Have you ever heard of a nut with natural anti-inflammatory benefits? How about a nut that can decrease your chances of cardiovascular disease? Believe it or not, we are talking about pecans. It’s hard to believe that something so tasty can be packed with so much nourishment. A crunchy, smooth morsel that nature chose to distinguish from all the rest of the nuts with its’ intricate contours. Just one serving of pecans or about nineteen pecan halves can give you that mid-day pick-me-up snack you have been missing.
Want a natural energy booster that can help with your overall health? Pecans are an excellent source of nutrition, delivering more than a dozen vitamins and minerals. It’s one snack you can easily indulge in without any regrets. For a deeper understanding of the health benefits let’s take a look at some of the reasons why adding pecans to your daily diet can improve your overall wellness.
Five Reasons to Love Pecans
Pecans Fight Free Radicals
Your immune system is the first of your body’s defenses for keeping dangerous pathogens away. Pecans contain a plethora of polyphenol acids, minerals, and antioxidants that help fight oxidative stresses on your body. Oxidative stress takes place when the free radicals roaming your body at any given moment negatively affect the healthy molecules, causing an imbalance. At this point, it’s up to your immune system to fight off these unwanted stressors.
Pecans have oleic acid in their pecan oil which is integral to your body’s cell membrane fluidity. When your body fails to produce healthy membrane fluidity, chances of infections and imbalanced hormone levels can increase. Improper cell membrane activity can also prevent the transport of essential minerals throughout the body, leaving you with weakened immunity. Luckily, pecans also carry manganese an important nutrient for the body’s immune system to function properly.
Pecans Are Natural Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation is the body’s response to fighting infections, injuries, or other serious ailments. However, having anything swollen, whether it’s inside or outside your body is not a pleasant experience. Pecans are a delicious source of magnesium, a nutrient that helps reduce inflammation in the walls of your arteries.
Inflammation can also be a product of arthritis, certain cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Pecans also provide ellagic acids, an antioxidant that helps remove toxins from the body. Copper, also found in pecans, helps strengthen the immune system as well as the bones. Pecans provide a natural mix of anti-inflammatories, bone health, and immune protection. These nutrients work together to expel toxins from the body, which decreases the chances of inflammatory illnesses.
Pecans Keep Fatigue At Bay
Eating foods that are higher in carbohydrates and added sugars, but lower in fats and proteins can cause you to feel more fatigued not too long after eating. Pecans, however, contain natural amounts of fats, proteins, carbs, and fiber which are great energy sources. Instead of feeling that tiresome crash twenty minutes after eating, why not have a serving of pecans.
The nutritional combination pecans have is enough to keep your consumption levels balanced until your next healthy meal. This is one reason why it would be a great snack choice for people suffering from diabetes or glucose-related health issues. Including foods with high amounts of proteins and fats along with natural carbohydrates in your diet will keep sugar-levels balanced. Doing so will provide your body with the necessary energy it needs to get through the day.
Pecans Tackle Cholesterol
High levels of bad cholesterol in your arteries can cause build-up, resulting in harmful clogs. With unsafe levels, you could be facing possible strokes, heart-attacks, or increase your chances of possible cardiovascular diseases.
Pecans contain monounsaturated fats, including oleic acid which is one of the fatty acids needed in human cells. Studies show decreasing saturated fats and other causes of bad cholesterol while increasing your monounsaturated fatty acids will have a positive impact on your heart health.
Pecans Lead to Healthy Weight Loss
Pecans are also a great source of natural fiber, promoting the expulsion of waste and toxins from your gut. Having a healthy digestive system will have a positive impact on weight management. If you are struggling with a low salt nutrition plan, pecans are also sodium-free.
If you are looking for ways to boost your metabolism, pecans would be a great choice. They contain vitamin B-6, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and pantothenic acid. These complex B-vitamins are essential to healthy cells, tissue, and overall body function because they help convert carbs, fats, and proteins into energy. These vitamins allow your body to metabolize the foods you eat.
These are only some of the health benefits pecans have to offer. All the vitamins and minerals available in one serving of pecans can help improve your brain, heart, immune, and digestive function. If you haven’t considered pecans as part of your snack attack blues, maybe it’s time you should. With all the nutritious value pecans can offer, it’s no wonder pecan pies, candied pecans, and caramel cluster pecans are so popular.
