Pistachio nutrition facts

Information on Pistachio

Pistachio is a very popular everywhere around the worldbecause it is very tasty and it also provides the human body with numerous healthbenefits as well. It comes from a tree which belongs to the genus of pistaciaand the family of anacardaceae. Pistachio originates from the western regionsof Asia and the most popular among its numerous cultivars is the one known bythe name of kerman. Pistachios are now cultivated virtually everywhere aroundthe world. The edible portion of a pistachio is actually its seed kernel. Pistachioscan be purchased in various different forms, but it is always a wise choice togo for the unprocessed ones.

Health benefits of Pistachios

Pistachios are excellent sources of numerous different typesof essential minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. They are very efficient inreducing the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood and increasing the levelsof good cholesterol in the blood, so they actually prevent strokes and thecoronary artery disease. Pistachios are very helpful in preventing differenttypes of infections, diseases and cancers because they fight off the freeradicals and reduce the amount and the severity they cause in the human body.Pistachios are jam packed with copper, selenium, manganese, zinc, potassium,magnesium, calcium and iron. They are excellent when it comes to preventing theskin dryness as well. Pistachios are commonly used in pharmacy, cosmetics andaromatherapy too. Pistachios can be consumed in their raw form, but they canalso be sweetened, salted and even roasted. They can also be included invarious different types of salad, dessert, cake and biscuit recipes.

Nutritional Value of Pistachios

A serving of 100 grams of pistachio contains 557 calories(29 percent of the RDA). It also contains 27.97 grams of carbohydrates (21.5percent of the RDA), 332 milligrams of beta carotene, 0.6 grams of proteins (37percent of the RDA), 2.2 milligrams of zinc (20 percent of the RDA), 44.44grams of total fat (148 percent of the RDA), 7 micrograms of selenium (13percent of the RDA), 10.3 grams of dietary fiber (27 percent of the RDA), 376milligrams of phosphorus (54 percent of the RDA), 51 micrograms of folate (13percent of the RDA), 1.2 milligrams of manganese (52 percent of the RDA), 1.3milligrams of niacin (8 percent of the RDA), 121 milligrams of magnesium (30percent of the RDA), 0.52 milligrams of pantothenic acid (10 percent of theRDA), 4.15 milligrams of iron (52 percent of the RDA), 1.7 milligrams ofpyridoxine (131 percent of the RDA), 1.3 milligrams of copper (144 percent ofthe RDA), 0.16 milligrams of riboflavin (12 percent of the RDA), 107 milligramsof calcium (11 percent of the RDA), 0.87 percent of thiamin (72.5 percent ofthe RDA), 1025 milligrams of potassium (22 percent of the RDA), 553International Units of vitamin A (18 percent of the RDA), 1 milligram of sodium,5 milligrams of vitamin C (8 percent of the RDA), 22.6 milligrams of vitamin E(150 percent of the RDA). Pistachios do not contain any cholesterol orxanthins.