Winter’s Best Treat: Everything You Need To Know About Chestnuts

Until winter arrives, get to know the winter treat that is tasty, gluten free, nutritious and packed with health benefits.
Also here’s a tip on how to choose them correctly.

Although the weather doesn’t really announce the arrival of winter, the smell of roasted chestnuts is already in the air.
Chestnuts have great health benefits they are delicious, versatile and easy to add to our daily diet.
They are low in fat, rich in vitamin C and You can eat them roasted, ground and mix them into any salad pastry or stew.

Chestnuts are a type of tree from the Castanea genus.
The chestnuts we eat every winter are the fruits of the tree.
The fruit is protected by a very hard and spiky shell which gradually opens before the fruit ripens.

They may look like nuts, but they actually contain a high amount of carbohydrates and a small amount of fat, so they have fewer calories compared to other types of nuts.
30 grams of chestnuts can replace a serving of carbohydrates, just like a regular slice of bread.

They contain a large amount of vitamin C which is important for strengthening the immune system and serves as a significant antioxidant in the body.
100 grams of chestnuts provide 30% of the recommended daily allowance.

They contain a variety of antioxidants that help protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are linked to many chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

A good source of potassium.
100 grams of chestnuts provide a fifth of the daily potassium requirement. That important for a healthy heart and helps regulate blood pressure.

Rich in dietary fiber.
100 grams of chestnuts contain fiber equivalent to two slices of whole wheat bread.
Fiber aids digestion, nourishes good gut bacteria, helps produce short chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and improves blood sugar levels.

May improve blood sugar control due to several interesting properties they contain fiber that can help prevent spikes in blood sugar and also contain gallic and ellagic acids, which help increase insulin sensitivity.
Because of their carbohydrate content, they should be eaten in controlled amounts.

They help with weight loss because the fiber slows down digestion and increases the production of hormones that suppress appetite.

Chestnuts may have potential anti cancer properties.
Laboratory studies have shown that chestnut extracts inhibited the growth and spread of various cancer cells, such as prostate, breast and colon cancer, thanks to the antioxidants they contain.

They are also tasty and easy to prepare.
Roast them in the oven or boil them in water but before cooking, it is important to pierce the shells to prevent them from exploding.
Once cooked, chestnuts are easy to peel so you can enjoy them as a delicious snack.

When choosing chestnuts, make sure they are shiny, relatively heavy for their size and free of defects.
Do not use chestnuts that have begun to shrink and dry out.
You can check this by shaking the chestnut if it makes a rattling sound it means the drying process has started.