Popular holiday foods include chestnuts. For one, they are no longer seasonal in the Philippines. It is common to find chestnuts being roasted in some shopping malls and supermarkets.
Chestnuts are full of beneficial nutrients like vitamins (A, B1, B2, Niacin, C), minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus), fats, and protein. Unlike other nuts, it is low in fat and has a high starch content. It is usually eaten boiled or roasted or sometimes added to soups or used as stuffing.
Worldwide, there are around 100 varieties of chestnuts; the variety that produces single large nuts is thought to be more flavorful and better for cooking. This variety is called marrons in France.
A variety called horse chestnut is now becoming popular in the market as a food supplement. This is said to be rich in flavones which some modern research has shown to help support the normal integrity of the vascular system and connective tissue.
Flavones are flavonoids; a few thousand different flavonoids have so far been identified. Many of these serve as antioxidants or play important roles in maintaining the health of the body; nearly all flavonoids enhance the functionality of vitamin C. Flavonoids are sometimes redundantly called bioflavonoids.
As a class of compounds, flavonoids have been referred to as nature’s biological response modifiers because of their ability to modify the body’s reaction to other compounds such as allergens, viruses, and carcinogenic properties. This is because flavonoids possess anti-oxidant and free radical-scavenging activity. Certain studies have indicated that consumption of these compounds is associated with reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
So if you want to get all these health benefits from your chestnuts, you can now start cracking your roasted chestnuts and eat them plainly. Or if you prefer, here is a sample recipe:
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