Eight beneficial substances in pistachios

If there is a treasure house of plant nutrition, it must be nuts Nut, also known as hard fruit, is rich in nutrition in most kinds, and pistachio is one of the best A small pistachio has at least eight beneficial substances: 1 Oleic acid is the most important monounsaturated fatty acid, which is not common or low in daily oil or other foods Compared with the common polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid and linolenic acid in daily oil or food, the health benefits of oleic acid are better: it can not only reduce the total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, belonging to the "bad" cholesterol, is the primary cause of arteriosclerosis), but also improve the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, belonging to the“ Good cholesterol, which helps to prevent the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis, is considered to be the most beneficial fatty acid for the health of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system Olive oil is popular because it contains a high proportion of oleic acid, but few people seem to know that pistachios also contain more oleic acid, which accounts for more than half of the fat content of pistachios 2 Vitamin E if the high content of oleic acid makes pistachio "unique" in daily nuts, the rich vitamin E makes pistachio "in one piece" with most nuts Most nuts, including pistachios (except for chestnuts, lotus seeds and other varieties with high starch content), are rich in vitamin E In nuts, vitamin E, which has a strong antioxidant effect, can protect unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation (deterioration, also known as "rancidity"); in human body, the antioxidant effect of vitamin E is helpful to delay aging, maintain skin, resist atherosclerosis, etc 3 Procyanidins procyanidins (OPC) are the main functional components of famous grape seeds (extracts), which are also abundant in pistachios, especially pistachios' purplish red fruit coat The antioxidant effect of proanthocyanidins can be described as outstanding Among all kinds of natural antioxidants that have been confirmed, its ability to scavenge free radicals (antioxidants) in human body may be the strongest It has been found that proanthocyanidins can reduce blood lipid, blood pressure, atherosclerosis, cancer, radiation, allergy and cataract 4 Xanthophyll is rich in the emerald green kernels Lutein is a member of the carotenoid family It is closely related to β - carotene, lycopene and other well-known antioxidants, and also has strong antioxidant effect In the study of lutein, the most remarkable is its protective effect on the retina (against macular degeneration) Therefore, it is speculated that it has special benefits in preventing oxidative eye diseases such as cataracts 5 Resveratrol pistachios contain a certain amount of resveratrol When it comes to resveratrol, we have to talk about red wine, because resveratrol is one of the material bases of red wine's health Resveratrol is also one of the famous natural antioxidants, which can eliminate free radicals and inhibit lipid peroxidation In addition to protecting the cardiovascular system, resveratrol has many functions, such as improving immunity, anticancer, antiviral, anti-aging and so on 6 Quercetin pistachios also contain a certain amount of quercetin Quercetin is a kind of flavone, which is rich in onion, onion, garlic bolt and other vegetables and has strong antioxidant effect It is precisely because pistachio contains the above vitamin E, proanthocyanidins, lutein, resveratrol and quercetin and other antioxidant components The detection (U.S Department of Agriculture) shows that the overall antioxidant effect of pistachio is more than that of common nuts such as almond, cashew, and even more than that of green tea 7 Phytosterols, like soybeans, contain more phytosterols in pistachios Phytosterols are also called phytosterols As the name implies, it is a kind of substance with molecular structure similar to cholesterol existing in plants However, unlike cholesterol from animal foods, phytosterols do not cause atherosclerosis or other problems On the contrary, phytosterol can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines, which helps to prevent dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis 8 Dietary fiber dietary fiber is found in almost all plant foods, which has a good effect on defecation, weight loss, cholesterol absorption reduction, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and anti-cancer Compared with other nuts, pistachio has the advantage of high dietary fiber content Eating 20-30g (not counting the weight of shell, about 30-50g) pistachio contains 2-3g dietary fiber It's worth noting that, unlike most other nuts, more than 50% of the total fat in pistachios is monounsaturated fat, most of which is oleic acid, an appetite suppressant compound called OEA, which makes you feel fuller after eating and can prolong the time for you to feel hungry again The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified pistachio as a healthy food, saying that eating 1.5 ounces (about 40 grams) of pistachio a day can reduce the risk of heart disease Here we remind you that some processors use bleach to "beautify" pistachios to get a better look or cover up the mottled mildew Therefore, when purchasing pistachios, we must pay attention to the product characteristics of "yellow shell, purple coat, green kernel", or recognize the natural California pistachios with the words "no bleaching, natural opening".