Twenty-three almonds a day!

Today, January 23rd annually, is 'Almond Day'. It is also the anniversary of several other things, but I chose almonds for today's entry because I find it quite interesting the why of the date. January 23rd was chosen as the date for 'Almond Day' because supposedly 23 almonds is the recommended daily almond intake for the average Japanese woman.

Approximately 23 almonds weigh approximately 30 grams or a palmful of almonds. Reportedly 30 grams of almonds contain 8.6mg of vitamin E, which is essential for beauty. The goal of allocating a date to 'Almond Day'  is to get as many people as possible to eat almonds for their beauty and health, as this alone can cover the daily vitamin E requirement.

Evidently the anniversary actually started in America. It was first established in 2008 by the California Almond Association under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In Japan, the 'Almond Day' anniversary was recognized and registered by the Japan Anniversary Association, a general incorporated association, in 2018.

I didn't have any photos of plain almonds, you don't see them very often. Or rather, any almonds I see are priced so high I rarely buy them. In Japan, almonds are mostly imported from the States.  The feature photo is of a popular Japanese snack, chocolate covered almonds, that uses whole almonds. If you like almonds and / or want to get your daily dosage of almonds but with a bit of sweetness, the Meiji chocolate almonds pictured are delicious!