Nuts are one of the healthiest snacks you can eat, especially if you are an athlete. These are hypercaloric foods that, consumed to the right extent, have great benefits for our health. They provide us with healthy fats necessary for our body and essential if you practice sports regularly.
Today at Vitium Pistachios we are going to explain you the main benefits of nuts and, more specifically, pistachios. And we are going to show you why they are the healthiest option that you should already include in your diet.
Ideal nutritional profile
First of all, pistachios are rich in essential nutrients:
- On the one hand, they have a high protein content. In fact, pistachios provide about 6 grams of protein per ounce, which helps repair and build muscle tissue after exercise. In addition, they also have a high fiber content, around 3 grams of fiber per ounce, which helps you feel satiated and helps regulate the digestive system.
- On the other hand, they are a great source of healthy fats. Most of the fats in pistachios are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, considered “good fats”. These help lower LDL cholesterol (bad) and increase HDL cholesterol (good), which benefits your heart’s health. What more can you ask for?
Well, they still give us more benefits, pistachios are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, here we can highlight vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, iron, folate and riboflavin. These vitamins and minerals are essential for the proper functioning of our body, especially during exercise.
Finally, pistachios are rich in antioxidants, which fight free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage.
Muscle recovery
Due to the combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, pistachios help repair and rebuild muscles after exercise. That’s why they will always be a great ally for anyone who likes exercise. And potassium helps prevent muscle cramps and replenish the electrolytes lost during sweat. And vitamin B6 helps reduce fatigue and tiredness. That’s why they are great both before and after our sports session.
In addition, its high fiber and protein content will also help you feel satiated, as I told you before. This is of great help to control appetite, which can be useful to prevent overfeeding after exercise and avoid any drop in blood pressure or sugar during it.
A snack easy-to-transport
Without a doubt, nuts and, in particular, pistachios are a practical and versatile snack that is very easy to transport. One of the most important things when we go to exercise outdoors. They do not need much space, they weigh little, they do not require refrigeration and can be stored for several months, if as you saw in our previous post you store them for several months. In addition, you can eat them anywhere, you don’t even need to take a break if you go on the road.
We cannot fail to mention, before finishing this post, the enormous possibilities and in the form of consumption, alone or combined with other nuts, fruits, yogurt or in any other elaboration that you like.
On our social networks, you can find recipes that will allow you to innovate and incorporate this wonderful dried fruit in different ways and that will not go unnoticed.
But, in addition, pistachios are a tasty dried fruit, few people do not like pistachios, which are characterized by having a unique and delicious flavor that makes them a pleasant and pleasant snack.
In short, pistachios are a nutritious, practical, versatile and delicious snack that can be an excellent option for athletes of all levels.
Finally, let us give you a series of recommendations before we finish.
There is always talk of the amount of nuts that should be consumed. While it is true that there is no exact figure of what we should eat, it is usually recommended to eat a handful of pistachios (approximately 30 grams) as a snack before, during or after exercise. You can also incorporate them at different times of your day, combining them or adding them as a complement to your salads, yogurts or smoothies to increase their nutritional value.
One of the most important things is to choose, as far as possible, pistachios without salt or with low sodium content to avoid their excessive consumption, which as we well know, is not advised.
For the rest, you can feel free and give rein to your imagination to incorporate pistachios into your diet and make them your perfect ally in your diet as an athlete. Pistachios will help you regain energy and speed up the recovery of your muscles after intense sports. Maintain a healthy life and diet by doing sports and consuming fruits and vegetables, in addition to dried fruits. At Vitium Pistachios we have the best quality pistachios, so you can create meals with vegetables for your healthy and balanced diet.
