The benefits and harms of pistachios

Pistachios are the seed of the fruit of the pistachio tree, but the popular belief is that this is a nut. The pistachio tree is one of the oldest fruit-bearing plants in human history. Its height reaches up to 10 meters and can live up to 400 years.

Each nut is a concentrate of valuable substances, vitamins and microelements. Pistachios contain bioactive energetically saturated substances that support and ensure human health.

The benefits of pistachios for the human body

The value of these nuts for human health is undeniable, it has been known for a long time. Even in an era of food availability, pistachios can have a positive effect on well-being due to their components.

Composition and calorie content

Other important connections:

• Phytosterols — 214 mg (389,1% of RDI)

• Purine — 32,6 mg (26,7% of RDI)

• Oxalic acid — 49 mg (12,3% of RDI)

Useful properties of pistachios

• Vitamin PP – stimulates digestion and normalizes the hormonal background of the human body, is taken to prevent the formation of cholesterol and remove atherosclerotic plaques, stimulates hematopoiesis.

• Vitamin B₁ (thiamine) – supports the activity of the body, subjected to significant stress: athletes, pregnant women, those who perform hard physical work, the elderly. It activates mental activity, restores strength after a serious illness and surgery. Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps prevent insomnia and strengthens the nervous system.

• Vitamin B₂(riboflavin) – maintains firmness and elasticity of the skin, promotes the conversion of nutrients from food into energy. Riboflavin promotes tissue regeneration, normalization of the nervous system.

• Vitamin B₅(pantothenic acid), or “architect of slender forms” – helps to burn excess fat, absorb other vitamins, which is especially valuable in old age.

• Vitamin B₆(pyridoxine) – normalizes blood sugar levels, preventing glucose surges, promotes the absorption of fatty acids, normalizes metabolism in brain tissues. In combination with other vitamins, it heals the cardiovascular and nervous system, which is the prevention of ischemia, myocardial infarction, and atherosclerosis.

• Vitamin B₉(folic acid) – is essential during pregnancy to prevent severe fetal malformations, strengthens the immune system, normalizes the liver, hematopoietic system, and digestion.

• Vitamin E (tocopherol) – slows down the aging process, makes the skin smooth and elastic, protecting it from pigmentation, normalizes blood pressure and blood clotting.

Fiber in the composition of pistachios improves intestinal motility, helps to cleanse the body of toxins. Lutein, which is part of them, increases visual acuity.

These fruits reduce the heart rate during tachycardia, help with diseases of the upper respiratory tract. The use of pistachios is very useful for those who work under regular stress, as well as for those who need an increased level of brain activity. You can expect that pistachios normalize sleep, relieve nervousness, irritability, and feelings of fatigue.

The benefits of pistachios for various diseases

• Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Positive results in cardiovascular diseases are due to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids in it. According to a two-stage “blind” study conducted over 3 weeks, the level of “bad” cholesterol decreased by 12%. This key factor in the development of diseases of the heart and blood vessels can be reduced by the use of polyunsaturated fats and nut fiber, which is abundant in pistachios.

  According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the use of pistachios by 10-20% increases the level of such a valuable trace element as potassium, which is extremely useful for lowering blood pressure and normalizing fat metabolism in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

• Maintain visual acuity. One serving of pistachios contains 343 mcg of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxatnin, which are essential for perfect vision, which is a very good indicator. In addition, the beta-carotene contained in pistachios is converted as a result of biochemical reactions into vitamin A, which maintains excellent vision.

• Fight against aging. The fat-soluble antioxidant in pistachios protects the body from lipid peroxides, which are formed when there is insufficient activity of antioxidants that slow down aging. For such effectiveness, it is necessary that pistachios occupy at least 1/5 of the total caloric content in the diet.

• Antidiabetic properties Antioxidants in pistachios slow down or completely stop the protein glycation reaction, which leads to a violation of the acid-base balance in the body, the appearance of diabetes, which destroys the tissues of the human body.

For the manifestation of the valuable qualities of pistachios, it is best to eat them raw, although roasted pistachios are useful. They are added to desserts, salads, halva, meat dishes.

The benefits of pistachios for women and men

These nuts are able to slightly stop the aging process of the human body, maintain the skin, hair, nails in optimal condition.

The high calorie content of pistachios allows them to be used in dietary nutrition as a snack (no more than 30 g) to cheer up, reduce hunger, and normalize appetite.

Pistachios gently cleanse the intestines, promote the burning of excess fat.

There are partial restrictions on the use of pistachios by pregnant and lactating women in large quantities, so as not to cause an allergy attack.

Pistachios have an exciting and tonic effect on the male body, increasing potency and libido.

Pistachios are the strongest aphrodisiac known for a long time. To get the effect, it is enough to eat a handful of nuts a day.

According to a study conducted by British scientists, the regular use of pistachios has a positive effect on the motor activity of spermatozoa, improves sperm quality. These properties are very useful for couples seeking to conceive a child.

How are pistachios used?

• As an appetizer for beer or an addition to desserts and other dishes. Most of all, pistachios are known as a delicious beer snack. But besides this, pistachios are used in the food industry, as an ingredient in ice cream and sweets. They are added to ice cream and salads to give them a delicious flavor.

• In cosmetology. Pistachio oil is used in cosmetology, both in pure form and in combination with essential oils and jojoba oil. Pistachio oil has a strengthening effect on the hair roots, so it is used when weakening the hair follicles. In addition, under the influence of oil, the hair becomes shiny and strong.

• pistachio oil. In combination with essential oils of orange, rose, chamomile, the use of pistachio oil helps to refresh the complexion, get rid of mimic wrinkles. The same mixture, combined with a cuticle and nail plate massage, will relieve brittle nails and strengthen them.

Harm of pistachios

Salted nuts will worsen the condition of patients with hypertension, kidney disease, and swelling of the extremities. In children under 7 months of age and in lactating women, pistachios can cause allergies and, as a complication, anaphylactic shock.

To prevent complications in the form of allergic rhinitis, skin rashes, disorders in the digestive tract, nausea and dizziness, it is better to observe moderation in the use of pistachios.

Also keep in mind that pistachios are able to accumulate the toxic trace element strontium (in 100 g – 25% of the allowable daily allowance).

Are pistachios bad for kids?

These nuts are a very powerful allergen that is dangerous to the health of a small child. You can start using them from the age of 5, although at 3 years old you can try to introduce them into the diet, starting with one thing. If itching occurs, you need to be wary of manifestations such as anaphylactic shock and immediately stop using this product.

Pistachios have very valuable properties that are extremely useful for the development of children – increasing immunity, forming a healthy nervous system, so they are a recommended product in the diet of older preschoolers and schoolchildren.

Where and how do pistachios grow?

The pistachio tree grows in Asia and Northwest Africa. It reaches a small size, belongs to the genus of deciduous trees of the Sumach family. In culture, there are about 20 varieties of pistachios. The plant loves light and soil rich in calcium. The tree easily tolerates drought and low temperatures down to -25 ° C.

Features of pistachio cultivation:

• The plant is most often a tapeworm, that is, it grows separately, a pistachio forest is formed very rarely.

• It has a multi-stemmed, dense and low crown.

• Pistachio roots are located in 2 tiers, they go 15 m into the soil, 40 m wide, which allows the tree to stay on the slopes of the mountains, where pistachios often grow.

• The tree has a thick silvery bark covered with small cracks. There is a wax coating on the leaves and branches of the tree.

• For high yields, you need to have trees with male and female flowers nearby, up to 1 females can be planted per 10 male plant.

• Pistachio blossoms in April with red-yellow small flowers, bears fruit in September with clusters of fruits that look like a bunch of grapes.

• The pistachio fruit is a drupe up to 25 mm long. When ripe, it cracks with a snap, revealing an oily, greenish core. Its fragrant taste allows the use of pistachios in various industries – from medicine to cosmetology.

• If the pistachio grows in optimal conditions, it grows up to 5 meters, lives 400 years.

How to choose good pistachios?

Ripe pistachios have a green core and an open shell, and the greener the core, the tastier it is. The inner shell of the nucleus is beige. The red color of the shell is applied artificially to mask a defect in the shell that appears during manual harvesting. When assembled by machine, the shell remains intact, it does not need to be painted. Redness may appear on roasted pistachios after marinating them in a salty lemon marinade. The smell of mold in pistachios is a sign of their poor quality.

How to properly store pistachios?

In order for this culture to retain its healing properties, it is advisable to eat pistachios fresh, and not salted or fried. So that polyunsaturated acids, which are abundant in pistachios, do not go rancid, nuts are stored for no more than 3 months in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Peeled fruits used in cooking can be stored for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Norm of use of pistachios

In order not to expose yourself to the action of essential oils, which manifest themselves as nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness, dizziness, it is undesirable to eat more than 30 nuts per day.

[Video] Dr. Berg explains scientifically why you should eat pistachios: