Pecans: A Healthy Snack Choice for a Nutritious Lifestyle
What do you picture for the perfect snack? Something that is yummy, easy, and flavorful? What if there is also something that you can snack on that is also good for your body? This is the pecan! This delicious and nutritious nut works wonders for your body and is also good for your overall health.
Pecans are crunchy and rich in pecan nut oil. They also contain a lot of nutrients and other perks. They can also satisfy your hunger in between meals. They also provide throughout the day. Let's look at this nut and see how it helps and why it is so good for you.
The Mighty Pecan: More Than Just Sweets
The pecan nut is from the pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis), which is a large tree that is from North America and the Mississippi River valley. These trees can live and make nuts for over 300 years and can grow over 100 feet tall. The nut is a type of fruit called a drupe, which is a fruit that has a single stone or pit and is surrounded by a husk. When we eat the nut, we are eating the seed that is inside the stone, which is the edible part of the drupe.
Pecans can provide a ton of health benefits for people because they are loaded with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals that are all healthy. And, they are very buttery and delicious. An ounce (19 nut halves) contains approximately the following calories and nutrients:
- 196 calories
- 20 grams of (most is monounsaturated) fat
- 3 grams of protein
- 4 grams of total carbohydrates
- 2.7 grams of dietary fiber
Pecans are great healthy snacks that can maintain energy and help weight management because they can provide fullness and sustain energy over a long period of time. Unlike processed snacks, which can give a sugar crash, the healthy fats, protein, and fiber helps maintain energy. They're a great option for healthy dieting.
The Health Benefits of Pecans
Including pecans in your meals can enhance your nutrient profile and your overall health. This incredible nut is known for being nutritional in many areas.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Pecans contain lots of mono-unsaturated fats, the same type of healthy fat located in olive oil. Mono-unsaturated fats can lower LDL (the bad cholesterol) and keep or raise HDL (the good cholesterol). The American Heart Association has classified pecans as a heart-healthy food. Other healthy compounds are antioxidants such as vitamin E and ellagic acids, which aid in the reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress and protect your arteries from inflammation.
Cognitive Benefits
Pecans have some other health benefits as well. They contain some antioxidants and free radicals which can burn and cause damage to cells. This is one reason cells, especially in the brain, can become damaged and die. Pecans are high in vitamin E, a nutrient that some studies show is linked to a lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s. This makes pecans a good and smart choice to help support brain health and function.
Aiding in Weight Management
Even if pecans are high in calorie content, they can still be an important constituent of a weight loss plan. The protein and fiber content and the healthy fats work in concert to augment satiety, enabling you to stay full and satisfied for longer. This can lower the overall calorie intake by avoiding binge eating and mindless consumption of snacks that don't offer you nutrients. Having a handful of pecans instead of a pack of chips or candy bars is a better option.
How Pecans Stack Up Against Other Nuts
Even though every nut is healthy, each of them have dissimilar nutritional content. The following are how pecans differentiate from some other nuts:
Almonds
Almonds are recognized for the high vitamin E and calcium they contain, along with protein. If you compare a serving of fiber and protein in almonds and pecans, almonds have slightly more, but pecans have more antioxidants.
Walnuts
Walnuts are known for their ultra-high omega-3 fatty acid content (especially ALA). Omega-3s are important for healthy brain function. Pecans, however, have high concentrations of other fatty acids that are healthy like monounsaturated fats.
Pistachios
Unlike pecans, pistachios contain fewer calories and less fat, as well as being a more abundant supplier of vitamin B6. They also have eye-healthy antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin.
For health reasons, it is best to eat a lot of different kinds of nuts to get multiple nutrients. Still, with a softer buttery taste and stronger antioxidants than average, these nuts have an important role in nutrition.
Beyond Pecans: Diversifying Your Garden and Diet
Pecans really are a great nut to have in your diet. However, growing a pecan tree will take a long time. Luckily, you can get other great plants to go with your nut tree. Other than providing you nuts, these can also beautify and give your home landscape. At TN Nursery, we give you a great variety of trees, perennials, and shrubs.
Consider including fruit plants such as Blackberry or Blueberry Bushes. They produce vitamins and antioxidants and are easy to grow. If you're looking to add shade and a touch of beauty, the Red Maple has lovely colors in its fall foliage, and the Tulip Poplar is a lovely shade-giving fast native tree for summer. Adding quilt-all native ferns like the Christmas Fern can also enhance your garden's biodiversity. Exploring such mitigation measures can range your garden more, just like a range of nuts benefits your health.
Bring Home Your Own Grove
Imagine the joy of picking and enjoying pecans or berries straight from the backyard. Perennial and berry plants grow as quickly as you can connect to nature, as growing your own food is the best ingredient to a healthy diet. TN Nursery is passionate about helping cultivate green spaces, which is why we supply pear, pecan, berry, and perennial plants.
Transform your yard today and browse TN's Nursery online selection, where we know you'll find the perfect plants for your beauty and productivity needs.
FAQs
Is snacking on pecans good for you?
For sure! They are very healthy! They are packed with heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Also, they are packed with other nutrients, lots of fiber, and even some protein. Minerals like manganese and copper are present too, and since it's a healthy snack, they will keep you full and energized!
How many pecans is healthy a day?
An appropriate healthy amount of pecans to eat a day is about one ounce, or 19 pecan halves. This amount gives you some nutritional benefits without harming your health. Staying with this amount will let you eat their heart-healthy fats, and other minerals like antioxidants, and still keep a healthy balanced diet.
What is the healthiest nut to snack on?
There is no actual "healthiest nut" because nuts are very healthy and beneficial in different ways. One of the benefits of Brazil nuts is the high content of selenium. Another is walnuts which are filled with omega-3. There are almonds which are very high in vitamin E. What sets pecans apart is the high amount of antioxidants and their delicious buttery taste. The healthiest way to approach eating nuts is to eat a variety of them!
Is it good to eat pecan nuts every day?
Yes, eating a handful of pecans every day can provide many health benefits. A daily consumption can result in lower levels of bad cholesterol, a constant supply of antioxidants, and heart health support. Also, they're good in protein and fiber, and they can make a good snack.
What is the unhealthy nut to eat?
No nut is unhealthy, assuming they are in their unaltered state. Though nuts in their raw preserved forms have healthy oils. But, nuts like Macadamia nuts are the worst, due to the higher calories with lower protein. But, keep in mind to look out for unhealthy oils.
Who should not pecan nuts?
People who are allergic to tree nuts, are pecans, and should keep the nut away because it can cause severe allergic reactions. If you are on a strict diet it can be a problem too. On the diet side of things they are healthy for the majority of the population.
