Pistachios, a nut with a split, tan shell, have a sweet yet savory crunch. Native to the Middle East, you can now find pistachios grown in a variety of countries including the United States. Look for pistachios that aren't dyed to avoid having the commonly-used red dye transfer to your skin when you remove the shell. Pistachios have good nutritional value and can be part of a healthy diet.
Calories and Protein
A 1-oz. serving of pistachios contains 159 calories, a good amount for a snack -- the Diet Channel's expert contributor, Michele Turcotte, MS, RD/LDN, notes that 100 to 200 calories is an ideal amount. Some of these calories -- approximately 13 percent -- derive from protein. Each portion of this nut contains 5.7 g of protein.
Fats and Fatty Acids
Pistachios are moderately high in fat, with 12.8 g per serving -- 67 percent of the total calories. Despite the high fat content, little of the fat is saturated. The 2 g of saturated fat in a serving of this nut can fit into your diet as long as you monitor the remainder of your diet, limiting your saturated fat intake to 15 g or less per day. Eating pistachios introduces omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. One serving contains 71.1 mg of omega-3. According to the Cleveland Clinic, healthy people should include 500 mg of omega-3 in their diets daily, although you should consume more -- up to 1,000 mg per day -- if you have a history of cardiovascular disease.
Carbohydrates and Fiber
One serving of pistachios has 7.8 g of carbohydrates. This accounts for 20 percent of the total calories and 2.4 to 3.4 percent of the amount of carbs you need daily. This nut also contains 2.9 g of fiber, a type of carbohydrate your body does not process into energy. Fiber stays solid in your body, passing through your digestive system to maintain bowel health. You need 25 to 38 g of fiber each day.
B Vitamins
Include pistachios in your diet, and you get a boost of B vitamins in your meal plan. One serving of this nut provides 24 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin B-6 if you follow a 2,000-calorie diet. You also take in 16 percent of the thiamin you require each day. The B vitamins are critical for helping your body make energy.
Minerals
Pistachio nuts are a good source of copper, containing 18 percent of suggested daily intake per serving. This nut serves up 17 percent of the manganese and 14 percent of the phosphorus you need as well. This makes pistachios helpful for nervous system function, strong bones and RNA and DNA production.
Medicinal Benefits
Eating pistachios may improve your sex life. Research published in the January-February 2011 issue of the "International Journal of Impotence Research" indicates that a small study of 17 men with erectile dysfunction who consumed 100 g of pistachios per day over a three-week period demonstrated that undertaking such a diet improves sexual function. It also improved their cholesterol levels.
References
- Food.com: Pistachio
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Nuts, Pistachio Nuts, Raw
- The Diet Channel; Calories: What's An Ideal Daily Intake; Michele Turcotte
- Cleveland Clinic; Just How Much Omega-3 Fat Do You Need?; Melissa Ohlson, MS, RD, LD; October 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential For a Healthy Diet; November 2009
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