When it comes to nuts, pistachios are often overlooked — even though they are tiny nutritional goldmines. These little morsels are rich in fiber, heart-healthy fats, and are a good source of satiating protein. Pistachios are nutrition powerhouses loaded with antioxidants that help to minimize free radical and combat oxidative stress in the body.
Pistachio trees have grown in the Middle East for thousands of years. Pistachios have always been a desired delicacy in this region. They are also mentioned in the Old Testament (Genesis 43:11).
Pistachios are easier to peel open than other shelled nuts as their shells split open on their own during growth. They are used in countless recipes from many different world cuisines and are probably one of the most minimally processed foods that exist!
How to pick packaged pistachios:
You’ll find an array of pistachios on store shelves, and they’re all pretty tasty. They can be enjoyed raw, roasted, shelled, or flavored. We occasionally use different ones for our salad recipes, such as ones that are spiced with chili lime, tamari, or cumin and black pepper. We do check the sodium to make sure that it's on the lower end; under 5% of the daily value for sodium.
You want to steer clear of honey-roasted options if you're on a low-carb diet.
BENEFITS:
Consumption of Pistachios Helps You Sleep Well
The key to a great night’s sleep is naturally found in our brain and it’s called melatonin. This key ingredient helps people sleep deep and wake up feeling more rested. Melatonin is a wildly used natural drug that has helped people fall asleep for years. Pistachios offer this key ingredient that helps folks fall asleep faster without tossing and turning in bed.
Melatonin benefits include:
Prepares the body for a good night’s rest
Naturally signals the rest of the body to relax
Antioxidant benefits
Reduce jet-lag
Minimize the time it takes to fall asleep
More deep sleep at night
Comparatively, no other food has as much melatonin in it as the pistachios. According to this study, with around 230,000 nano-grams of melatonin per gram of pistachios, these nuts have some of the highest concentration of melatonin among all foods.
Consumption of Pistachios Lowers Blood Sugar Level
While not being diagnosed with diabetes yet, a large percentage of western populations have higher blood sugar levels then normal, thus are at high risk for developing diabetes.
Consumption of pistachios lowers blood sugar by reducing the glycemic response to other foods high in carbohydrates. The glycemic response of a particular food is its direct effect on blood glucose level shortly after consumption. Instead of being synthesized in the blood to glucose, the majority of the carbohydrates from the pistachios remain in the food as it passes through the stomach and the lower digestive tract. As a result, consumption of pistachios effectively provides nutrients to an individual without raising his/her blood glucose.
Consumption of Pistachios Reduces Blood Pressure
Pistachios are included in numerous diets designed for cardiovascular health for their strong effect on blood pressure. The beneficial influence of pistachios on blood pressure is attributed to the monounsaturated fatty acids and large quantities of phytosterols.
Phytosterols, also known as plant sterols or stanol esters, are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that are similar in structure to cholesterol found in humans. When consumed in the foods you eat, they compete with cholesterol for absorption in the intestine. This can potentially lower the cholesterol levels in your blood, most especially the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol due to nutrient qualities contained in them.
While many other types of nuts are also known to lower blood pressure, pistachios are the only nuts that significantly reduce the blood pressure of both the diastolic and systolic values.
The diastolic blood pressure reading is the lower reading, or the bottom number, which is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. The systolic blood pressure reading is the higher number indicating the maximum arterial pressure occurring during contraction of the left ventricle of the heart.
Consumption of Pistachios Helps the Elasticity of the Blood Vessels
Pistachios are rich source of polyphenols, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C, which all have a positive effect on the elasticity of the blood vessels.
Essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which all assist with the regulation of metabolic processes and lower blood pressure, are also present in pistachios.
Consumption of Pistachios Helps With Muscle Endurance
Pistachios are a rich source of potassium.
Potassium is an essential mineral which slows down the muscle fatigue. This means, individuals with higher potassium in their system are more likely to continue physical activities for longer periods than those who have lower potassium.
Consumption of Pistachios Assists With Weight Loss
Eating pistachio assists with weight loss in individuals who are obese or overweight. This is because the monosaturated fatty acids pistachios contain are good belly fat targeting agents.
Furthermore, pistachios are high in protein and fiber. They tend to fill up an individual (feeling of being satiated) and are surely delightful replacement for unhealthy snacks.
There is also a psychological side to the pistachios as they have to be manually unshelled and eaten one by one which helps with portion control.
Consumption of Pistachios Boosts Healthy Gut Bacteria
Good health starts in the gut. There are somewhere between three to five hundred different types of bacteria – microbiome – that live inside your digestive system. These "healthy" gut bacteria can reside on the lining throughout the entire digestive tract from the mouth all the way to the colon.
Bacterial balance in your gut affects almost all aspects of your health, from immune function to brain activity, nutrient synthesis to elimination of toxins. Consequently, it’s essential to maintain a healthy bacterial balance for good all-round health. Otherwise, bacterial imbalance can result in the development of certain conditions and diseases.
Pistachio consumption boosts healthy gut bacteria, which is important because Individuals with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have less of a certain type of healthy bacteria in the gut while those who have heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity may have too much of a certain type of bacteria in their gut.
Colon cancer and arthritis, are also associated with having an imbalance of healthy gut bacteria.
Most individuals do not have enough healthy bacteria due to a poor diet lacking in vegetables, dietary fibers and probiotic foods. Pistachios boost healthy gut bacteria due to the rich source of dietary fiber contained within them. Dietary fiber serves as food for the healthy bacteria, thus encouraging the growth of it.
Pistachios Are Full Of Antioxidants
Pistachios are bright green, an indication of how they are full of antioxidants.
Pistachios are also a great source of potent compounds with anti-inflammatory properties called oleanolic acid and beta-carotene.
In addition to improving high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the anti-inflammatory plant-derived hormone called phytosterol is known to enhance immune system functions.
Free radicals in the blood stream are electrically charged and unstable molecules that can interact with your healthy cellular molecules such as DNA. Antioxidants have the ability to help prevent damage to healthy cells from harmful free radicals. As the free radicals are unstable, the antioxidants give them an extra electron, thus effectively stabilizing them. Oxidative stress occurs when the quantity of free radicals exceeds the quantity of antioxidants. Oxidative stress leads to mass cell death and tissue damage.
Cancer is caused by damaged DNA that mutates and then the defective cells with mutated DNA reproduces itself. Therefore, antioxidants from pistachios aid in the prevention of many types of cancers and help reduce the risks of damage to organs from cell death.
Let's Celebrate Spring in a Ketogenic Way!!!
During the peak of the pandemic, we served our repeat customers only! Now that Spring is here and the pandemic is under control, we decided to reboot!
We are now accepting orders from "6" NEW CUSTOMERS from SAN JACINTO and HEMET area. The orders will be accepted on "first come, first served" basis.
Please place your order for our chef prepared ketogenic menu of the week on our website at https://www.myketopal.com/comfort-keto-meals by Friday midnight in order to receive your weekly prepared keto meal package on following Monday!
FREE curb-side pickup in San Jacinto;
Delivery within 30 mi. radius from San Jacinto available for $10.
Your $10 neighbor discount coupon code is MKP102020 .