The fruits of some trees or shrubs that have an edible core and a hard shell are called nuts. But not all fruits with a hard shell are such - it depends on the point of view from which the nut is considered. What is a nut? Which of them are considered real, and which are not? What properties do they have? Are their cores really useful? Why do people love nuts? Let's try to understand this article.
What is a nut in terms of botany
The fruit of the walnut plant (from the Latin nux) is a type of dry, unopened, syncarpous lower fruit with woody pericarp. The structure of the nut implies that there may be one or two kernels inside the shell. Usually the fruit is surrounded by bracts forming an involucre. An example is the hazelnut. Some types of seeds of the Sedge and Buckwheat families can be attributed to the true type of walnut. But, for example, peanuts, according to botanists, are considered a fake nut, since this fruit belongs to the legume family. The same applies, for example, to pine nuts and walnuts, dry coconut drupe and pine nuts, cashews and pistachios,almonds and chestnuts.
Cooking and life
In ordinary life, we call nuts any edible fruit that has a hard or soft shell. We use nuts in any form: we feast on their nucleoli in their usual form, add to the composition of all kinds of confectionery sweets and gourmet dishes, and someone even makes nut jam. At the same time, no one wonders whether it is a real nut or whether it is the fruit of a subspecies of a plant. We eat them because they are delicious, nutritious and, according to nutritionists, very he althy.
Nuts as food
In modern supermarkets today it is easy to find a wide variety of nuts. Among them there are walnuts and pine nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts and almonds familiar to us from childhood. Here you can also find not quite familiar, but already beloved by many pistachios, cashews, chestnuts, small pine nuts and other unusual fruits.
Many people believe that the presence of nuts in the diet is not necessary. Indeed, it is unlikely that anyone has suffered from the fact that they have never tasted exotic tree fruits for our latitudes. However, according to the results of numerous studies, it has been proven that almost all nuts have a unique balance of nutrients and substances that are very useful for the human body. They help improve the natural process of metabolism, improve blood composition and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and brain. It is believed that different types of tree fruits should be consumed throughout the day.
In nutscontains a lot of fat, but this does not mean at all that they are contraindicated for people seeking to lose weight. On the contrary, many nutritionists include these tree fruits as part of weight loss diets and treatment programs. The fats contained in nuts are easily absorbed by the human body.
Due to the huge amount of protein, nuts are often compared to meat. However, meat and milk protein are difficult to digest and contribute to the production of uric acid in the human body, which makes it difficult for the liver to work. Nuts growing on trees and shrubs, fully saturated with the energy of the sun, contain useful lysine, which promotes the rapid absorption of proteins. It is believed that it is much more beneficial for the human body to eat a few nuts than 100 grams of meat.
Calories
It has been proven that if the daily diet consists only of nuts, a person will feel great. That is why doctors recommend consuming various types of them daily, but here it must be remembered that the energy value of nuts is on average 600 kcal per 100 grams of peeled kernels. Do not forget that the menu should be balanced and varied.
We lose weight with taste
A person who has set himself the goal of weight loss should consume no more than 1200 kilocalories per day. It turns out that 100 grams of walnut kernels is half the required norm. This amount replaces some of the food consumed per day, on the basis that 60 grams of nuts contain 400 kilocalories, andThis is basically equivalent to a full meal. For snacks, it is enough to divide the rest into two meals, each of them will contain about 120 kcal.
If we move on to the quantitative ratio, then different types of nut kernels will make up the specified norm in completely different ways. It should be noted here that 100 grams of he althy fruits is an average of 100 pine nut kernels, 50 pieces of peanut grains, 30 pieces of hazelnuts or 5 walnuts.
Doctors advise to replace lunch and afternoon snacks with nuts and do not recommend eating them before bedtime. It is also undesirable to exceed the indicated norm, since the body simply does not absorb more nuts.
Useful properties of nuts
It has long been known about the healing properties of nuts. Such an invaluable quality of a walnut, as a rejuvenating effect on the body, has probably been known since prehistoric times. The ancient beauties already knew then that the use of delicious kernels greatly affects the condition of the skin. Moreover, for cosmetic purposes, these fruits have long been used in full. Useful and nutritious pulp is eaten, the hard shell is ground into flour and used to prepare all kinds of body scrubs, healing and rejuvenating decoctions, and partitions, which are always present in the nut and contain a huge amount of iodine, are used to maintain women's he alth and in the treatment of mastopathy. It has been scientifically proven that nuts contribute to the normalization of the cardiovascular system and the brain, improve memory and strengthenimmunity.
Differences in nut fruits
Each kind of nuts that we eat looks different, has a unique taste and its own set of substances that the body needs. If you conduct a comparative analysis of their taste and composition of nutrients, you can choose the most suitable product for yourself.
Hazelnut, hazelnut or hazelnut
It's about the same nut. One hundred grams of this product contains 3 times more calories than 100 grams of white bread and almost eight times more than half a glass of milk. By the amount of protein, these fruits are not inferior to meat. Nevertheless, they can be used without any risk even with the strictest diets. Of course, in this case, you will have to remove some of the products from your diet. With the regular use of hazelnuts in combination with dried apricots and honey, the risk of heart and vascular diseases is significantly reduced, blood pressure normalizes, and the functioning of the kidneys, liver and brain improves. It contains a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids that improve the metabolism in the body.
Walnut
It is considered the most useful of all nuts, as it is a storehouse of the most important vitamins and minerals. At the same time, such fruits are very nutritious and he althy. They are recommended not only for dietary nutrition. It is believed that eating just 5 nuts a day is enough to compensate for the necessary substances. They stimulate brain activity, normalize blood pressure and increasethe level of hemoglobin in the blood. Recommended to relieve spasms of blood vessels and headaches, have a slight sedative effect due to the huge amount of magnesium contained in the nut kernel.
Pistachios
Significantly inferior to other nuts in terms of energy value, but they are leading in terms of fiber content. Thanks to this, they contribute to the normal functioning of the digestive system, lowering the level of sugar and cholesterol in the body. Helps to strengthen general immunity. Often recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and liver disease. Must be present in the diet of people suffering from anemia, hypertension and angina, as well as patients with tuberculosis.
Cashews
Despite their delicate and buttery taste, cashews contain much less fat than walnuts or peanuts. Nevertheless, it is quite a high-calorie product. It is an excellent source of unsaturated fatty acids, which play a very important role in the normal functioning of the heart and help lower cholesterol levels. They have an antibacterial and tonic effect. Helps reduce the likelihood of caries and gum disease.
Chestnut
This tree fruit contains a whole range of essential minerals, vitamins and ash substances. However, it contains starch in its composition, so it is not recommended for weight loss diets. Chestnut nuts are very respected among the people, not only for their amazing taste. They are indispensable raw materials in traditional medicine: in pharmacology they are used as raw materials forproduction of medicines and cosmetics. In folk methods of treatment, healing decoctions, infusions and ointments are prepared on its basis for the treatment of almost any disease.
Pine nut kernels
Very tender nuts containing a huge amount of fast-digesting and light proteins. Milk kernels contain copper and iodine, as well as amino acids, which are especially necessary for children. Therefore, these fruits must be present in pregnant and lactating women, but it must be remembered that such nuts are allowed to be included in the children's diet only after the baby is three years old. It is believed that they are excellent for strengthening the immune system, and are also necessary for people suffering from angina pectoris and gallstone disease.
Almonds
It is believed that the amount of proteins and carbohydrates in almonds is perfectly balanced, so it is recommended both in dietary nutrition and for the prevention of many diseases. Contains a huge amount of monosaturated fats that help lower cholesterol in the blood. Rich in vitamins and microelements. A greater amount of nutrients is in the skin or layers located closer to it, so nuts are recommended for use along with the shell. Their use stimulates the process of regeneration of body cells and helps to strengthen bone tissue. Indispensable for inflammatory diseases. Helps with migraines, insomnia and nervous disorders.
Brazil nut - what is it?
This is the most commontropical fruit in a hard shell. High-calorie nut, which contains about 65% fat and 14% protein. It contains a high content of essential micro and macro elements. Normalizes the level of glucose and cholesterol in the blood. With excessive use, there is a high probability of selenium poisoning, since the tree on which these nuts grow has the ability to absorb it from the soil and accumulate in leaves and fruits. Therefore, most often this product is recommended for use in dietary nutrition as a source of this scarce substance.
Useful for a growing child's body, so it contributes to the proper formation of the musculoskeletal system. It has a slight sedative effect, so it can be recommended for stress and nervous exhaustion.
In closing
In conclusion of this article, I would like to warn every nut lover: any tree fruits should be bought at the beginning and middle of the autumn-winter period. The fact is that already at the beginning of spring there is no trace of the beneficial properties of nuts. Even with proper storage, nuts dry out within six months and almost completely lose their qualities. This primarily applies to peeled fruits, when immediately after peeling and breaking the shell, the process of decay of vitamins and beneficial trace elements begins.
