Pistachios (Pistacia vera) is a delicious nut ( or seed ) that grows on the tree of the same name. Botanically speaking, it is a member of the cashew family. They are a good source of the number of compounds like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, unsaturated fatty acids, dietary fibers, etc. and presence of these compounds make pistachios very beneficial for us as they provide numerous health and beauty benefits. In this article, we will know about the major health and beauty benefits of pistachios.
# Provides Cardiovascular BenefitsRegular and moderate consumption of pistachios is beneficial for our heart health as they provide a lot of cardiovascular benefits.
Consuming pistachios help in lowering the bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol ) in our body and increases good cholesterol level. By doing so, it reduces the risk of various cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, stroke, clogging of arteries, atherosclerosis, etc.
All these cardiovascular benefits of pistachios are mainly due to the presence of antioxidants, phytosterols, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated acids in them.
The dietary fiber present in pistachios also plays an important role in controlling the cholesterol level and thus benefits our heart.
# Helps In Weight ManagementEating pistachios on a regular basis ( but in a moderate quantity) is very useful for weight management and it has been found pistachios come first when it comes to choosing nuts for dieting.
Pistachios are a good source of dietary fibers which make us feel fuller for a long time and decreases our urge to eat again and again, and thus controls overeating.
As overeating is a major cause of obesity, so by controlling overeating it helps in controlling weight management.
In addition to this, a high level of protein and a high level of unsaturated fatty acid also plays an important role in making pistachios healthier.
# Reduces The Risk Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)Consuming pistachios are good for our eyes as they contain carotenoid antioxidants like lutein and Zeaxanthin in them.
These antioxidants fight with the free radicals of our body stabilizes them and thus prevents them from doing damage to our eyes.
By doing so, it protects our vision and at the same time reduces the risk of development of age-related macular degeneration in elderly ( according to a research conducted by Chen CYO and Blumberg JB from Tufts University, Boston, USA ).
In addition to this, pistachios also contain vitamin A which is well known for protecting our eyesight from visionary damage and reduces the risk of visionary problems like cataracts and macular degeneration.
# Improves Digestive HealthConsuming pistachios are good for our stomach as it helps in keeping our digestive system healthy.
As per a study conducted by the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Maryland, it was found that eating a handful of pistachios on a regular basis provides relief from indigestion problem as pistachios promote the growth of intestinal bacteria and thus aids in proper digestion of food.
In addition to this, the presence of essential nutrients like vitamin B6, copper, manganese, phosphorus and thiamine in pistachios also plays an important role in keeping our digestive system healthy.
The dietary fibers present in pistachios helps in bowel movement and ensures that waste gets excreted out of the system smoothly and thus provide relief from constipation.
# Provides Fiber Benefits
Consuming pistachios are beneficial for our health even because of the dietary fibers present in them.
A serving of one ounce ( or roughly 30 grams ) of pistachios provides around 3 grams of dietary fiber. The dietary fibers don’t provide any calorific benefit but they are still very beneficial for our health.
Dietary fibers help in controlling cholesterol level in our body and thus reduces the risk of clogging of arteries and development of cardiovascular diseases.
They are beneficial even for weight management as they make us feel fuller for long and controls overeating, and when it comes to digestive health then they are good for regulating bowel movement and for providing relief from constipation.
# Provides Aphrodisiac Benefits
Pistachios are Aphrodisiac in nature which means consuming pistachios increases sexual desire.
As per a 2011 research conducted by the Aldemir et al, it was found pistachios greatly influence the sexual vitality in men and people who ate 100 grams of pistachios on a daily basis for a period of three weeks showed a 50 percent improvement in their erectile function in compared to those who didn’t eat pistachios.
# Excellent Source Of AntioxidantsRegular and moderate consumption of pistachios is very beneficial for reducing the risk of various types of cancers and also for reducing the risk of various cardiovascular problems like heart attack, stroke, clogging of arteries, etc.
All these benefits of pistachios are mainly because of the high level of antioxidants in them.
These antioxidants fight with the free radicals of our body stabilizes them and thus prevents them from doing damage to our body.
What makes pistachios even more interesting is that not just the nuts but even shells of pistachios contain a considerable amount of antioxidants and Researchers from Tarbiat Modarres University in Tehran, Iran was able to successfully identify and extract these antioxidants for adding them to other foods.
# Beneficial For People Suffering From DiabetesEating pistachios is beneficial for the people suffering from diabetes as pistachios the antioxidants present in them helps in reducing the glycation process and thus helps in controlling diabetes.
Glycation process is a process in which sugar forms inappropriate bonds with proteins and make them unusable and form harmful molecule known as Advanced Glycation End Product (AGE), (source).
In addition to this, the glycemic index of pistachios is very low ( in the range of 0-20) which means they slow down the rate at which sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream.
The dietary fiber present in pistachios is also beneficial for diabetes patients.