NYT Bestselling Author Max Lugavere and California Almonds are inspiring long-term wellness habits.

MODESTO, Calif., May 8, 2023 - As we head into the warmer months, many people are ready for a Spring clean and looking for inspiration on their social feeds, from hacks around the house to tips for your well-being. This time of year is the perfect time to "Spring clean" your overall wellness routine - whether that's changing up your online feed or switching your snacks. Needing inspiration for healthier snack options might be more common than you think – and that's okay! According to a recent survey from California Almonds conducted among 6,000 U.S. adults (18+ years), less than half (48%) report healthy eating as part of their regularly practiced wellness routines. Maybe give another thought to how an afternoon pick-me-up or a new viral smoothie ingredient with unexpected health benefits could be just the thing to incorporate into your every day. What has NYT Bestselling Author, Max Lugavere, motivated this Spring? He's bringing the inspo with high-impact habits incorporating almonds as his wellness snack of choice.

Max is constantly on the go – between hosting "The Genuis Life" podcast interviews, sharing his latest insight on his social channels, or just living his normal life playing guitar, watching tv, and hanging around his house with his cat – so his wellness routine might look different each day. The one thing he is sure to keep consistent: almonds. Almonds offer a variety of essential vitamins and nutrients, making them a practical healthy habit. There are many ways to enjoy almonds and reap the same benefits as Max for achieving a balanced, happy lifestyle. In prioritizing his health through different parts of his daily routine, here are some of the tips that Max lives by:

Top your meals with nourishing foods for a nutrient boost. It's always possible to add more nutrients to your meals by topping off with nourishing ingredients. I like to sprinkle almonds on Greek yogurt in the morning or on a salad in the afternoon. With an array of vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, zinc, and magnesium, almonds are a convenient and effective food to incorporate into any dish for bonus health benefits.
Reach for snacks that will fuel your body. The food we eat can impact various aspects of our health, and almonds are a great example of this when it comes to fueling our bodies, which is backed by science. New research1 found that healthy occasional exercisers who ate two ounces of almonds daily for four weeks experienced signs of improved muscle recovery from exercise compared to a cereal bar, not generalizable to demographics outside of the participants. So, when working hard to improve your health, almonds are the snack that will work hard for you too.
Don't forget magnesium! When it comes to nutrition and fueling your body, magnesium is an important part of the conversation. Magnesium can help maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports immunity, and aids in energizing the body. In fact, it's a necessary co-factor in 300+ processes in the body. It's easy to add more into your diet with magnesium-rich snacks like almonds, which supply 20% of the recommended daily dose of magnesium, along with 13g of unsaturated fat and 1g saturated fat in a serving.
"When looking for foods to consume, I gravitate towards what will make my taste buds happy and my body feel good, while benefiting my overall health and longevity," says Lugavere. "Almonds help me achieve everything I am looking for, with essential vitamins and minerals, 6g of protein, 4g of fiber, 13g of unsaturated fat and 1g of saturated fat in well-being and keeping my body fueled."

No matter the inspiration you get from your feed, whether you're influenced to try a wellness trend you see on a short video sent by your BFF or see an ad for the latest craze, reaching for nutrient-rich snacks is a simple way to support your well-being. Adding almonds into your routine starting this Spring will help you gain the nutrients you need to go about your day-to-day life. After all, the same survey found that the majority of participants agree that feeling good and satisfied are the most common side effects of snacking on almonds. Isn't that everyone's goal?

For more of Max's tips and information about California Almonds, please visit Max's blog post on almonds.com and follow California Almonds on Instagram and Twitter.

Survey Methodology

A custom survey was conducted among a census-balanced sample of U.S. adults (18+ years) in late September to uncover insights statistically projectable to the general population as well as key audience segments. Areas of exploration included:

Wellness rituals and regeneration
Snack habits
Health benefits
Almond attitudes
Pandemic & beyond
The study yielded a total sample size of n=6,000 with a margin of error of ± 1% at a 90 percent level of statistical confidence. Subgroup analysis was conducted to understand nuances across audience segments, with a priority on the following:

Millennials (n=1,573)
Almond eaters (n=1,884; defined as weekly+)
Millennial almond eaters (n=595; almond eaters defined as weekly+)
Families with children in the household (n=1,641)
About California Almonds

California Almonds make life better by what we grow and how we grow. The Almond Board of California promotes natural, wholesome and quality almonds through leadership in strategic market development, innovative research, and accelerated adoption of industry best practices on behalf of the more than 7,600 almond farmers and processors in California, most of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture.

About Max Lugavere

Max Lugavere is a top health podcaster, wellness journalist, filmmaker, and author. He wrote The New York Times bestseller Genius Foods and The Wall Street Journal bestseller Genius Kitchen. From 2005-2011, Lugavere was a journalist for Al Gore's Current TV. Lugavere appears regularly on The Rachael Ray Show and The Doctors. He has contributed to VICE, Fast Company, CNN, and more. NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, PBS' Brief But Spectacular, The New York Times, Fox News, The Joe Rogan Experience, and People Magazine have prominently featured Lugavere. He is an internationally sought-after speaker and has given talks at South by Southwest, TEDx, the New York Academy of Sciences, the Biohacker Summit in Stockholm, Sweden, and many others. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Youtube @MaxLugavere.

1 Nieman, D. C., Omar, A. M., Kay, C. D., Kasote, D. M., Sakaguchi, C. A., Lkhagva, A., Weldemariam, M. M.,& Zhang Q. (2023). Almond intake alters the acute plasma dihydroxy-octadecenoic acid (DiHOME) response to eccentric exercise. Front. Nutr. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1042719

Media Contact:
Megan Brodsky
Megan.brodsky@porternovelli.com

SOURCE Almond Board of California