Pecan Goodness
The race for the healthiest nut is on! I was at the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition over the weekend and I was overwhelmed with all of the different nuts competing for which is the healthiest! All nuts are pretty good, but they all have slightly different nutritional profiles. I learned a little bit more about pecans, so I thought I would pass the info along to you.
Pecans are actually the highest antioxidant nut! The USDA measures the antioxidant content of foods and they found that pecans were the highest in terms of total antioxidant activity. Not only are they the highest nut, but they are actually one of the top 20 foods tested. Why is this important? The higher the antioxidant content, the better a food is at killing off free radicals leading to heart disease, cancer, and other health problems.
The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating four to five nut servings per week, and pecans definitely can be included in that recommendation. Also, did you know that pecans are actually perishable? Because they have such a high fat content, once they are shelled they should be kept in an airtight container either in the fridge or freezer.
Info on pecans (courtesy of Georgia Pecan Commission):
- About 200 calories per 1 ounce serving
- Rich in Vitamin E, thiamin, magnesium, manganese, copper
- Good source of fiber
- Contains oleic acid, which can help lower LDL cholesterol
- There are over 500 varieties of pecans
- Pecan trees are often used for lumber to make beautiful furniture
- Pecan trees are the only tree nut native to the
- Each pecan pie uses about 78 pecan halves
Check out www.georgiapecansfit.org
Photo courtesy of foepoooey
Labels: antioxidants, nuts, pecan, Tara Gidus
