Properties and Benefits of Chestnuts



Chestnuts benefits

Chestnut trees have either female or male flowers, meaning that you’d need a boy tree and a girl tree for the pollination process to occur. When pollination occurs, chestnut flowers bear a sweet, yet heavy smell which may be upsetting for those suffering from allergies. The resulting fruit are enclosed in a sort of thin-spiked green husk which breaks open when the chestnuts inside are ripe.

Each ‘husk’ contains around 1-9 smaller, slightly flattened, deep-brown nuts, protected by two skins: a brown husk and thin peel. After stripping the chestnut of all its layers, you should be left with a creamy-looking nut which can then be finally eaten.

There are several edible chestnut varieties, including the following:
1) The Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata), a sweet October variety of significantly large sizes.
2) The Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima).
4) The American chinquapin (Castanea pumila), or the dwarf chestnut.
5) The American chestnut (Castanea dentata).


How do you know which chestnuts are edible and which are not? Answer: the chestnut varieties covered in numerous thin, light green spines, with a sort of fluffy appearance are edible. Those covered in fewer, light-green thick thorns are not.

What are the health benefits of chestnuts? First of all, chestnuts are low in calories, containing approximately 200 kcal/100 g of nut. Unlike walnuts, almonds and macadamia nuts, which have an incredibly high caloric value, this nut variety can be consumed without fear of gaining weight. In addition to this, they boast a high starch intake, similar to potatoes and corn.


Nutritional Facts Chestnuts






Good to know: because they are gluten-free, chestnuts can be safely consumed by anyone suffering from celiac disease. A gluten-free diet may tend to lack variety, but a bit of imagination and patience can make up for the trademark rigor and strictness. For instance, chestnut flour can be used to make breads, biscuits and even pancakes or crepes. If anything, it’s a start.

Overall, chestnuts are both healthy and delicious. Their sweet, nutty flavor can easily complement a balanced, varied diet and provide important nutrients our body requires to stay in good health. However, remember that an untrained eye may easily be fooled by a seemingly harmless, yet dangerous food such as the chestnut.

The same goes for mushrooms and almonds. If you are experienced at telling apart the edible varieties from the inedible ones, then good for you. If not, then play it safe and guard your health with fierceness. Without our health we are nothing.

Leave a Reply
