Chestnuts are delicious and affordable, earning them the reputation of a "treasure of winter". It's that time of year again when the sweet scent of chestnuts fills the air. As you enjoy this delicious treat, how much do you really know about chestnuts?
How nutritious are chestnuts?
Chestnuts are rich in carotene, amino acids, and trace elements such as iron and calcium. Long-term consumption can provide health benefits like nourishing the stomach, strengthening the spleen, tonifying the kidneys, and improving skin complexion. Therefore, eating chestnuts regularly is very beneficial to your health. Chestnuts can also be eaten raw, and raw consumption can be quite effective. It can help with soreness and pain in the waist and legs, as well as relax muscles and activate blood circulation. Chestnuts contain soft dietary fiber, which is great for the digestive system, and diabetics can also eat them in moderation.
Chestnuts contain high levels of starch, which can replenish the energy your body needs, making them an excellent food choice for women looking for beauty and weight loss to replace staple foods. There is also a folk remedy for treating kidney deficiency in the elderly by eating chestnuts: consuming one or two raw chestnuts every morning and evening can help with symptoms like weak and frequent urination. However, chestnuts should not be eaten in excess. Raw chestnuts are hard to digest, and cooked ones can easily cause bloating. Therefore, it's not advisable to eat too many at once, as it can be detrimental to your health.
Although chestnuts are nuts, their nutritional value is similar to that of tubers.
Chestnuts belong to the nut category and have a high starch content, but they are not as rich in oil as other nuts. The carbohydrate content of dried chestnuts reaches 77%, which is similar to grains like rice, flour, and beans. Even fresh chestnuts have about 40%, nearly twice that of sweet potatoes. Fresh chestnuts contain plant protein, a small amount of fat, and abundant carbohydrates, as well as minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Every 100 grams of chestnuts contains as much as 442 milligrams of potassium, making them a high-potassium food.
10 chestnuts can replace a bowl of rice, so don't eat more than six or seven at a time.
Chestnuts are rich in starch. As the saying goes, "10 chestnuts can replace a bowl of rice," but in terms of nutritional content, rice is not as rich as chestnuts. Although chestnuts are good, you shouldn't eat too many at once, as it can cause bloating or affect your regular meals. Furthermore, when chestnuts are sugar-roasted, a small amount of sugar and oil seeps in, making their calorie content even higher. It's best to limit yourself to six or seven a day, and you should also reduce your intake of staple foods accordingly, or burn off the calories through exercise.
Don't buy sugar-roasted chestnuts that are cracked; it's unhealthy and unhygienic.
Oily chestnuts, a type of chestnut, are more suitable for sugar roasting. Traditional sugar-roasted chestnuts use malt sugar. If saccharin and inferior oil are used to roast the chestnuts, the cracked parts will stick to "syrup," along with impurities like charcoal and dust. This is both unhealthy and unhygienic, so it's best not to buy them.
These groups of people should not eat chestnuts.
1. People with a weak spleen and stomach should not eat chestnuts raw. They should be stewed, roasted, or cooked, or one can make a porridge with chestnuts, jujubes, Poria cocos, and rice.
2. People with bleeding disorders, such as hematemesis or hematochezia, should eat chestnuts raw.
3. Because they contain a relatively high amount of carbohydrates, diabetics should eat chestnuts in moderation.
4. Whether eaten raw, roasted, or stewed, chestnuts should be chewed thoroughly, and the saliva should be swallowed along with them to achieve a better nourishing effect.
5. Postpartum women and children with constipation should not eat too many chestnuts.