Benefits, Uses & Side Effects of Pista

Pistachios are edible seeds of a tree called Pistacia vera. The love for Pistachios has been persistent since 7000 BC. 

Pistachios belong to the dry fruits or nuts categories as they're loaded with so many nutrients.

We have a variety of pistachios today: salted, unsalted, roasted, Red, Kernel and so on. It is impossible to not like Pistachios. They're extremely famous and healthy. 

Health benefiting properties of Pistachios:

100 grams of Pistachios contain the following nutrients: Energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, fluoride, Vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, Vitamin A, carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, Vitamin D, and Fatty Acids. (USDA)

Health Benefits & Uses of Pistachios:

• Loaded With Nutrients

Everyone knows how pistachios are loaded with so many nutrients. Hence, there is a huge buzz for its consumption among people.

When a person has B Vitamins deficiency, doctors advise eating raw nuts, especially pistachios as it has a lot of Vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6 is extremely important in regulating several body functions. It improves blood sugar regulation, digestive functions and boosts oxygen and haemoglobin in blood cells.

• Prevents Oxidation

One of the worst dangers of today’s world is pollutants and stressors that cause oxidation in our bodies.

There are several toxins that survive in our bodies and cause oxidation. This is usually responsible for many health disorders and chronic inflammation as well.

Since Pistachios, eaten as raw nuts, contain so many vitamins and minerals, they can act as multivitamins and prevent oxidation and oxidative stress.

Its antioxidant qualities can be used in the treatment of eye health, cancer, and cardiovascular problems.  

• Beneficial in Calorie-Deficit Diet

Most of us want to lose weight easily, that is without counting too many calories and feeling full.

What’s a better way of doing this than eating raw dry fruits? Out of all dry fruits, Pistachios are the best as they’re so low in calories and have so much protein in them.

Diet experts and nutritionists say that eating pistachios every day can improve your body’s amino acids content and prevent the cells from storing fats.

When you combine this with other calorie-deficit foods, you will see the effects right within a month!

• Regulates Bowel Movements 

When it comes to treating bowel movements and regularising them, most doctors recommend eating probiotics.

However, people may not know the exact way to consume them. In that case, you must consume a handful of nuts, including pistachios.

Pista is the king of fibre content and it helps improve gut bacteria health. It fights the bad bacteria in your gut and promotes good gut bacteria health so your bowel movements are regularised and the toxins are flushed out regularly.

• Stabilises Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

As pistachios contain antioxidants, they can prevent the oxidation of the plaque deposits in your arteries that lead to high blood pressure levels and high bad cholesterol levels.

Compared to other nuts, pistachios have lower fat and caloric content and contain the highest levels of unsaturated fatty acids, potassium, γ-tocopherol, phytosterols and xanthophyll carotenoids, all substances that are well known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. (NCBI)

Hence, we can safely conclude that pistachios reduce more bad cholesterol levels than any other nuts.

• Promotes Nitric Oxide Production

We need nitric oxide in our bodies to help the veins expand and to let the blood flow freely.

Due to ageing, the amount of nitric oxide in our blood decreases, which leads to fatigue, low energy, drowsiness, mood swings and weakness in women; and Erectile Dysfunction in men. 

Pistachios can be a great source of amino acids (L-arginine) which gets converted into nitric oxide in the blood.

It is hence advised to consume at least 100 grams of pistachios every week. Kids, women and men should consume these on a daily basis.

• Lowers High Blood Sugar Levels

With respect to the total change in variables over both phases, there was a marked decrease in HbA1c (-0.4%) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentrations (-16 mg/dl) in the pistachio group compared with the control group (p ≤ 0.001 for both). (NCBI)

The fibre, amino acids and healthy fats content of pistachios help in regularising healthy blood glucose metabolism. Long-term consumption may result in better results.

• Prevents Colon Cancer

When the colon and bowel are not cleansed regularly, your body may develop chronic inflammation which increases your risk of developing colon cancer.

Consuming pistachios every day may help as they contain a lot of fibre and amino acids that help in regulating bowel movements and keeping the colon clean and free from inflammation.

• Protein-rich Nuts for Vegans

Most vegetarians and vegans do not get enough protein as they may not be able to consume all protein-rich heavy foods in a day.

Pistachios can benefit as consuming little nuts can fill your protein requirements. An ounce of pistachios have 6 grams of protein, isn’t that great?

• Improves Eye Health

Your eyes need health antioxidants to improve their vision and reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration. 

You should eat a balanced meal and include pistachios in your diet every day to avoid eye health problems.

• Helps Hair and Skin Nourishment

Most nuts, especially pistachios, contain so many vitamins, minerals and nutrients that our skin and hair need every day.

Pistachios are better than your multivitamin pills and can be safe to consume every day. On average, you can eat about 5-7 of them daily. This will benefit your hair and skin health in the long run.

Side-Effects of Eating Pistachios:

There’s no way a person can be harmed because of pistachios; however, our food industry makes adulterated ingredients and pistachios could be one of them. Make sure you buy original and unsalted pistachios only.

Also, ensure you don’t have an allergy to eating dry fruits, because if you do, you may experience terrible bloating. You may experience the following side-effects from over-consumption of pistachios. (WebMD)

• Some people may experience bloating and pain in the abdomen when they have too many pistachios.
• Some may experience nausea or vomiting if they’re allergic.
• Excessive consumption may increase your sodium levels.
• Too many pistachios may also cause high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

So make sure you only consume the most organic pistachios always, especially only the unsalted ones.

Conclusion:

Like most nuts, pistachios contain a lot of health benefits, however, they should be consumed in limits to avoid risks and side-effects.