What are the benefits and effects of chestnuts (Chinese chestnuts)? Is it better to eat them raw or cooked? Who should not eat them?
It's chestnut season again, and the streets and alleys are filled with the fragrant smell of roasted chestnuts. Chestnuts can be eaten boiled, roasted, stir-fried and in many other ways. Besides being delicious, chestnuts also have good medicinal value. So what are the benefits and effects of chestnuts? Is it better to eat them raw or cooked?
I. Benefits and Effects of Chestnuts
Chestnuts are a specialty of China and have long been known as the “king of dried fruits”, and they are grown in many parts of China. Chestnuts are sweet in taste and warm in nature, entering the spleen, stomach and kidney meridians, and are rich in protein, fat and more. It is understood that chestnuts have the following 6 major benefits and effects:
1. Chestnuts help boost qi and strengthen the spleen: Chestnuts are sweet in taste and warm in nature; they enter the kidney, spleen and stomach meridians. Experts point out that chestnuts have a relatively high carbohydrate content, can supply the body with more heat energy, and can help fat metabolism, so chestnuts have the effect of boosting qi and strengthening the spleen and tonifying the stomach and intestines.
2. Chestnuts help prevent cardiovascular disease: Chestnuts contain large amounts of starch, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and many other nutrients, and eating them in moderation has a certain supporting effect on preventing cardiovascular disease.
3. Chestnuts help relieve mouth ulcers: Chestnuts are rich in vitamin B and riboflavin. If you have mouth ulcers, eating a moderate amount of raw chestnuts can effectively relieve the condition.
4. Chestnuts help relieve pain and stop bleeding: Mashing raw chestnuts and applying them to the affected area can treat bruises, swelling and pain of the muscles and bones, and has the effect of relieving pain and stopping bleeding.
5. Chestnuts help improve the body's condition: Chestnuts contain large amounts of various nutrients the human body needs. Regularly eating chestnuts can effectively boost the body's immunity and improve the body's condition.
6. Chestnuts help relieve discomfort from kidney deficiency: According to ancient medical texts, eating 7 chestnuts on an empty stomach each day and then eating pork kidney porridge has a certain supporting effect on relieving kidney deficiency.
II. Who should not eat chestnuts?
1. People who are obese and people who control their blood sugar should not eat chestnuts
Chestnuts have a high starch content and are relatively high in carbohydrates. Obese people can eat them as a staple food, but must never eat large amounts after a meal, otherwise it is easy to eat too many and gain weight. Generally, eating 7 to 8 medium-sized chestnuts is enough. If you want to eat more chestnuts, you can put them in dishes, such as chestnut stewed chicken, but be sure to remember to eat a little less staple food, or you can skip the staple food. Second, people with diabetes should eat chestnuts in moderation and should not eat too many.
2. People with poor digestion should not eat chestnuts
Chestnuts are a gas-producing food, and eating too many easily causes bloating. If your digestion is poor, for example if you have indigestion, gastroesophageal reflux, or are prone to bloating and acid reflux, you should not eat too many. Generally, eating once a day, 7 to 8 medium-sized ones, is enough.
III. Is it better to eat chestnuts raw or cooked?
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that chestnuts are sweet in taste and warm in nature, entering the spleen, stomach and kidney. There are two ways to eat chestnuts: raw and cooked. Eating them raw tonifies the kidney, while eating them cooked strengthens the spleen.
1. Eating raw tonifies the kidney: Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty believed that chestnuts are “the fruit of the kidney, and should be eaten for kidney disease”. In “Qianjin · Shizhi” it is recorded: “Eaten raw, it greatly treats inability to move the waist and legs.” Therefore, eating raw chestnuts has a certain supporting effect on kidney deficiency and sore waist and legs, and also has the effect of stopping bleeding.
It is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people develop the habit of eating 5 to 10 air-dried raw chestnuts each morning and evening. Note that elderly people have poor digestion, so chew the chestnuts carefully in the mouth until they become a slurry with no residue, then swallow little by little.
2. Eating cooked strengthens the spleen: Chestnuts are sweet in taste and warm in nature, and eating them cooked can relieve spleen deficiency. Steam or boil chestnuts and grind them into powder to make cakes, suitable for children who are thin and refuse food or are averse to eating; or cook chestnuts with japonica rice into porridge, suitable for elderly people with indigestion and qi deficiency and weakness.
From the above introduction, there is no good or bad distinction between eating chestnuts raw or cooked; rather, it should be judged according to your own specific situation. People with cold-deficiency of the spleen and stomach should not eat chestnuts raw. Raw chestnuts are hard to digest, and cooked chestnuts easily make you feel full, so do not eat too many at one time.
IV. How do you peel chestnuts?
1. Leave raw chestnuts in a ventilated, dry place for a few days before eating them. At this point the chestnuts will be sweeter and easier to peel.
2. Use a knife to make a small cut in the middle of the raw chestnut, put it in salt water and boil for 5 minutes, then remove it and peel off the shell and skin while hot.
Conclusion: Many people like to treat chestnuts as nuts, as a snack. In fact, chestnuts are low in fat and high in starch, very suitable for replacing staple foods such as white rice and noodles, and their nutritional value is higher than that of ordinary grains. However, note that although chestnuts are delicious, they should also be eaten in moderation.