Pine

Crunchy yet buttery in texture, pleasantly sweet and delicious, the pine nut is the small edible seed (kernel) of the female pine cone. Pine nuts are, indeed, a wonderful source of phytonutrients, essential minerals, vitamins and "heart-friendly" monounsaturated fatty acids that greatly aid health by lowering bad cholesterol levels in the blood.

Pine nuts are one of the calorie-rich fruits. 100 grams of dry kernels provide 673 calories. Additionally, they contain numerous health-promoting phytochemicals, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.

Their high caloric content comes mainly from fats. Indeed, nuts are particularly rich in monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid (18:1 monounsaturated fat) which helps lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increases HDL or "good cholesterol" in the blood.

Pine nuts contain the essential fatty acid (the omega-6 fatty acid), pinolenic acid. Recent research has shown its potential use in weight loss by curbing appetite. Pinolenic acid causes the release of hunger-suppressing enzymes cholecystokinin and Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the gut. Pinolenic acid is also thought to have LDL-lowering properties by enhancing hepatic uptake of LDL.

Like almonds, pine nuts are also an excellent source of vitamin-E, containing about 9.33 mg per 100 g (about 62% of the RDA). Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant, required to maintain the integrity of the cell membrane of the mucosa and skin, protecting it from harmful free oxygen radicals.

Additionally, pine nuts are one of the gluten-free tree nuts and are therefore a popular ingredient in gluten-free food preparations. Such preparations can be a healthy alternative for people with wheat food allergy and celiac disease.

Pine nuts are an excellent source of B vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) and folate. These vitamins act as co-factors for enzymes in cell substrate metabolism within the human body. In addition, pine nuts contain healthy amounts of essential minerals such as manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. At 8,802 mg per 100 g (about 383% of the daily recommended intake), pine nuts are one of the richest sources of manganese. Manganese is a very important co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Therefore, the consumption of pine nuts helps the human body develop resistance against infectious agents and eliminate harmful radicals without oxygen.

*The information given on our website is purely informative and does not replace the advice of your treating physician. Bean & Herb does not advocate self-medication. Bean & Herb does not support την self-healing.