuts at least two times per week were 31% less likely to gain weight than were participants who never or almost never ate nuts.

That's pretty awesome, isn't it?  So while nuts may be calorie dense, they definitely will NOT add fat to your figure if enjoyed in moderation.  And, because fat is satiating, you're more likely to remain full for longer after consuming a 100 calorie almond pack, which can keep your calories for the rest of your day in check.  Neat!

Protein:  While almonds aren't the greatest source of protein out there, you still get a good 4 grams of protein per 100 calorie Emerald almond pack, which is nothing to be scoffed at.  The protein in almonds can help you to sustain lean muscle mass, which will in turn keep your metabolism running full tilt and your fat loss efforts at a maximum.

Vitamins/Minerals:  Almonds are packed with all sorts of those little healthful vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy, and each almond pack has 25% of your daily vitamin E, 4% of your daily iron, and 4% of your daily calcium as well.  That's a pretty good profile for such a pocket sized snack!

Now before I conclude, I'd like to personally vouch for these almond packs as being one of the greatest things that's ever happened to my college diet.  They're incredibly versatile, portable, and can be incorporated into your diet no matter what your goal may be.  Want to lose weight?  It can be easily done with these packets, they'll fill you up and put your body into fat burning mode.  Want to pack on the muscle?  It's easy to throw a couple of these packets in your belly to increase your daily calorie consumption and give your muscles protein and healthy fats to help develop more lean mass.  I personally use them for the latter purpose, and find they compliment a meal of canned salmon quite nicely, and give my body a little more material to work with when it comes to my muscle building goals.

All in all these 100 calorie almond packs from Emerald are probably one of the smartest choices you can make when it comes to mid day snacking.  They're easy to carry just about anywhere, and are EXTREMELY healthy.  They've got all sorts of nutrients that your body needs to really become a lean, mean, muscular fat burning machine.  Not to mention that these almonds are absolutely DELICIOUS.

So what are you waiting for?  Pick up a package, you won't regret it, and your body will finally thank you for the elimination of those nasty snack cakes.



GOOD LUCK!