Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Nuts are a popular snack and an ingredient in both sweet treats and main dishes. If you like to eat nuts, pistachios are one of the healthier options. They are filled with essential nutrients and have a number of health benefits, helping you to control your
body weight and lowering your risk for heart problems.
Heart Health For a healthy heart pistachios are a must. As they are a source of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids they have been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol (bad fats) while at the same time increasing HDL (good fats) cholesterol leading to reduced blood pressure, which is key when it comes to reducing the risk of cardiovascular illness.
Pistachios improve digestion because they are rich in dietary fiber. Fiber aids in proper digestion of food and assists in growth of good bacteria, which is important for improving digestive efficiency.
Diabetes Help Eating pistachios may help to prevent Type 2 diabetes. 60 percent of the recommended daily value of the mineral phosphorous is contained in just one cup of pistachios. As well as breaking down proteins into amino acids, phosphorous aids glucose tolerance.
Healthy Blood Pistachios are an incredibly rich source of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is essential to make hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen through the blood stream to cells, and is also shown to increase the amount of oxygen carried.
Eye Health Pistachios contain two carotenoids not found in most nuts. These carotenoids, called lutein and zeaxanthin, function as protective antioxidants, defending tissues from damage from free radicals. They have been linked with a decrease in the risk for developing age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of visual impairments and acquired blindness in the United States.
Immune System A healthy immune system requires adequate intake of vitamin B6, which pistachios abound in. A surfeit of vitamin B6 can retard brain activity as well as decrease the effectiveness of the immune system for fighting infections. Vitamin B6 found in pistachios also helps the body make healthy red blood cells, and helps maintain the health of lymphoid glands, such as the thymus, spleen and lymph nodes, ensuring the production of white blood cells that defend the body from infections.
Weight Loss Pistachios also known as “the skinny nut”, aid in weight reduction as the dietary fiber, fat and proteins induce a feeling of fullness so there will be less chance overeating. By eating a couple of handfuls a day they will remove unwanted cholesterol in the body and will nourish our brain cells.
Skin Health Pistachios are a great source of vitamin E, a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant, essential for maintaining the integrity of cell membranes and often recommended for healthy and beautiful skin. Vitamin E does an excellent job protecting the skin from UV damage, providing daily defense against premature aging and skin cancer.
