Nutty Health Benefits of Pecans
My back yard always provides me with entertainment and nutrition. One of my favorite sources is my pecan trees. This year I have been enjoying the nutty health benefits of pecans! I have always get a kick out of watching the Cardinals and squirrels who feast daily on these little treasures. Since I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis, I have really boosted the amount of tree nuts that I eat. They are rich in protein and other nutrients and your liver loves them because they are plant based. They are a miraculous food source that have been eaten for centuries. Let’s look at some of the ways that going nutty can help your diet.
I have to start by saying a big thanks to Mother Nature for providing us with pecans. It is a miracle how a tree made of wood makes a shell made of wood. Looking inside that shell and finding the soft, buttery tasting nut never ceases to amaze me. Each little bite of meat is perfectly formed. Last year, my large tree never grew most of its’ canopy. About half of the tree had leaves and the other half was bare. There were very few nuts and they fell to the ground with a hole in them. They were hollow inside and I was afraid of losing the tree! I bought some Nemotodes and sprayed the ground around the tree last summer. The little pests are gone and I have a bumper crop of large pecans this year!
My old paper shell pecan tree has been raining pecans for over a month now. I have given away big brown paper bags full to anyone who came by. My young Native Pecans are smaller with a harder shell. They are delicious, but a lot of work to harvest! The paper shell variety open easily and come out whole. The trick is to let them dry a little before you begin cracking! That way the meat shrinks up and hardens making it easier to remove in perfectly whole pieces.
The recent ice storm brought glittering beauty to my part of Oklahoma. My trees twinkled like jewels with each branch and twig encased in frozen beauty. The limbs were so heavy during the ice storm that I lost a big portion of the younger tree. The older one stood up pretty well. It creaked and groaned and made cracking sounds under the weight. A fallen branch would have wreaked havoc on my roof, and the wildlife around here. It leans over my back deck and is home to so many birds. Twice in the last month during snow and ice storms, I put on my boots and tramped around the driveway cracking pecans. The Cardinals sat in the lower branches watching me. As soon as I stepped inside, they swooped down to eat the pecans. I took pity and brought some from indoors for them and filled the bird bath this week. It was too dangerous to wander very far from the porch and besides, the pecans were buried in ice for a few days.
Pecans serve up about 9 grams of protein for each cup consumed. They are quite high in fat content with about 65 grams for the same size serving. That provides a lot of energy for your body with about 600 calories. Since most of this is protein, with very few carbohydrate calories, your liver has no problem processing them. They are high in fiber – about 10 grams per serving. That takes away any fears because fiber content helps to balance out the fat grams. I am not sure if that is a scientific fact, but I heard it once and it works for me. Brain fog Karen is not a scientist, just a healthy eater.
Besides providing energy in the form of protein, pecans have high amounts of oleic acid and antioxidants. That means that pecans can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your diet. It also raises the amount of good cholesterol! This leads to a healthier heart. That means a lot to me with esophageal varices. I want my blood flowing through strong and unclogged arteries! Reducing the risk of stroke is important for everyone, not just those with liver disease.
Zinc is important for many reasons and one of the nutty health benefits of pecans. Zinc is credited with building a healthy immune system, as well as building DNA and helping to produce proteins. So in the protein department, this is double good news for us! A cup of pecans provides more than ½ of the daily recommended allowance of zinc. For those with liver disease, this is important: One of the best sources of zinc is beef. My Best Friends know that beef is hard on the liver and can create ammonia. A build up of ammonia leads to hepatic encephalopathy for those of us who have a lot of liver damage. What is better than this? Lots of plant based zinc in a little nut that actually helps to manufacture proteins! Can you tell I am excited?
We always look for ways to get more antioxidants in our diet. Vitamin E is important for keeping our cells and mucous membranes healthy. We have seen Vitamin E in skin care lotions and products and know that it helps to keep us beautiful. It turns out that pecans protects our skin health from the free racials too. Pretty pecan eaters is what we are.
In addition, pecans have high amounts of thiamin, and B6. The B vitamins are water soluble and are safe for your body in any amount. The B Vitamins are responsible for helping to unlock the energy in your body. They are especially helpful for anemia, high blood pressure, and water retention, just to name a few. They have been shown to reduce depression.
Have you ever seen a sad squirrel or Cardinal? My Cardinals are brilliant in color so perky in the early morning hours. They face the sunrise with me many mornings. It is almost like they are sharing my prayer and meditation. In the spring, they provide a beautiful birdsong to go with it. I digress. Have I gone a little too nutty?
For Men Only – Did you know that pecans have the ability to help reduce prostate cancer? Look that one up yourself. It is called beta-sitosterol.
Whether you enjoy the plain pecan by the handful or use them in a recipe, they are one of nature’s best protein sources. I put them in salads and mix them in with sweet potatoes and stir fry. For me they are free! With this year’s crop, I noticed that the prices were pretty good at the supermarket. During the snow storm, I was out of school and housebound except for feeding the birds.
I daydreamed of retirement. Picture an old Volkswagen Van with a little table beside it. I can see it now. I have my nutcracker bowl and zipper bags of pecans for those who want them shelled. On one side of the table is a scale. You can fill up a brown bag and buy as much or as little as you like. Sit a while and we’ll shoot the breeze.
The kids might come looking for me. I’ll leave a note on my front door just in case: Gone Nuts. xoxo Karen:)
