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Pecans

A healthy and varied diet contains enough fruits and vegetables and is the basis for a strong immune system. But don’t forget that the pecan is also a good source of the minerals zinc and ijze, crucial for a good resistance. It is similar to the walnut, but slightly sweeter: the pecan! This tasty nut grows in America and they are therefore by far the largest and most important producer, but the pecan tree also grows in Israel, South Africa, Mexico and Australia. Like other nut trees, these trees have a harvest cycle of 2 years, once every two years there is a big harvest. Like the walnut, there is a green bark around the nut, this opens when the fruit is ripe, then the brown nut emerges.

Besides also being packed with good fats, the pecan excels in its high zinc and vitamin B1 content. One 25-gram handful of pecans contains a quarter of the daily recommended amount of zinc. Zinc is needed for tissue growth and development and proper immune system function. Vitamin B1 is essential for energy supply in the body. Vitamin B1 is very sensitive to sunlight and heating, so our advice: keep pecans dark and eat them raw!

Walnuts

Features

Most walnuts are found in America, France and China. But walnuts also grow in the Netherlands; many gardens have at least one walnut tree.

Another name for walnut is walnut and is one of the best known nuts. A walnut tree can grow 20 to 25 metres tall. Walnuts are dried when the green bark has burst open. The longer and better they are dried, the longer the nuts keep.

Walnuts are high in protein, calcium and potassium. In addition, they also fit into a cholesterol-lowering diet as they are high in unsaturated fats. They also contain a lot of antioxidants, which in turn are good for protecting the body against diseases. Antioxidants is a collective name for vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, the body’s own glutathione, the trace elements selenium and zinc, and bioactive substances such as flavonoids from fruit and vegetables.

 

The benefits at a glance

  1. High in protein, calcium and potassium
  2. High in antioxidants
  3. Pecans fit perfectly into a cholesterol-lowering diet

 

 

Application

Walnuts are widely eaten. They are popular in nut mixes, desserts and, for example, walnut pesto.

What can you use walnuts for:

Dates

Properties

The date is a fruit derived from the date palm. There are several varieties of dates, but one of the best known are the Medjoul date and the Deglet Nour date. Dates are drupes and contain a large hard seed that is not edible. They grow in clusters, like bananas and only grow on female trees. Dates have been around for centuries. They originate in the Middle East and are grown mainly in North Africa and Arab countries. But you can also find date trees in Israel, California and Australia. In particular, countries like Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Algeria export dates.

 

Application

You can eat the fruit fresh or dried, but the variety the kind we know here in the Netherlands is the dried (often sugared) variety. Dates combine well with nuts, cheese, cream cheese. Or process them in a tagine dish, for example. In Islam, the date is an important fruit and also has a special meaning. Eating dates regularly is said to repair and cleanse the liver. During Ramadan, dates also play an important role and are standard on the table. They are eaten at sunset at the iftar meal. The lore says that breaking the fast with a date makes the iftar 1,000 times more ‘sawab’ (reward for good deeds). (*source)

Dates are a good snack, as they are high in fibre they make you feel satiated and less hungry. Don’t eat too many of them as they also contain a lot of carbohydrates due to the naturally occurring sugars. Be careful when buying dates, as there are some that have been candied and thus have had an extra sugar bath before they hit the shops. This is done not only for the sweet taste, but also to extend the shelf life.

 

 

Did you know.

  • Dates contain more fibre per 100g than unpolished rice and wholemeal bread.
  • Dates are relatively low in calories and low in fat. A 6g date contains about 19 kcal (nutrition centre)
  • Dates are high in iron, copper and potassium
  • Dates are a source of vitamin C

Tasty recipes with dates?

Try this tagine, or make this delicious sticky toffee cake, finger-licking good!

 

Featured Pumpkin Seeds

Properties

Pumpkin is by far the largest fruit in the plant kingdom. This fruit grows best on clean soil in warm climates such as Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Pumpkin seeds are often used in mixes, especially roasted. In proportion to the fruit, they are only small seeds, but in terms of nutritional composition, they are very similar to nuts and peanuts. Lots of good fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins!

The following nutritional values ​​can be found on the nutrition center’s website:

1 tablespoon (15 grams) of pumpkin seeds contains:

  • 86 kcal energy
  • 7.1 grams of fat
  • 1.7 grams of saturated fat
  • 0.4 grams of carbohydrates
  • 0.2 grams of sugars
  • 1.3 grams of fiber
  • 4.5 grams of protein
  • 0 grams of salt

You also regularly see the term pepita, this is the Mexican term for the pumpkin seed. Pumpkin seeds are very good for your health, like many nuts, kernels and seeds. It is said that they can be good for your sleep because they contain a lot of tryptophan. This is an amino acid that can promote sleep and a building material for serotonin and melatonin.

But to get 1 gram of tryptophan, you need to eat about 200 grams of pumpkin seeds. That’s quite a few tablespoons 😉

 

Application

Pumpkin seeds are versatile and especially tasty when roasted. You can use them in salads, bread or with your muesli. At the Notenbeurs, pumpkin seeds are available separately, but also in a seed and kernel mix. This combines wonderfully with a salad.

 

What can you use pumpkin seeds for:

  • During your breakfast in your yogurt or oatmeal
  • Use it in a dish, for example this Quiche