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Pistachios are healthier than many people think. We explain what makes pistachios so good for the body – and how many you should eat at most.
What is small, green and delicious? The pistachio! Yes indeed. Our favorite Netflix snack is not only great for snacking on the sofa, but is also healthy.
Yes, maybe the pistachio is even better than any shelled almond – with two small caveats: first, the quantity matters (up to 50 pieces are fine) and second, you should rather leave the salted version on the shelf. But buying pistachios is worth it six times over.
Pistachios provide the best protein
Pistachios are one of the few plant foods that provide our body with all nine amino acids that it cannot produce itself.
Apart from them, only buckwheat, quinoa, algae and soybeans can do this. The 50 pieces that we wrote about above contain as much protein as a large egg.
Pistachios control blood sugar
If you eat things with a lot of sugar, carbohydrates or salt, you get into a high blood sugar, which then falls again more quickly. You get tired before you get hungry again and have trouble concentrating.
Does that sound familiar to you? Yes, we’re talking about the notorious midday low. If we then snack on unsalted pistachios instead of the candy bar, we avoid the trap.
Pistachios can help with high blood pressure
Several studies suggest that regular consumption of pistachios for at least a month can help lower blood pressure. Persistently high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease or stroke.
Consciously eat with pistachios
Yes, sometimes it can drive you insane when the only nuts left in the pistachio bowl have a very small or no slit that would allow you to pry the pistachio out of its shell.
But they also make us snack more slowly and consciously. And: A mountain of open shells signals our brain: “Okay, maybe we’ve snacked enough now”. One study found that people who consume shelled pistachios eat 25 percent more of them.
Pistachios fill you up and keep you full
The little green wonders are not only the lowest in calories of all nuts, they are also very filling. The fiber, protein and unsaturated fatty acids contained in pistachios ensure that your body is supplied with energy.
Lots of antioxidants in pistachios
Pistachios contain antioxidants that scavenge free radicals from the body and are said to reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease.