The Chinese consume more than 50% of the world harvest of chestnuts, the French celebrate a real chestnut festival and fry the fruits, going to the central squares, in huge pans.
In Russia, chestnuts are not grown, so European treats can only be found in supermarkets.
There are 2 varieties of chestnuts:
1) Horse chestnut - poisonousunsuitable for food, but is actively used in medicine and cosmetology.
2) Noble ("real") - its fruits are edible.
It will be about the fruits of edible chestnut. How useful and what harm can they bring to our health?
Edible chestnut: composition, as used
Externally, the chestnut is easily confused with hazelnuts - brown, round, with a strong shell. Its consistency is similar to mashed potatoes, and tastes somewhat like potatoes or corn. Pleasant and sweet in taste, the composition of the chestnut is rich in healthy substances.
The composition of the chestnuts is as follows:
• Minerals (carbohydrates, starch)
• Cellulose
• Fats
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Vitamins A, B, C
• Pectin
• Beta Carotene
• Calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc.
Edible chestnut: what are the benefits for the body?
Useful for vegetarians is the property of chestnut - a huge content of vegetable protein in it. Therefore, it will serve as an excellent substitute for animal protein in the human body.
Chestnut - a cure! Not only the fruits of the chestnut, but also the bark, leaves and buds benefit human health. Chestnut broth is perfect for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, for the treatment of hemorrhoids, thrombophlebitis and dilated veins of the nasopharynx. It increases vascular tone, lowers the fragility of capillaries, and blood flow speeds up.
Chestnut broth perfectly refreshes the skin. It is enough to take two tablespoons of crushed chestnut and pour a glass of boiling water. Done! Wipe your face every 2-3 days. After a month, the skin ceases to be dry, inflammation and redness pass, small wrinkles are eliminated.
Chestnut - an energy bar! Yes, it’s hard to believe, but only 2-3 chestnuts for dinner saturate our body, and there will be no hunger. An ideal option to freeze the worm and moderate the appetite that wakes up at night. Also, chestnut helps get rid of malaise and fatigue.
There is an interesting fact that direct contact with a chestnut can charge you with energy, strength and a good mood. Take a trip to Southern France, Spain or Italy, where the fruits of chestnuts are grown, and be sure to check the veracity of the statement.
Chestnut - an assistant in the diet! It contains a small amount of fat, so this product must be added to the number of the first when drawing up a vegetarian diet, because it contributes to weight loss. It is almost impossible to recover even from a large number of eaten chestnuts. Chestnut is also useful to athletes before and after training.
Chestnuts - a side dish for roast. The French consider chestnuts to be indispensable assistants in the preparation of their culinary masterpieces. Chestnuts are baked, boiled, fried until golden brown. Add to salads, cereals and even wine. Once in the same container with meat, they give it an excellent aroma and unusual taste. Chestnut is a favorite product of the masters of the kitchen. At the same time, chestnuts baked in the oven can also be an independent dish.
Chestnut - the perfect dessert for ice cream! To prepare it, you need only 4 ingredients: 500 g of chestnuts, 80 ml of brandy or wine, 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 teaspoons of sugar. Chestnuts are pre-cooked for 5 minutes in boiling water, then peeled and spread in the form of butter and sugar. The form is sent to the oven and baked for 10-15 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Cooked fruits should be sprinkled with cognac and served with ice cream.
Chestnut - a panacea for many diseases. Doctors often talk about the incredible healing energy of chestnuts, which not only act as a preventive measure, but also treat diseases such as mastitis and mastopathy. The fruits of this plant are also used for massage of the mammary glands. However, self-medication is not worth it, any therapy must necessarily take place under the supervision of a doctor.
In order to cope with cellulite, just make simple chestnut scrub: mix olive oil, basil or other herbs, essential oil and directly the chestnut itself, previously ground.
Health benefits for people with a sore back. With radiculitis is enough sleep on chestnuts. The body will receive a natural massage that strengthens the nerve roots and the pain begins to subside. With diseased joints, you can make a bracelet from dried chestnuts and carry it on your hands. There are enough 6-7 pieces in the bracelet.
Rheumatism is considered one of the most dangerous and common diseases of mankind. For rheumatism, a good prevention is the constant fingering of chestnuts. By making the hands work, the motor skills of the fingers improve, and the bones are strengthened.
Chestnut cleanses the body, removes harmful substances and promotes proper functioning of the body’s internal system. Chestnut tincture can be used as a diuretic and anti-edema. The tannins in the composition of chestnuts help with furunculosis. Chestnut-based products treat wounds and burns.
Supporters of traditional medicine advise carrying chestnuts in their pockets in order to protect themselves from ailments, protect against life troubles and health problems.
Another useful property of chestnut for sensitive people, prone to depression and stress - a few pieces of chestnut per day tone up and strengthen the body from the inside.
Calorie chestnut
Chestnut is a great alternative to high-calorie nuts, chocolate bars and seeds. Chestnut is a very low-calorie product - 166 kcal per 100 g product. Roasted chestnuts are, of course, more high in calories. Their energy value rises to 202 kcal.
Edible chestnut: what is the harm to health?
When introducing chestnuts into the diet, be sure to consult a specialist, so as not to harm your health. Since chestnut fruits have a large number of contraindications. If in doubt, it is better to abandon the product so as not to harm your body.
Chestnut is not recommended for use with:
• Individual intolerance
• Allergies
• renal failure
• Pregnancy and lactation
• Menstrual irregularities
• Gastric bleeding
• diabetes
• stomach ulcer
As in everything, one must observe the measure when eating chestnuts. Excessive consumption of them can lead to convulsions and problems with the digestive system: constipation, heaviness in the abdomen, nausea and bloating.
Be careful when buying chestnuts.. After all, there is its second kind: horse chestnut. Being poisonous, you can’t eat it. Outwardly, it is very difficult to distinguish them, but there is one small clue: the end of the cotyledon is pointed at the edible chestnut. Eating poisonous chestnuts can cause poisoning, so buy chestnuts only in trusted stores, carefully examining the packaging.
Eating chestnut can harm people suffering from cardiovascular disease. Due to the high content of carbohydrates and starch in them (almost 60%), the load on the heart and blood vessels increases.
Chestnut reduces pressure. Therefore, hypotonics should refrain from using it.
Obese people are advised to limit their intake of chestnuts due to their high starch content.
Chestnut is a heavy food for digestion. Poorly roasted fruits can harm the intestines and cause diarrhea. Therefore, people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract should not eat chestnut in any form.
Chestnut-based scrub can dry the skin, so it’s important not to overdo it and abandon lotions and creams that aggressively affect the skin before applying the scrub.
Edible chestnut for children: useful or harmful
Can I give children chestnuts? And in what form?
Unfortunately, there are no official recommendations for making chestnuts in children's diets. Benefit or harm until the end is not known. However, experts are inclined to believe that the child’s stomach is able to perceive such a kind of food only from 4-5 years old. Being a product difficult to digest, chestnuts are poorly absorbed and harm the baby’s digestive tract. Problems with the liver, kidneys, and pancreas may occur. It is best to cook for children a homogeneous mass of pre-cooked chestnuts and add, for example, mashed potatoes or soups. Chestnuts can cause bloating and constipation in your baby, so be sure to consult a pediatrician to avoid harm to the growing body.
How to clean chestnuts?
There are some tips that will make it much easier to clean your chestnuts:
1) First you need to cut the top of the chestnut, put in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
2) Put in the freezer of the refrigerator for 4-5 hours, then dip them in boiling water and substitute under a stream of cold water.
The positive and negative properties of chestnuts are not fully understood. As can be seen from the article, the benefits of chestnuts are significant, and the harm is almost minimal. Chestnut is a delicious sweet, effective medicine and a fruit with beneficial properties. Eat the fruits of the chestnut and be healthy!
