The chestnut is perhaps the dried fruit that goes more unnoticed. This very linked to a seasonal moment, We do not have it available all year round, as is the case with walnuts or almonds, imported or native. Even if they are only the fall and winter months its star moment, it is better not to lose detail of how by consuming them we reduce risks against very prevalent diseases in Spain.
The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 recently announced the decrease in the rate of childhood obesity in Spain in children between 6 and 9 years old. Specifically, it has been reduced by 4.5 percent compared to the first ministerial study, carried out in 2011. Families and school cafeterias have taken note of the warnings from health authorities about a silent epidemic that in Western society puts the child population in a dangerous target.
The ministerial news is good, but with nuances: the rate has barely fallen in the most vulnerable schoolchildrenthose who belong to families with gross income less than 18,000 euros per year. According to ministerial data, it is not only that the numbers have not been reduced but that double those of families with more income. A dynamic that is obviously repeated with regard to the adult population.
Overweight and obesity
As explained by the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN), the nutritional composition of chestnuts is more similar to cereals than to a nut. Its main peculiarity is its water composition: almost 50 percent of the fruitwhich together with the significant presence of carbohydrates makes it a notable source of fiber. The nutritional equation is therefore great for people who want to avoid overweight and obesity: chestnut has no caloric content.
inflammatory diseases
Although the vitamin content Do not turn the chestnut into what is known in recent times as a ‘superfood’, it is indeed interesting diversity which it has in this sense: being mainly abundant vitamin E, B vitamins (especially B1 and B6) and folic acid.
As for minerals, their contribution is also heterogeneous.: calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, iodine, selenium and zinc. The combination of both elements, vitamins and minerals, gives it anti-inflammatory properties, shield against autoimmune pathologies such as arthritis, psoriaris or Crohn’s disease.
Cardiovascular disease
A body in a state of chronic inflammation is linked to the process and development of various diseases.the most dangerous being cardiovascularalthough inflammation also increases the risk of suffering from other diseases as prevalent as diabetes. Here B group vitamins play a key role: develop a protective effect on the nervous system, promoting its proper functioning.
References
Spanish Nutrition Foundation (sf). Chestnut, Castanea vulgaris. https://fen.org.es/MercadoAlimentosFEN/pdfs/castana.pdf
