Foods With Added Sterols And Stanols
Sterols and stanols are plant chemicals which are a similar size and shape to cholesterol. They are absorbed from the intestines into the blood stream and block some cholesterol from being absorbed, lowering the cholesterol in your blood.
We get a small amount of sterols from plant-based foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, but its not enough to lower cholesterol. So, food companies have developed foods with plant sterols or stanols added to them, such as mini yogurt drinks, fat spreads, milk and yogurts.
These fortified foods lower your cholesterol gradually, over a few weeks, and how much depends on the amount you eat. Some experts believe they are the most effective single food for lowering cholesterol.
Who should eat foods with sterols and stanols added?
Sterols and stanols have been thoroughly researched, so they can be added to foods and are safe to eat.
They are suitable for:
- People with high cholesterol theres no real benefit if you dont have high cholesterol.
- Children with inherited high cholesterol such as familial hypercholesterolaemia with support from a doctor or dietitian.
- People taking statins sterols and stanols will help to lower your cholesterol further because they work in a different way to the statin.
They are not suitable for:
Aim for: one to three servings of fortified foods a day. This will give you 1.5 to 3g of stanols and sterols.
Three servings of: OR
Health Benefits Of Pistachios
Pistachio nuts are not only tasty and fun to eat but also super healthy.
These edible seeds of the Pistacia vera tree contain healthy fats and are a good source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants.
Whats more, they contain several essential nutrients and can aid weight loss and heart and gut health.
Interestingly, people have been eating pistachios since 7000 BC. Nowadays, theyre very popular in many dishes, including ice cream and desserts (
- Fat: 13 grams
- Potassium: 6% of the Reference Daily Intake
- Phosphorus: 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 28% of the RDI
- Thiamine: 21% of the RDI
- Copper: 41% of the RDI
- Manganese: 15% of the RDI
Notably, pistachios are one of the most vitamin B6-rich foods around.
Vitamin B6 is important for several bodily functions, including blood sugar regulation and the formation of hemoglobin, a molecule that carries oxygen in red blood cells.
Pistachios are also rich in potassium, with one ounce containing more potassium than half of a large banana .
Summary Pistachios are high in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. They also boast several other important nutrients, including vitamin B6 and potassium.
Common Uses Of Pistacio
Pistachio paste is made from ground pistachios and can be used in a variety of recipes. It is a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Pistachio paste can be used in place of other nut butter in recipes.
Pistachio ice cream is made from ground pistachios and has a light green color. It is a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Pistachio ice cream can be a good alternative to other ice cream flavors.
Pistachio smoothies are made from ground pistachios and milk or yogurt. They are a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Pistachio smoothies can be a good alternative to other smoothie flavors.
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May Help To Control Blood Sugar Levels:
Despite having many fatty acids, pistachios have a low glycemic index. Pistachios help reduce blood glucose levels and keep them under control. Some studies suggest that pistas help increase the level of peptide 1. It is a hormone that regulates glucose levels in those people who have diabetes.
Another study results suggest the fibres and healthy fats present in pista are beneficial for blood sugar control in the long term.
Pistachios Help Lower Blood Pressure Under Stress
Adding pistachios to your diet also has potential heart benefits. Previously, I discussed how our body and heart responds adversely to stress and how we respond to it with increased blood pressure. A study of people who ate approximately 1.5 0z of pistachios a day and were then exposed to mental stress found they had lower blood pressure rises than those who did not eat pistachios. In people with diabetes, eating pistachios lowers total and LDL cholesterol and can reduce the risk of diabetes-related disease in the arteries. In a four-week trial published in 2014 of patients who had diabetes, a diet rich in pistachios improved heart rate response to stress, 24-hour blood pressure measurements, and heart function and output. Total cholesterol also decreased for those who ate pistachios.
If you are looking to lower your blood pressure, improve your response to stress, and lower your cholesterol, consider adding pistachios to your diet.
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Best Bcaa Profile Among All Nuts
Nearly 15% of the calories come from the protein in pistachios. Thats 6 grams per ounce.
Not all protein is created equal. What really makes them stand out from the others is their amino acid profile. Heres how they compare to the 5 best nuts for branched chain amino acids, more commonly known as BCAAs, per 100g measurement.
| Branched Chain Amino Acids content | |
|---|---|
| Peanuts | |
| 848 mg | 1040 mg |
Bodybuilders will appreciate all of these but in particular, the rich amount of valine is uncommon. Even if you took a 20 gram scoop of 100% pure whey protein you wouldnt be getting that much valine.
Of course, the amino acids in whey and rice in the form of a purified protein powder will easily beat a whole food form, like nuts, on a per calorie basis. For unprocessed sources, pistachios offer an excellent protein boost for sprinkling on salads, pasta, and just about anything else you can think of.
Keeps Blood Vessels Supple
There are some studies that suggest pistachios could help lower your blood pressure, but there isn’t enough research to say eating them will truly improve your blood pressure. That said, keeping your blood vessels supple and the lining of your blood vessels healthy can help you maintain a healthy blood pressureand also is important for your overall heart health. And there is research that shows eating pistachios helps maintain healthy blood vessels. Try these research-backed tips to help lower your blood pressure.
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Pistachio Is Good For Men Diabetes Patients
Diabetes is not just a condition, it is a lifestyle. Therefore, just consuming or refraining from consuming certain food items doesnt control diabetes effectively. Routine is equally important in treating this condition.
Research conducted to determine the effects of daily pistachio consumption on blood sugar levels, inflammation markers, circulation, and lipid or lipoprotein in type 2 diabetes patients showed that it had a positive impact on cholesterol ratios, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Pistachio benefits diabetes patients and also can decrease the risk of developing heart conditions and a stroke. By consuming pistachios, as a supplement to their overall healthy diet, type 2 diabetes patients can improve their cardiometabolic risk factors.
The Health Benefits Of Pistachios Are So Good It’s Nuts
Tatjana Zlatkovic / Stocksy
The next time you’re craving a crunchy snack, consider reaching for pistachios. They’re delightfully earthy, creamy, and somewhat sweet, making them super satisfying to eat. But beyond their mouthwatering flavor and texture, pistachios pack a nutritional punch. Curious? Ahead, learn why pistachios are some the healthiest nuts you can eat.
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A Daily Dose Of Pistachios Offers Potential Heart Health Benefits
New research, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, finds a 4-week pistachio diet, containing moderate amounts of heart healthy fat, improves risk factors for heart disease with no weight gain
Paramount Farms
DETROIT, June 11, 2007 â Adding to a growing body of evidence, new research shows that a daily dose of pistachios may offer protective benefits against cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the Volume 26, Number 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
The study, conducted by James N. Cooper M.D., of George Mason University and Michael J. Sheridan, Sc.D., of Inova Fairfax Hospital, found that in people with moderately high cholesterol levels, a daily diet consisting of 15% of calories from pistachios over a four-week period favorably improved some blood lipid levels.
âThese results are exciting because the research indicates that adding pistachios to the daily diet can help protect the heart without a dramatic dietary lifestyle change,â said Dr. James Cooper. âThis research challenges the previously-held belief that a low-fat diet is best for heart health. Studies now show that a diet with a moderate amount of healthful monounsaturated fat, like the kind found in pistachios, is a more effective way to prevent heart disease than reducing overall fat intake. Whatâs more, we noted very good compliance and a positive response from participants during the four-week period.â
Journal
Plasma Fatty Acid Composition
The composition of plasma fatty acids after each diet is shown in . Compared with the control diet, the pistachio diets resulted in significantly lower plasma concentrations of SFAs, n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids , -linolenic acid , eicosapentaenoic acid , and n3/n6, and significantly higher LA/ALA . In addition, the 2 PD elicited significantly higher total PUFAs, n6 PUFAs, and LA than did the control diet . Compared with the 1 PD, the 2 PD resulted in significantly lower SFAs, EPA , and n3/n6 and significantly higher n6 PUFAs, LA , and LA/ALA .
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Help To Improve Vision:
Pistachios are a good source of nutrients that are essential for your eye health. It contains lutein and zeaxanthin that are present in the human retina. Consuming enough of these antioxidants prevents vision issues like age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. They are also rich in zinc that helps to reduce the risk of impaired night vision.
What Nuts Are Highest In Protein
Proteins are the essential building blocks of our body and are crucial for the bodys proper development and functions.
However, there has been confusion regarding how much protein to consume for a healthy lifestyle as an increasing number of people resort to protein shakes and high-protein foods to ensure they consume the proper intake.
Nonetheless, studies have found that the right amount of protein is around 0.7 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.
In particular, nuts are foods that are high in protein and essential minerals, and vitamins.
They are easy to add to your diet, versatile, and extremely healthy.
In the list below, you can find the nuts with the most significant amount of protein for one serving :
- Almonds: 7g
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Pistachio Benefits For Men Nutrition And Side Effects
Pistachio benefits for men have a lot. Studies have shown that pistachios have a positive effect on mens sexual health. One study showed that men between 38 and 59 who had been suffering from erectile dysfunction for a year before participating in the study, saw an increase in erectile function by about 50% when they consumed only 100 grams of pistachios every day for lunch.
There were no dietary changes or changes in physical activity or lifestyle for the duration of the study. The positive effects were tested and confirmed by examining the amount of blood flowing into the penis. There was also an increase in serum lipid levels.
The reason why pistachios are associated with erectile function is that they are relatively rich in the nonessential amino acid arginine. Arginine boosts nitric oxide in the body, which is a compound that relaxes blood vessels, and in turn, keeps the arteries flexible and open.
Pistachio Nuts Good For Lowering Cholesterol
Pistachio is one of the more well-known cholesterol-reducing foods. Studies have shown that those who consume one to two servings of pistachios a day can lower their cholesterol levels. A decrease of 9% has been associated with those who consume one serving per day, whereas those who consume who them twice a day show a 12% decrease.
High cholesterol is one of the biggest risk factors in coronary heart disease. Pistachio helps in Lowering cholesterol lowers the risk of developing a coronary condition. Additionally, pistachios are rich in antioxidants, which are essential in maintaining cardiovascular health.
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Are Pistachio Nuts Safe For Diabetics
The American Diabetes Association claims nuts are an excellent snackchoice for people with diabetes. Pistachios,in particular, have a low glycemic index, which promotes lower blood sugarlevels and prevents large blood sugar spikes.
According to one study, when 2 ounces of pistachios wereadded to a carb-rich diet, the participants blood sugar response after a mealwas reduced by 2030%. Along with being high in fiber and healthyfats, pistachio nuts also offer a good dose of in antioxidants, carotenoids,and phenolic compounds, all of which are helpful for blood sugar control
How To Raise Good Cholesterol
The key to raising HDL cholesterol is lowering LDL cholesterol. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association recommend the following for increasing your HDL cholesterol level:
- Following a plant-based or Mediterranean eating plan that includes fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and lean meats
- Avoiding saturated and trans fats, and limiting processed meats
- Avoiding sugar and artificial sweeteners in processed foods and in beverages
- Increasing aerobic activity and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise five times per week
- Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight
- Quitting smoking
- Keeping blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg
- Taking medications to help raise HDL cholesterol, including niacin and fibrates, which also lower triglycerides
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Lipids Lipoproteins Apolipoproteins And Cetp
Total cholesterol and triacylglycerols were measured by using enzymatic procedures with commercially available kits . HDL cholesterol was estimated according to the modified heparin-manganese precipitation procedure of Warnick and Albers . LDL cholesterol was calculated by using Friedewald’s equation: LDL cholesterol = total cholesterol . Apolipoprotein analyses were carried out in the laboratory of one of the authors , as previously described . Serum CETP concentrations were measured by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit and carried out in the Pennsylvania State University GCRC Cytokine Core Laboratory. The intraassay CVs ranged from 1.5% to 1.6% for lipids and lipoproteins, 1.0% to 6.5% for apolipoproteins, and 5.0% to 5.4% for CETP.
Pistachio Nuts May Lower Cholesterol
Antioxidant-Rich Pistachio Nuts Good for the Heart, Researchers Say
May 20, 2010 — Long a staple of diets in the Mideast and around the Mediterranean, pistachio nuts may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, in part by decreasing cholesterol levels, a new study says.
Researchers say that pistachios are packed with antioxidants and are rich in several vitamins and minerals, such as selenium and iron, and also have healthy fats.
Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, ND, of Pennsylvania State Universityâs Department of Nutritional Sciences, and colleagues, recruited 10 men and 18 women, all healthy nonsmokers, to eat the nuts.
They found that eating pistachios increased antioxidant levels in adults with high cholesterol.
âOur previous study showed the benefits of pistachios in lowering lipids and liproproteins, which are a risk factor for heart disease,â Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition, says in a news release. âThis new study shows an additional effect of pistachios, so now there are multiple health benefits of eating pistachios.â
The little morsels also are high in antioxidants lutein, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol, compared to other nuts. Beta-carotene is the precursor to vitamin A. Gamma-tocopherol is a form of vitamin E. Lutein is found in dark green leafy vegetables and is important in vision and skin health.
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May Lower The Cholesterol Levels:
Different researches suggest that a handful of pistachio helps lower the bad cholesterol levels and increase the good cholesterol levels . It also shows that pistachios help in improving total cholesterol levels in the blood. All these benefits help reduce the risk of chronic heart diseases such as strokes.
Heres How Many Pistachios You Need To Eat To Lower Triglycerides
Q: Youve written about pistachios helping lower cholesterol, but you did not tell us the daily dose. How many pistachios would I need to eat?
A: The most recent study was a meta-analysis of 34 trials. It revealed that pistachio-enriched diets can lower triglycerides, LDL and total cholesterol. Sadly, it did not specify a dose.
An earlier study, however, found that 58 grams could indeed lower triglycerides . That works out to about 100 pistachio kernels per day.
Q: My wife recently developed severe knee pain. My sister, who has had similar problems, recommended that my wife start taking pectin in grape juice to reduce the pain. My wife followed the recommendation and started a daily regimen. Soon her knee pain was diminished.
When she spoke with some of her friends, she heard that grape juice could cause dehydration and/or constipation. My wife would like to know if there is something special about the pectin/grape juice combination. Can a different juice be substituted for grape juice to avoid potential side effects?
A: This is the first we have heard that grape juice could contribute to dehydration or constipation. That seems unlikely since juice is mostly water. Generally, fruit juices counter constipation.
Some people worry about the sugar content, especially if they have diabetes. Low-sugar brands might help with that concern.
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Beneficial For Gut Health
All nuts are rich in fiber, which encourages a healthy digestive system by moving food through the gut and preventing constipation.
A type of fiber called prebiotics may also feed the good bacteria in the gut. Feeding the good bacteria helps them multiply and crowd out harmful bacteria.
According to a small, 2012 study, eating pistachios may increase the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut. In the study, volunteers ate a standard diet with either 0 ounces, 1.5 ounces, or 3 ounces of pistachios or almonds.
Researchers collected stool samples and found that people who ate up to 3 ounces of pistachios daily showed an increase in potentially helpful gut bacteria, much more so than those who ate almonds.