The cacao bean is the source of perhaps the most magical and beloved foods on Earth because it is the source of chocolate. Even the cacao tree's official name, Theobroma cacao, recognizes the long-standing love most of us have for the fruit of this tree. Theobroma comes from the Greek language for "food of the gods." And while chocolate is the most popular and favorite of these foods from the cacao bean, an even healthier choice is raw cacao powder. How Is Cacao Powder Made? To produce raw cacao powder, raw cacao beans are simply cold pressed to remove the fat, and the remaining solids are ground into a fine powder. Cacao vs. Cocoa: What's the Difference? Cacao powder contains all the beneficial nutrients and beneficial compounds of the raw cacao bean minus the fat. In contrast, cocoa powder is made from roasted cacao beans. And even if they look alike, the two are different. In making cocoa powder, up to 90% of the nutrients and beneficial compounds in raw c
Pistachio nuts are not only tasty and fun to eat but also super healthy.
These edible seeds of the Pistacia vera tree contain healthy fats and are a good source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants.
What’s more, they contain several essential nutrients and can aid weight loss and heart and gut health.
Interestingly,
people have been eating pistachios since 7000 BC. Nowadays, they're
very popular in many dishes, including ice cream and desserts (1Trusted Source).
Here are 9 evidence-based health benefits of pistachios.
1. Loaded with nutrients
Pistachios are very nutritious, with a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of about 49 pistachios containing the following (2):
- Calories: 159
- Carbs: 8 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 6 grams
- Fat: 13 grams (90% are unsaturated fats)
- Potassium: 6% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Phosphorus: 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 28% of the RDI
- Thiamine: 21% of the RDI
- Copper: 41% of the RDI
- Manganese: 15% of the RDI
Notably, pistachios are one of the most vitamin B6-rich foods around.
Vitamin
B6 is important for several bodily functions, including blood sugar
regulation and the formation of hemoglobin, a molecule that carries
oxygen in red blood cells.
Pistachios are also rich in potassium, with one ounce containing more potassium than half of a large banana (3).
Summary Pistachios are high in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. They also boast several other important nutrients, including vitamin B6 and potassium.
2. High in antioxidants
Antioxidants are vital to your health.
They prevent cell damage and play a key role in reducing the risk of disease, such as cancer.
Pistachios contain more antioxidants than most other nuts and seeds. In fact, only walnuts and pecans contain more (4Trusted Source).
In
one 4-week study, participants who ate either one or two servings of
pistachios per day had greater levels of lutein and γ-Tocopherol,
compared with participants who did not eat pistachios (5).
Among nuts, pistachios have the highest content of lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are very important antioxidants for eye health (6Trusted Source, 7).
They
protect your eyes from damage caused by blue light and age-related
macular degeneration, a condition in which your central vision is
impaired or lost (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
Furthermore,
two of the most abundant groups of antioxidants in pistachios —
polyphenols and tocopherols — may help protect against cancer and heart
disease (6Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
Interestingly,
the antioxidants in pistachios are very accessible in the stomach.
Therefore, they are more likely to be absorbed during digestion (11Trusted Source).
Summary Pistachios are among the most antioxidant-rich nuts around. They're high in lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which promote eye health.
3. Low in calories yet high in protein
While eating nuts has many health benefits, they're typically high in calories.
Fortunately, pistachios are among the lowest-calorie nuts.
One ounce (28 grams) of pistachios contains 159 calories, compared with 185 calories in walnuts and 193 calories in pecans (2, 12, 13).
With protein comprising about 20% of their weight, pistachios are second only to almonds when it comes to protein content (6Trusted Source).
They also have a higher ratio of essential amino acids — the building blocks of protein — than any other nut (10Trusted Source).
These amino acids are considered essential because your body cannot make them, so you must obtain them from your diet.
Meanwhile,
other amino acids are considered semi-essential, meaning that they can
be essential under certain circumstances, depending on the health of the
individual.
One of these semi-essential amino acids is
L-arginine, which accounts for 2% of the amino acids in pistachios. It's
converted into nitric oxide in your body, which is a compound that
causes your blood vessels to dilate, aiding blood flow (6Trusted Source).
Summary Pistachios contain fewer calories and more protein than most other nuts. Also, their essential amino acid content is higher than any other nut.
4. May aid weight loss
Despite being an energy-dense food, nuts are one of the most weight-loss-friendly foods.
While few studies have looked at the effects of pistachios on weight, those that exist are promising.
Pistachios are rich in fiber and protein, both of which increase feelings of fullness and help you eat less (14Trusted Source, 15).
In
one 12-week weight loss program, those who ate 1.9 ounces (53 grams) of
pistachios per day as an afternoon snack had twice the reduction in
body mass index, compared with those who ate 2 ounces (56 grams) of
pretzels per day (16Trusted Source).
Moreover,
another 24-week study in individuals with excess weight showed that
those who consumed 20% of calories from pistachios lost 0.6 inches (1.5
cm) more from their waistlines than those who did not eat pistachios (17Trusted Source).
One factor possibly contributing to pistachios' weight loss properties is that their fat content might not be fully absorbed (18Trusted Source).
In
fact, studies have demonstrated the malabsorption of fats from nuts.
This is because part of their fat content is stuck within their cell
walls, preventing it from being digested in the gut (6Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
What's more, shelled pistachios are good for mindful eating,
as shelling the nuts takes time and slows the rate of eating. The
leftover shells also give you a visual clue of how many nuts you have
eaten (20Trusted Source).
One
study showed that individuals who ate in-shell pistachios consumed 41%
fewer calories than individuals who ate shelled pistachios (21Trusted Source).
Summary Eating pistachio nuts may aid weight loss. In-shell pistachios are especially beneficial, as they promote mindful eating.
5. Promote healthy gut bacteria
Pistachios are high in fiber, with one serving containing 3 grams (2).
Fiber moves through your digestive system mostly undigested, and some types of fiber are digested by the good bacteria in your gut, acting as prebiotics.
Gut bacteria then ferment the fiber and convert it into short-chain fatty acids,
which may have several health benefits, including a reduced risk of
developing digestive disorders, cancer, and heart disease (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
Butyrate is perhaps the most beneficial of these short-chain fatty acids.
Eating
pistachios has been shown to increase the number of butyrate-producing
bacteria in the gut to a greater extent than eating almonds (24Trusted Source).
Summary Pistachios are high in fiber, which is good for your gut bacteria. Eating pistachios may increase the number of bacteria that produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids like butyrate.
6. May lower cholesterol and blood pressure
Pistachios may reduce your risk of heart disease in various ways.
In
addition to being high in antioxidants, pistachios may lower blood
cholesterol and improve blood pressure, thus lowering your risk of heart
disease (6Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
In fact, several studies have demonstrated the cholesterol-lowering effects of pistachios (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
Many
studies on pistachios and blood lipids are conducted by replacing part
of the calories in a diet with pistachios. Up to 67% of these studies
have shown reductions in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases
in HDL (good) cholesterol (28Trusted Source).
Meanwhile, none of these studies observed that eating pistachios harmed the blood lipid profile (28Trusted Source).
One 4-week study in people with high LDL cholesterol had participants consume 10% of their daily calories from pistachios.
The
study showed that the diet lowered LDL cholesterol by 9%. What's more, a
diet consisting of 20% of calories from pistachios lowered LDL
cholesterol by 12% (25Trusted Source).
In another study, 32 young men followed a Mediterranean diet
for 4 weeks. Then, pistachios were added to that diet in place of its
monounsaturated fat content, totaling about 20% of their daily calorie
intake.
After 4 weeks on the diet, they experienced a 23%
reduction in LDL cholesterol, 21% reduction in total cholesterol, and
14% reduction in triglycerides (26Trusted Source).
Moreover, pistachios seem to lower blood pressure more than other nuts.
A
review of 21 studies found that eating pistachios reduced the upper
limit of blood pressure by 1.82 mm/Hg and the lower limit by 0.8 mm/Hg (29Trusted Source).
Summary Studies show that eating pistachios may help lower blood cholesterol. It may also lower blood pressure more than other nuts.
7. May promote blood vessel health
The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels.
It's important that it works properly, as endothelial dysfunction is a risk factor for heart disease (30Trusted Source).
Vasodilation
is the widening or dilating of blood vessels. Endothelial dysfunction
is characterized by reduced vasodilation, which decreases blood flow.
Nitric oxide
is a compound that plays an important role in vasodilation. It causes
blood vessels to dilate by signaling the smooth cells in the endothelium
to relax (30Trusted Source).
Pistachios
are a great source of the amino acid L-arginine, which is converted
into nitric oxide in the body. Therefore, these tiny nuts may play an
important role in promoting blood vessel health.
One study in 42
patients who consumed 1.5 ounces (40 grams) of pistachios a day for 3
months showed improvements in markers of endothelial function and
vascular stiffness (31Trusted Source).
Another
4-week study had 32 healthy young men consume a diet consisting of 20%
of calories from pistachios. It found that endothelium-dependent
vasodilation improved by 30%, compared with when they followed a
Mediterranean diet (26Trusted Source).
Proper blood flow is important for many bodily functions, including erectile function.
In one study, men with erectile dysfunction
experienced a 50% improvement in parameters of erectile function after
eating 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of pistachios a day for 3 weeks (27Trusted Source).
That said, a 100-gram serving of pistachios is quite large, containing about 557 calories.
Summary Pistachio nuts may play an important role in promoting blood vessel health. That's because they are rich in L-arginine, which, when converted into nitric oxide, helps dilate your blood vessels.
8. May help lower blood sugar
Despite having a higher carb content than most nuts, pistachios have a low glycemic index, meaning they don't cause large blood sugar spikes.
Perhaps not surprisingly, studies have shown that eating pistachios can help promote healthy blood sugar levels.
One
study showed that when 2 ounces (56 grams) of pistachios were added to a
carb-rich diet, healthy individuals’ blood sugar response after a meal
was reduced by 20–30% (6Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source).
In
another 12-week study, individuals with type 2 diabetes showed a 9%
reduction in fasting blood sugar after eating 0.9 ounces (25 grams) of
pistachios as a snack twice per day (33Trusted Source).
In
addition to being rich in fiber and healthy fats, pistachio nuts are
rich in antioxidants, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds, all of which
are beneficial for blood sugar control (6Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source).
Therefore, simply adding pistachios to your diet may help manage your blood sugar levels in the long term.
Summary Pistachios have a low glycemic index, which might promote lower blood sugar levels.
9. Delicious and fun to eat
Pistachios can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
These include as a snack, salad garnish, or pizza topping, or even in baking, adding a beautiful green or purple color to various desserts and dishes.
Some delicious and green-colored desserts include pistachio gelato or cheesecake.
Plus, like other nuts, they can be used to make pesto or nut butter.
You
can even try sprinkling them over your favorite oven-baked fish, adding
them to your morning granola, or making your own dessert crust.
Lastly, pistachios can be enjoyed on their own as a convenient, tasty, and healthy snack.
Summary Besides being a great snack, pistachios can be used in baking and cooking, adding a green or purple color to various dishes.
The bottom line
Pistachios
are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, protein, antioxidants, and
various nutrients, including vitamin B6 and thiamine.
Their health
effects may include weight loss benefits, lower cholesterol and blood
sugar, and improved gut, eye, and blood vessel health.
What's
more, they're delicious, versatile, and fun to eat. For most people,
including pistachios in their diet is a great way to improve overall
health.
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