- Pistachios are a snack packed with nutrients and beneficial compounds that make them a great snack for heart health. Its consumption is associated with a reduction in cholesterol and blood pressure
Pistachios are one of the best snacks for your heart. These ancient seeds can be part of a healthy diet, they are full of flavor, nutrition and beneficial compounds.
Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of healthy fats, fiber, protein, and other healthy nutrients.
Pistachios are rich in antioxidants, contain fewer calories and more protein than most other nuts.
In one ounce of raw pistachios (28g) there are 159 calories, 5.7g of protein, 3g of fiber, 13g of fat (mostly good fats) and 7.7g of carbohydrates.
According to USDA data, pistachios also provide copper (41% of the daily value), manganese (15% DV), phosphorus (11% DV), potassium (6% DV), iron (6% DV), vitamin B6 (28% ), thiamin (21%), as well as some vitamin A and vitamin E (5% DV).
As part of a healthy diet, pistachios can help lower blood cholesterol and also lower blood pressure more than other nuts.
Healthline notes that many studies on pistachios and blood lipids are done by replacing some 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.”
Pistachios are rich in L-arginine which, when converted into nitric oxide, helps dilate blood vessels.
An analysis published in Nutrients in 2020 indicates that pistachio consumption was associated with increased dietary fiber intake and decreased consumption of sweets; also with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Eating a daily handful of nuts, especially nuts like walnuts, almonds and pistachios, may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in 2019 in Circulation Research.
The study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that people with type 2 diabetes who ate at least five one-ounce servings of walnuts a week were 17 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who ate one or fewer weekly servings of nuts.
Researchers note that walnuts may help control blood sugar and inflammation due to the nutrients they contain, such as unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E and magnesium, shares the Harvard School of Public Health.