It can be a predictable utterance when we step off of the bathroom scale, a private sentiment, “I wish eating pizza helped me lose weight instead of gaining it!” For me, I like to vary it up a little bit and substitute ‘ice cream, cookies and chocolate’ as my indulgences for tipping the scale. It seems that everything we enjoy as decadent or savory is part of a plot in the universe to add inches to our waistlines or cholesterol to our veins. It was researching for a better snack when I discovered the benefits of pecans.
Pecans give us the ability to cast guilt aside and succumb to enjoying a simple snack while offering benefits to the consumers that are both visible and internal. Whether you enjoy a handful at your desk, to tide you over until dinner, or you experiment with the dozens of pecan recipes available, you will be assured of contentment and satisfaction when you are finished eating them.
Texas pecans are gaining a versatile reputation to use all year long, and they are the official state nut of Texas. Pecan aficionados appreciate the simplicity of roasted pecans, as well as the variety of pecan candy available to quell the heartiest sweet tooth. Here are the top 5 benefits we found that pecans can offer you as a regular part of your diet.
HEART HEALTH
Pecans affect your cardiovascular system as a good source of fiber. This raises your heart health by reducing your risk of developing coronary disease. A source of monosaturated fatty acids and phenolic antioxidants. Pecans are an excellent way to prevent coronary artery disease, which can lead to strokes. Pecans serve you by fighting and blocking unwelcome oxidation of your blood lipids.
FIGHTING CANCER
By no means are pecans a method to treat cancer, but the oleic acid contained in pecans work to help you reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. They act as a healthy decision to make in your life, similar to including exercise in your daily routine. The high levels of manganese boost your immunity and nerve cells, protecting you from the free radical damage while improving brain function.
Pecans are also a high antioxidant and flavonoid source. These work to fight the damage to your body that is attributed to oxidative stress, which are factors in cancer, and heart disease. Studies have shown that people incorporating nuts such as pecans into their diet had lower instances of suffering from these types of fatal heart diseases.
Fighting heart health and cancer are great, but a lot of people will immediately read this section first because after all if we can lose weight, we look good and begin feeling better about ourselves, right? Weight loss reduces stress and puts us in the right place mentally. When native pecans with oleic acid and fiber enter your system, you feel full, and as a healthy fat, it works through your system to promote better functionality all around.
Eating small meals every three to four hours promotes increased metabolism and aids digestion. Depending on the pecan size, 13-19 pecans make up a one-ounce serving, about 193 calories, and offer healthy fats and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Finally, pecans offer you the right choice that is filling and gives your body a sense of fulfillment to get you through the day.
HEALTHY SKIN
Pecans are naturally an excellent source for minerals, such as manganese, which builds superoxide dismutase, or ‘SOD.’ SOD works to lower excessive inflammation in your body. This works to reduce oils and breakouts on your skin and aids in flushing out harmful toxins and waste in your body. Reduced inflammation also combats the onset of arthritis due to inflammation.
ANTI-AGING
Along with minerals, pecans are packed with vitamins. Among them, A, E, and antioxidants like ellagic acid, which work to fight and remove the free radicals in our body that is the primary source of premature aging in our skin. This works to eliminate the laugh lines, wrinkles, and pigmented spots that start appearing on our skin as we grow older.
CONCLUSION
If the above mentioned isn’t enough to encourage you to add pecans into your diet, this final point worked for me, they are delicious! If you can eat a satisfying snack and it actually is right for you and operates in your favor, you should find a great source for pecans, and share them with your friends and family as a better choice in your life.