Oleaginous fruits and their health benefits
Pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, sesame seeds and pine nuts: oleaginous fruits inject energy into our recipes! They are also excellent for your health... provided that they are eaten sensibly.
What is an oleaginous fruit and what does it offer?
Firstly, a little etymological fact: oilseed comes from the Latin word Oleum, which means “oil”. Indeed, oleaginous fruits are plant foods that extract oil. This includes fruits such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, olives, or seeds such as squash, flax, sesame, cola, sunflower, etc.
What they offer varies depending on the fruit, but oleaginous fruits are, on the contrary to common misconceptions, rich enough! Oleaginous fruits in particular offer plant proteins, fibres, many minerals, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, copper, selenium and vitamins B and E.
Almonds, for example, have a very high vitamin E and Omega 9 content. Recently, it is recommended to eat a handful of oleaginous fruits every day, because they are good for your health.
What are the health benefits of oleaginous fruits?
There are many health benefits, especially regarding weight control, if you do not exceed a daily serving of 25-30g. This represents about 150 to 200kCal, and is an ideal contribution to what you need, because oleaginous fruits are rich in fibre. The fibres really make you feel full, and decrease the number of calories consumed in the next meal. It is referred to as a calorie reducer.
Oleaginous fruits can also help to control diabetes more easily. Diabetics know that the hardest thing when you are diabetic is to control and avoid sugar shock. Low glycemic index foods therefore promote this, which is the case of oleaginous fruits. Fibres have the ability to delay the passing of glucose in the blood during digestion. The daily dose is still, in this case, between 20 and 30 grams.
Many studies have shown that daily consumption of oleaginous fruits leads to an increase of blood lipids, lowering the levels of bad cholesterol and increasing the level of good cholesterol, which in fact is very good for your cardiovascular health!
Today, dietary professionals recommend a daily intake of 25 grams. Why not have a small handful of dried fruit in a yogurt or muesli for breakfast? You can also increase your pine nut, seed or crushed nut salads. Go ahead, since you are being told that it is good for your health!
