Pistachios have grown to become elevated to almost everyone’s favorite snack. While you may know these sweet-yet-savory snacks have grown in popularity, you should know they are also one of the most nutritious nuts you can eat. Just a small 1-ounce serving contains over 30 vitamins, minerals and other powerful nutrients to help you burn fat, improve your cholesterol and heart health, balance out your blood sugar, and even improve your sex life (bowchicawowow)!
Pistachios contain some of the highest protein and healthy fats of any nuts, so they are one of the best ways to snack, get tons of nutrients, keep your blood sugar low, and burn fat as well.
Pistachios rank high among nuts as having the highest amounts of antioxidant activity of any food. Antioxidants help to prevent free radical damage, which allows for healthy cell reproduction, slows aging, and prevents chronic disease, among other things.
Pistachios have a unique nutrient and fatty acid profile. They are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids and numerous antioxidants, including γ-tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, selenium, flavonoids, and phytoestrogens.
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Compared with other popular nuts, pistachios are one of the richest sources of potassium, vitamin B-6, beta-carotene, and lutein + zeaxanthin. And they contain a healthy amount of protein, fiber, and selenium (good for thyroid health) as well.
These little green nibbles are crunchy, salty, delicious, satisfying, low-carb and good for you! In spite of the fact that these yummy nuts have loads of (healthy) fat in them, they are one of the best fat-burning snacks you can find.
Here are five good reasons to snack on pistachios—
1. Fat Burning—Nuts contain lots of healthy fats, but they also help you burn fat! Pistachios are one of the nuts that contain the highest amount of protein, which helps to make you feel satiated and full.
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In addition, they contain generous amounts of healthy monounsaturated fats, similar to the healthy fat in olive oil. This fat not only helps you feel satisfied, but it keeps blood sugar low—a key factor in appetite and the ‘munchies’. When blood sugar stays low, you keep your body in the fat-burning mode, burning fat for energy instead of storing fat—which is what happens when you eat carbohydrates or sugary foods.
What’s more, when you eat shelled pistachios, it takes a bit of work to crack those tasty little babies open, so you tend to eat less.
Pistachios also contain generous amounts of the antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eye from diseases related to aging, including macular degeneration.
2. Better Sex — A study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research looked at the effects of eating pistachios in 17 men who had erectile dysfunction (ED).
The men ate about 3.5 ounces (about a cup) of pistachios a day for three weeks. The men were tested before and after the study using the International Index of Erectile Function score. After 3 weeks, the men’s IIEF scores increased significantly, and…
