Tag Archive for: healthy

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:

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