Looking For Healthy Snacking? Count On Roasted Chestnuts

Besides being a tasty snack, roasted chestnuts can also be used in many recipes, like stuffing and casseroles. The credit goes to their crunchy texture and nutty flavour. Many vitamins and minerals are found in chestnuts, including copper, manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, thiamine, folate, riboflavin, and potassium. They also contain a lot of fibre. 10 roasted chestnuts can provide 15% of your daily fibre requirements. Even after roasting, chestnuts retain a high level of antioxidants. They're abundant in gallic acid and ellagic acid, two antioxidants whose quantity increases when cooked. Antioxidants and minerals such as magnesium and potassium can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Although the nutrient value is identical in homemade and plain-store brought chestnuts. Still, many manufacturers may add ingredients like sugar to their products. So, go through the labels of store-bought chestnuts while buying. Read on to know the amazing benefits of roasted chestnuts.

Also Read: 5 Incredible Health Benefits Of Kola Nuts

Food experts have found that roasted chestnuts are nearly sodium-free (barely 1 mg per ounce). To manage healthy blood pressure, just add roasted chestnuts to your diet. They will control your sodium intake. Healthy individuals should consume a maximum of 2,300 mg of sodium per day. A limit of 1,500 mg daily is the recommendation if you are suffering from hypertension or diabetes or if you are above 50 years old. 

Tasty chestnuts, Image Source: Freepik

Calories and Protein

Per ounce, roasted chestnuts contain 69 calories. Most nuts, such as cashews, almonds, and macadamias, provide 160 to 200 calories per ounce. So, they might add unnecessary extra calories to your diet.  Consequently, the chestnuts are perfect for anyone trying to lose weight or limit their calorie consumption. Similarly, ordinary nuts have 4 to 7 grammes of protein per ounce. However, chestnuts are high in it as well. Protein is a fat-burning and hunger-suppressing food that may help you lose weight.

Roasted chestnuts sold by street vendor, Image Source: Dreamtime

Fat and Carbohydrates

15 grams of total carbs, including 3 grams of natural sugars, are included in an ounce of roasted chestnuts. They contain 1.4 grams of dietary fibre or 6% of the recommended value. According to previous dietary Guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services, dietary fibre is a component found in plant-based meals that helps lower cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. Chestnuts have less than one ounce of total fat, but most other nuts include 14 to 21 grams of fat, most of which come from heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

Additional Nutrients

Roasted chestnuts have 168 mg of potassium. Potassium is needed to regulate blood pressure. Chestnuts have 20 mcg of folate, or 5 per cent of the daily value, and 7 mg of vitamin C, or 12 per cent of the daily recommendation. Sufficient folate consumption help lower the risk of heart disease, and vitamin C is essential for your strong immune system.