Pecan Nuts
What’s So Great About Pecan Nuts?
Well, the 19 vitamins and minerals contained in pecan nuts may give us a good basis for this conversation. Recent studies have shown suggestive evidence that pecan nuts may even help your body to metabolize more quickly and efficiently, putting this tasty little morsel at the top of the must have health foods list. Do pecan nuts contain fat? Why yes they most certainly do, but over 90% of it is heart healthy, easily soluble fat which your body needs in order to counter bad cholesterol and proper vital organ function. Do pecan nuts contain cholesterol? Yup, they do contain trace amounts of the very best kind of cholesterol, that which cuts and balances the bad kind. Do pecan nuts have carbohydrates in them? They do have a bit of that element as well, but are among the lowest in carbohydrate in the tree nut family, and are considered to be an excellent addition to the low carbohydrate diet.
And now, on to the next bit of information about these delicious seeds. The pecan is nutrient and mineral rich, and some doctors will attest that ingesting 20 pecan halves per day is like swallowing a multi vitamin tablet. Containing everything from zinc to vitamin A, pecan nuts are an intelligent and delicious choice for any time of day. Speaking of zinc, 20 pecan halves contain more of this vital mineral than does a 3.5 ounce serving of chicken. Add a good helping of other such elements, such as calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, many b vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, and folic acid.
If you are lacking natural fiber in your diet as most of us are, and have grown weary of munching on sweet apples, you may be quite happy to learn that pecan nuts offer a full 10% of your daily recommended intake of fiber per 20 half serving. This serving size equals out to about a nice, rounded handful of nuts, and the benefits are endless from this point on. As long as you have no known allergies to tree nuts or peanut legumes, you can not go wrong with the pecan nut as a snack or additive to your daily diet.
On the subject of fiber, it is important to note that the pecan’s high concentration of it allows for a much fuller feeling tummy for a much longer period of time as opposed to other snacks rendered in like amounts. These seeds take a while longer to digest than do apples or potato chips, keeping your digestive tract busy, and therefore satisfied. Have a little bit of fun with these tasty tree nuts by tossing them into your salad, your yogurt, or just straight into your mouth.