Pistachios first originated in Europe and are eaten either on its own, roasted or salted form. These nuts are used in various recipes and are also used to garnish and enhance the taste of ice-creams.
Pistachios contain monounsaturated fats, which are healthy for the heart and protects the heart against various diseases. It also has some vitamins and minerals which are useful for our body.
These nuts are loaded with minerals like copper, phosphorus, manganese, and vitamins such as Vitamin B6 and thiamine that can benefit your health in numerous ways.
Pistachios are considered to be beneficial for the health, but too many of them can be harmful. Therefore, you should be careful about how many pistachio nuts should you eat per day.
How Many Pistachios Should You Eat Per Day?
You can include pistachios in your diet to get its health benefits. These nuts should be eaten in moderate amounts, to avoid the risks of any further damage.
Experts suggest you can to eat 30 pistachios per day
According to the healthy handful logo designed by NutsForLife, you should eat 30 grams of nuts per day, which is equal to 30 pistachio kennels peeled off from their shells. It helps to meet the daily requirement of all the essential nutrients, thereby proving to be beneficial for us.
Eating 30grams of pistachios on a daily basis will have numerous benefits. So, you can add it to your diet.
Although, the amount of consumption of pistachios is suggested to be different from another source.
According to JerryNutHouse, some studies have shown that eating 1.5-3 ounces or one to two handful of pistachios on a daily basis can provide health benefits.
As pistachios are rich in calories, it is better to follow the rule of healthy handful logo by NutsForLife of eating only one handful of pistachios. This is regarded to be the moderate amount.
If you wish to cut down your excess calorie intake from your daily diet, you can choose to eat one to two handfuls of pistachios on a daily basis.
Health Benefits of Eating Pistachios
1) Pistachios are well known for their benefits to eyes. It is rich in carotenoids, which makes them beneficial for eyes. Eating pistachios can help cure and even reduce the chances of macular degeneration of eyes.
2) As per a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, pistachios provide a good dose of beta-carotene, lutein, and gamma tocopherol, which help to promote the health benefits of it compared to the other nuts.
3) Studies have also stated that eating pistachios, can help to reduce glucose and insulin level. The nuts help to enhance the hormonal level of peptide 1, responsible for regulating the level of glucose in diabetes.
4) Anecdotal evidence has shown that pistachio is responsible for enhancing fertility.
Many studies have shown that pistachio helps acts as an aphrodisiac. It further showed that eating pistachios regularly for three weeks can help to enhance the sex drive in case of men.
The nuts also contain arginine, phytosterol, and antioxidant which have an essential role in treating erectile dysfunction.
5) Pistachios are beneficial for breastfeeding and pregnant women, as it offers all the sufficient amount of nutrients. Pistachio provides all the crucial nutrients.
6) Pistachios are efficient for curing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Some studies have shown that pistachios can reduce low-density lipoprotein and increase the high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol in the body.
7) The vitamin E in pistachio can be beneficial, for fighting the premature aging. It also protects the skin from UV damage.
Pistachios have minerals like copper that helps to prevent wrinkles and also help to reduce the sagging of the skin. The vitamin B in these nuts helps to promote the healthy skin and hair.
Side Effects of Eating Pistachios
Though pistachios have numerous health benefits, the excess of these nuts can prove to be dangerous. Therefore, you should be careful with your amount of consumption. Some of the side effects of eating pistachios are as follows:
Blood Pressure
Pistachio nuts are very low in sodium. One oz serving of pistachio contains about 0 to 2mg of pistachios. If you eat roasted pistachios topped with salt, the sodium level in it maybe 121mg.
As per the recommendations of USDA National Nutrient database, 121mg of sodium isn’t too bad if you limit your servings to a few. Your sodium intake may go up by 263 to 526mg if you eat half or one cup of salted pistachios on a daily basis. This may increase the blood pressure, thereby being a side-effect.
It is suggested by American Heart Association to restrict the sodium intake to avoid the risk of suffering from any cardiovascular disease and also keep the blood pressure under control.
Promotes Weight Gain
Pistachios are rich in protein and fibers. Although eating a handful of pistachios in one serving can lead to weight gain. About one cup of pistachios contains 700 calories. If you eat half or one cup of pistachios on a daily basis for a week, you could gain about 0.7 to 1.4 lb.
Overconsumption of pistachios can be harmful rather than being beneficial for health. Excess of pistachios can lead to weight gain and also increase your waist circumference.
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Apart from weight gain, pistachio nuts can also have the side effect of gastrointestinal disorders. It can efficiently react with compounds called fructans thereby causing problems in your gastrointestinal tract.
Although fructans aren’t harmful, it may affect the digestive system and cause problems like bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, and constipation.
The symptoms of the problem will be directly based on the amount in which you eat pistachios. The more nuts, the worse will be the symptoms and vice versa.
Final Thoughts
Pistachio is in use for 9000 years, and people eat it worldwide. National Pistachio Day is celebrated on 26th February. It is a special day for all the pistachio lovers who enjoy eating their favorite nut.
Undoubtedly, pistachios have numerous health benefits.
Many people prefer eating salted or roasted pistachios, but the natural pistachios are healthy. Pistachios have numerous beneficial health effects, so you should prefer adding them in your diet and enjoy its benefits.
Too many of pistachios can lead to weight gain, so you should be a bit careful. You should be aware of how many pistachios you should eat per day, to be on the safe side.
If you wish to enjoy its benefits and tastes, you can add it to your diet but in moderate amounts.