Studies show that during the winter, a person secretes more insulin and thus gain weight. As the days become shorter so the body gets a wish to include carbohydrate and caloric meals to keep the mood and to have enough supplies while it is exposed to cold. Menu with subtly sweet chestnuts will allow you to have snack from hand, in which you can enjoy outside the home, walking through the city streets, looking at colored leaves and colorful streets and warming your hands with them.
Nutritional Value
The fiber content of chestnuts, 3 g per 100 g, is higher than that of walnuts, with 2.1 g per 100 g, pecans, 2.3 g per 100 g, and pistachios 1.9 g per 100 g but about half that of hazelnuts. Their fiber content makes them a low glycemic index food.
Apart from their sweet taste, sweet chestnut is a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Consuming 100 gram of sweet chestnut offers 0.418 mg of Copper, 40.2 mg of Vitamin C, 44.17 g of Carbohydrate, 0.352 mg of Vitamin B6, 0.336 mg of Manganese, 58 µg of Vitamin B9 and 0.144 mg of Vitamin B1.Moreover many Amino acids 0.018 g of Tryptophan, 0.058 g of Threonine, 0.064 g of Isoleucine, 0.096 g of Leucine, 0.096 g of Lysine and 0.038 g of Methionine are also found in 100 gram of Sweet chestnuts.
Potassium found in chestnuts helps against hypertension, reducing blood pressure. Iron helps to prevent the occurrence of anemia. Magnesium and phosphorus are important components in bone metabolism.
Health Benefits of Sweet Chestnuts
Diet with sweet chestnuts not only will improve the blood (in atrophy, fatigue, starvation) but also will increase the energy and it will supply the body with natural sugars that will squeeze out the desire for sweets. Because it has high energy value is not recommended to consume when restrictive diets are hold, but it is a great selection of food for athletes and children. It is not advisable to consume chestnuts more than 4-5 times a week.
Prevents Heart Diseases – Most of us think fats as a bad thing to be burned off during a diet, but in fact, our body needs a number of other fats to function normally. These good fats, found in high concentrations in chestnuts, help to balance our cholesterol, decrease inflammation all through the body, and lower the risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots building up in the body. This will eventually lower your risk of stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease to a large degree.
Aids Teeth and Bone health – As we all know that teeth are the strongest bones in the body. Calcium and phosphorus are two important minerals that are totally crucial for bone health as they make up the main composition of bones; however, a healthy dose of Magnesium is necessary for the other two to carry out their function effectively.
Apart from that magnesium present in sweet chestnut forms the hard enamel around your teeth and protects the bones from degeneration and decay.
Prevents Diabetes – Foods that are high in dietary fiber, like chestnuts, are considered low glycemic foods, which mean they cause blood sugar to rise more slowly. This helps to prevent the spikes and drops in blood sugars that are dangerous for diabetic patients, and are often precursors to the development of diabetes in those currently unaffected.
Stops Diarrhea – Sweet chestnut and specifically the chestnut tree bark are found to be a very effective remedy for diarrhea. The water in which you boil the chestnuts along with its shell or bark is rich in Tannins. Tannins, when taken in controlled amounts, can relieve you from diarrhea.
A standard 3 spoons of crushed bark or equivalent chestnuts with shells in a liter of water boiled for about 20 minutes and consumed in the form of 2-3 cups in a day is considered safe.
Maintains Blood Vessel Elasticity – Sweet chestnuts consist of essential fatty acids that are essential for the body and are derived from the dietary sources. Chestnuts are mainly rich in linoleic acid and have Palmitic acid and Oleic acid that are safe for your body. Apart from that they have a low level of cholesterol and help in bringing down the levels of “Bad Cholesterol” or LDL in the blood vessels.
LDL can create deposits of plaque along the inner lining of blood vessels making them rigid over a period of time. Food items like chestnuts clear this plaque and discourage its formation ensuring elasticity and healthy network of blood vessels.
Lovers Blood Pressure – When it comes to lowering blood pressure, few minerals are as essential as potassium. Potassium controls water movement within the body, and also functions as a vasodilator, increasing blood flow and releasing the tension on constricted blood vessels and arteries. This reduction in blood pressure can boost overall cardiovascular health and decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Aids Digestion – Sweet chestnuts are actually a good source of fiber content. Fiber helps to absorbs water and makes stools soft along with adding bulk to it. Bulkier and softer stools pass through the gastrointestinal tract easily as well as faster. This prevents constipation and constipation-related anal inflammation and piles.
Usually, the fiber in food will not play its role properly if there is inadequate water in the body. But chestnuts have a high content of water as well which makes it a perfect choice for improving digestion with the right combination of fiber and water together.
Chestnuts as a Food and Medicine
Wild chestnut that we often see on the streets as an ornamental tree has medicinal properties, but because of the bitter taste cannot be consumed. However pharmacists managed to get out all the healthy benefits from it and to prepare gels and cosmetics that are available today for the consumers.
Extract of wild chestnut seeds, stimulates the microcirculation of the skin and supply the skin with the necessary oxygen and nutrients while removing harmful substances. It helps with varicose veins, rheumatism and gout. It increases the elasticity of blood vessels and prevents from major damage and swelling. In the natural cosmetics it is used as a lotion for the hair and as a mask of mashed potato combined with honey for oily skin of the face.
Prevents from colds and reduces the risk of heart disease, and is believed that improves male fertility.
Chestnut tea relieves the symptoms of asthma and bronchitis, while the chestnut fruit helps with kidney and problems with digestion.
Through B vitamins and phosphorus chestnut strengthens the nerves, and thanks to the amino acid tryptophan, body produces serotonin hormone or hormone of happiness. According to previous researches, imbalance of serotonin in the body affects mood and can lead to depression.
Via: LiveStrong | HealthBenefitsTimes
