To improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of developing diseases, it is very important to keep blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control.
To do this, one of the first steps to take could be to introduce a healthy diet into your daily lifestyle.
So green light for vegetables, legumes, fruit, fish, nuts and so on. In the next few lines, we will analyze one of these foods, focusing our attention on the benefits it would bring to health.
It would reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, this little ally of cardiovascular health
In this article we will talk about hazelnuts, a variety of dried fruit grown all over the world and available on the market throughout the year. Being highly appreciated for their organoleptic qualities, hazelnuts are often used in many recipes, from sweet to savory.
In addition to their extreme versatility in the kitchen, however, they also have several beneficial properties. In fact, in a little while, we will analyze the most important ones, trying to understand which are the nutritional values to take into consideration.
Properties and benefits
Hazelnuts, as reported by several studies, are low in water and provide 655 calories. 88% of the latter are essentially lipids, divided into monounsaturated (38.62%), unsaturated (5.2%) and saturated (4.61%) fatty acids. The other calories, on the other hand, come from proteins and carbohydrates.
Furthermore, hazelnuts are totally cholesterol-free and, for this reason, could be beneficial for cardiovascular health. In fact, although research is still ongoing, it would seem that they would reduce not only total cholesterol, but also LDL and triglycerides.
In addition to this, hazelnuts would also be an important source of mineral salts such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Without forgetting the good supply of vitamins such as those C, E, K and those of group B.
However, not everyone knows that hazel leaves could also have beneficial properties for the body. In fact, in addition to the alleged antioxidant and inflammatory properties, they also have vasoconstrictive properties. For this reason, they could be used in the medical field to reduce the symptoms of hemorrhoids and varicose veins.
As always, however, we recommend that you consult your doctor or nutritionist to ensure a healthy diet and appropriate treatments.
A delight for the palate
Hence, it would reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides this little ally seed of cardiovascular health. In addition to being eaten fresh or toasted, hazelnuts are widely used in the form of flour, especially in confectionery. In fact, it is used to make cakes, pastries, spoon desserts, pies and above all biscuits.
As for the latter, for example, we can whip 2 egg whites until stiff and combine them with 150 grams of flour and 100 of sugar. Once mixed, let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After the necessary time, form balls of dough and pass them in icing sugar. At this point we can cook them at 190 degrees for 10 minutes and thus have warm and fragrant biscuits ready to be enjoyed.