LUKE COUTINHO tells MUSBA HASHMI the benefits of adding American Pistachios in diet, how it helps in weight management and shares tips to select the best variety from the lot
How often do we switch to healthy snacking while watching our favourite web series or for that matter to satisfy those late night hunger pangs? The answer is very rarely. And even if we try to do so we don’t find much tasty options.
Here comes California Pistachios to your rescue.
“Pistachios are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, protein, Vitamin B6, potassium, thiamine, copper, phosphorous and powerful antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin. They are also the lowest calorie nut so you can have more pistachios in a single serving as compared to any other commonly consumed nuts. The results from the largest randomised clinical trial to date on nuts and Diabetes showed that eating about 2 ounces of nuts a day for three months, as a replacement for carbohydrate foods, may improve long-term blood sugar control and LDL cholesterol in people with Type II Diabetes,” Luke Coutinho , Holistic Lifestyle Coach — Integrative Medicine & Founder — Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems Pvt Ltd, tells you.
He adds that the research shows that adding pistachios to different common carbohydrate foods, such as rice and pasta, was linked to reduced relative blood sugar response of the meal.
However, there are various beliefs associated with eating nuts. Eating them only in winters is one. But that is, of course, not true. “Eating a handful of nuts like pistachios should be a part of everyone’s daily and balanced diet,” Coutinho, who was recently announced as the American Pistachio Growers (APG) Lifestyle Ambassador in India during a virtual press conference, says.
For those who are always angsting about not putting extra kgs, pistachios can help them too. “Researchers recently discovered that eating as much as 20 per cent of calories from American pistachios may not lead to weight gain, but it may provide the added benefit of improving health. American pistachios are also one of the lowest-calorie nuts with just 160 calories in a single ounce which is equivalent to 49 pistachios. Also the act of opening each pistachio shell to get out the nut slows down the eating process, which lead to greater satisfaction and fullness after eating,” Coutinho explains.
He adds that it’s time we stop fearing good fats and blame them for making us put on weight. “We need good fats for so many bodily functions. It is a poor lifestyle, sedentary day, overeating junk, toxic emotions, poor sleep patterns, that actually lead to weight gain,” Coutinho asserts.
Now many of us would wonder how to select the best variety of pistachios, Coutinho shares words of wisdom to help them.
“Not many know that mainly only two countries generate the biggest yields of pistachios: the US and Iran. In the US, pistachios are primarily grown in California. What makes these two kinds different is the fat content. California pistachios are lower in saturated fats (1.5 grams per serving) and high in protein (6 grams), making them a healthier choice than their counterparts from other countries, giving you yet another reason to include it into your daily diet and open up one more avenue for healthful snacking,” Coutinho explains.