Nutritional value and medicinal value of chestnuts How to choose chestnuts

Chestnuts are also known as big chestnuts, Chinese chestnuts, and hairy chestnuts. They are a specialty of my country. Chestnuts can be eaten raw, or made into cakes, dishes, and porridge. The most popular among consumers are the sweet and refreshing sugar-fried chestnuts and chestnut roasted chicken or chestnut roasted meat. Chestnuts were called Mu'anzi in ancient times. Physical remains of chestnuts have been found in the Neolithic ruins of Banpo in Xi'an, and the history of eating chestnuts dates back more than 6,000 years. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, chestnut planting was already very popular.

Introduction to Chestnut

Sweet and delicious chestnuts have been a precious fruit since ancient times and are the best among dried fruits. Chestnuts belong to the nut family, but unlike walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and other nuts, they are not rich in oil. They have a high starch content. The carbohydrate content of dried chestnuts reaches 77%, which is equivalent to 75% of cereals; fresh chestnuts also have 40%, which is 2.4 times that of potatoes. The protein content of fresh chestnuts is 4% to 5%, which is not as much as peanuts and walnuts, but slightly higher than cooked rice. At the same time, it also has good medicinal value. Chinese medicine mainly believes that chestnuts have the effects of nourishing the kidneys and spleen, strengthening the body and bones, and benefiting the stomach and calming the liver. Therefore, chestnuts are also known as the "kidney fruit".

Nutritional value of chestnuts

Chestnuts produce more energy, but because fresh chestnuts contain more water, the nutrients are relatively less than those of dried and cooked chestnuts. Because chestnuts contain a lot of sugar, when eating chestnuts for tonic, you should avoid eating too much, especially for diabetics, so as not to affect the stability of blood sugar.

Chestnuts not only contain a lot of starch, but also are rich in protein, fat, B vitamins and other nutrients. They are also high in calories. Chestnuts are rich in vitamins B1 and B2. The content of vitamin B2 is at least 4 times that of rice. Every 100 grams also contains 24 mg of vitamin C, which is incomparable to grains.

It is hard for people to imagine that fresh chestnuts contain more vitamin C than tomatoes, which are known to contain vitamin C, and more than ten times that of apples! Chestnuts also contain a wide range of minerals, including potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, etc. Although the content is not as high as that of hazelnuts and melon seeds, it is still much higher than that of common fruits such as apples and pears. In particular, the potassium content is outstanding, which is 4 times higher than that of apples, which are known to be rich in potassium.

Medicinal value of chestnuts

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that chestnuts are sweet and warm in nature, non-toxic, and have the effects of "replenishing qi and spleen, strengthening the intestines and stomach, nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the tendons, and promoting blood circulation and stopping bleeding."

Raw or cooked chestnuts can treat weak waist and legs, frequent urination, nausea, blood in stool, chronic lymphadenitis and cervical lymphadenopathy, chronic diarrhea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency, or infertility caused by kidney deficiency. Burn the air-dried chestnut shells into charcoal, grind them into powder, add honey and mix them with water to treat internal hemorrhoid bleeding.

Some Chinese medicine practitioners also use chestnut shells in combination with Prunella vulgaris and Salvia miltiorrhiza to treat acute cervical lymphadenitis and goiter. Its nourishing function on the human body is comparable to that of ginseng, astragalus, and angelica. Chestnuts are sweet and warm in nature and enter the spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians. They have the effects of nourishing the stomach, strengthening the spleen, tonifying the kidney, strengthening the waist, strengthening the tendons, activating blood circulation, stopping bleeding, and reducing swelling. It is suitable for soreness of the waist and knees, waist and leg paralysis, frequent urination caused by kidney deficiency, chronic diarrhea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, traumatic fractures, blood stasis and swelling, skin sores, tendon and bone pain, etc.

The unsaturated fatty acids and multiple vitamins contained in chestnuts are effective in fighting against high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis and other diseases.

Precautions for consumption

Although chestnuts have high nutritional and health value, they also need to be eaten in the right way. It is best to eat chestnuts as a snack between meals or cook them in meals, rather than eating them in large quantities after meals. This is because chestnuts contain a lot of starch, and eating them after meals can easily lead to excessive intake of calories, which is not conducive to maintaining weight.

How to choose chestnuts

When buying chestnuts, don't just look for white or golden flesh. Golden flesh may be chemically treated chestnuts. On the contrary, if the flesh is a little brown in the middle after being fried or boiled, it is caused by the "browning reaction" of the enzyme contained in the chestnut. As long as the taste does not change, it is not harmful to the human body.