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No matter how you eat them, as a topping for yogurt or ice cream, crusted on salmon, or baked into a holiday pie, most people have enjoyed pecans. These tree nuts have been long known for their high fat content, creamy texture, and buttery taste which makes an excellent addition to cooking and baking, according to mindbodygreen.
But this nut that is grown in the southern US, has a lot more going for it than just taste. Rich in nutrients, fiber, and healthy fats, pecans are a healthy choice to eat every day. Check out these top five wellness benefits of eating pecans.
Full of nutrients
Pecans are nutrient rich food, containing 19 vitamins and minerals including fiber, copper, thiamine, zinc, and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals are important for your immune, brain, and central nervous system functions as well as aiding the production of red blood cells.
Pecans are also loaded with antioxidants that help keep your cells healthy by protecting against free radicals that could cause chronic diseases. In fact, pecans are the most antioxidant-rich tree nut. While pecans have a higher fat content then almonds or walnuts, a 2021 study found that eating pecans everyday helped reduce the oxidative stress that occurs after the participants ate a high-fat meal.
Heart healthy
Pecans are a great source of the healthy fats that can lower your LDL – bad cholesterol – and triglycerides which are risk factors for heart disease, according to Healthline. Increasing your intake of tree nuts could reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Helps boost immune function
These healthy tree nuts contain phytonutrients – plant compounds that are powerful antioxidants –and flavonoids. Pecans are also an excellent source of zinc, the mineral that is needed for immune-cells to function properly. According to Good Housekeeping, diets rich in zinc could lower the risk of many diseases.
Good choice for diabetics
Pecans could promote better blood sugar control due to the high fiber content, suggests Healthline, and that makes these nuts an excellent food for diabetics. Pecans are also a low-glycemic food, so that consuming them will not cause a spike in blood sugar. That’s because soluble fiber dissolves in water and moves through the body undigested and this slows down the absorption of sugar into the blood.
A review of 12 studies published in PLoS One about the consumption of tree nuts and glycemic control in diabetics found that the participants that consumed tree nuts had better measures of long-term blood sugar control.
Promotes brain function
Tree nuts are frequently linked to better cognitive function, according to Good Housekeeping. That’s because diets that are high in Vitamin E and antioxidants have been linked to lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
A study published in the Archives of Neurology that looked at 5,395 participants who were 55 or older who did not have dementia, to see if a diet rich in vitamin E could reduce the long-time risk of contracting the disease. The study found a 25 percent reduction of dementia risk in the participants that followed the diet.
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