Pistachio in Natural Open Shell USA Cal. 28/30

The pistachio (Pistacia vera) is a tree of the Anacardiaceae family, with an average height of around 4-5 meters, but which can also exceed 8-10 meters and reach an age of 300 years. Pistachio grows in areas where winters are cool and summers are long and hot. It flowers in April-May and has female and male apetal flowers on various plants. The fruit is a drupe with an oval endocarp with a thin and hard shell, containing the seed commonly called "pistachio", which is bright green under a purple skin. The harvest takes place from the end of August to October. The plant bears fruit every two years and, for this reason, the plantations are made in different times and places, so as to be able to have an approximately constant harvest every year.

Pistachios are used both shelled and peeled , often toasted and salted, even in confectionery. to prepare ice creams, creams, drinks; and for the production of cured meats (mortadella Bologna, for example) or as a condiment for first and second courses.

The pistachio provides an oil used in pastry , in confectionery, as well as in cosmetics for its emollient qualities. In popular medicine, the habit of using the infusion of the bark as a refresher is widespread, especially in the areas of Sicily where the pistachio is grown. Legend has it that pistachio was grown by King Nabocodonosor in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife Amytis. In the first century AD, the emperor Vitellius introduced pistachios to Rome. Marcus Gavius Apicius includes pistachio in his classic recipe book of Early Roman cuisine.

Pistachio is a satisfying snack , very nutritious, rich in fiber and vitamins. A typical portion corresponds to about 30 grams of shelled pistachio, equal to about 160 calories. Depending on the size of the pistachios, this is equivalent to about 30-40 seeds, which is a satisfying snack with a high and prolonged sense of satiety due to the high content of proteins, fats and dietary fibres. In addition to being very tasty, it is the most nutritious type of nut as it contains eight important substances: thiamin, vitamin B6, copper, manganese, potassium, fiber, phosphorus and magnesium, in addition to the greatest quantities of polyphenolic antioxidants. Although the function of antioxidants is not yet fully known, the research conducted so far underlines the benefits of a healthy diet with foods containing antioxidants.

Pistachio is anti-cholesterol . To prove it, a study on pistachios was presented during the ExperimentalBiology conference, held on April 11, 2011 in Washington, by researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture. The researchers conducted the experiment on 16 healthy adult patients, monitoring their condition for 9 weeks as the consumption of roasted or salted pistachios gradually increased, from 0 to 85 g per day. The results confirmed a decrease in LDL cholesterol, commonly referred to as "bad", and maintenance of the level of HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Inserted in a healthy diet, pistachios increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood of adults with high cholesterol and decrease the levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein or "bad cholesterol", implicated in inflammation and the accumulation of plaques inside the blood vessels and therefore in the onset of cardiovascular complications): for this reason they should be consumed every day.

The right amount, explain the researchers at Penn State University led by Penny Kris-Etherton who carried out the study published in the Journal of Nutrition, is between 45 and 90 grams . Additionally, a growing number of studies show that a diet containing nuts, such as pistachios, helps reduce the risk of heart disease. In a randomized study conducted in 2006 and published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, 44 men and women followed a regular diet or a diet whose caloric intake was 20 percent provided by pistachios for three weeks. Significant reductions in total cholesterol as well as cholesterol/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were found in study participants who followed the pistachio-containing diet.

A similar study published in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition was conducted among people with moderately high cholesterol levels who followed a four-week diet and whose daily caloric intake was 15 percent pistachios (about 57-85 grams or one-two handfuls of pistachios), has shown an improvement in the levels of some blood lipids, with a consequent possible reduction in the risk of heart disease.

The advice given IS NOT IN ANY WAY TO BE CONSIDERED OF MEDICAL/PRESCRIPTIVE VALUE. The information provided is for informational and informative purposes only, therefore they are not intended in any way to replace medical advice. In the presence of pathologies you should always consult your doctor.