What are the benefits and effects of chestnuts? What happens if they sprout or you eat too many

Every year around October in autumn is the season when chestnuts ripen and hit the market. Chestnuts taste great whether eaten raw or roasted, and have long been known as the “king of dried fruits.” They are rich in protein and starch, so what benefits and effects do chestnuts have? Can you still eat them once they sprout? What happens if you eat too many?

I. Introduction to chestnuts

Chestnut, also known as li or Chinese chestnut, is a plant in the genus Castanea of the family Fagaceae. It is native to China and is distributed in Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and in mainland China in Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang and other places. It grows in areas at an altitude of 370-2800 m, is mostly found in mountainous areas, and has been widely cultivated by humans.

II. Benefits and effects of chestnuts

1. Nutritional value of chestnuts

(1) Chestnuts contain riboflavin. Regularly eating chestnuts is beneficial for mouth and tongue sores in children that are slow to heal and for oral ulcers in adults.

(2) Chestnuts are a type of dried fruit with a relatively high carbohydrate content. They can supply the human body with a relatively large amount of heat energy and can help with fat metabolism. They ensure the body's basic supply of nutrients, are known as an “iron-rod crop” and “woody grain,” and have the effects of tonifying qi and strengthening the spleen, and replenishing and strengthening the stomach and intestines.

(3) Chestnuts are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, multiple vitamins and minerals. They can effectively prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis, and are beneficial to human health.

(4) Chestnuts are rich in vitamin C, which can maintain the normal function of teeth, bones, blood vessels and muscles. They can prevent and treat osteoporosis, soreness and weakness of the waist and legs, muscle and bone pain, fatigue and so on, and delay human aging. They are an ideal health fruit for older adults.

2. Benefits and effects of chestnuts

Effect one: strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach

Chestnuts are mainly used to nourish the stomach and strengthen the spleen, and to tonify the kidneys and strengthen the sinews. In terms of tonic effects, they can be compared with ginseng, astragalus and angelica. They can treat symptoms such as nausea, vomiting blood, weakness of the waist and feet, and bloody stool, and are a rare “good medicine.”

Effect two: stopping bleeding and reducing swelling

Raw chestnuts have a hemostatic effect and can relieve all types of blood conditions such as vomiting blood, nosebleeds and bloody stool. Pounded raw chestnuts applied as a poultice can assist in treating scrofula and detoxification, muscle and bone swelling and pain, and knife wounds.

Effect three: treating oral ulcers

Chestnuts contain riboflavin and vitamin B2. Regularly eating chestnuts has a significant therapeutic effect on mouth and tongue sores in children that are slow to heal and on oral ulcers in adults. It can promote the normal growth of skin, nails and hair, improve vision, and reduce eye fatigue.

Effect four: strengthening sinews and bones

Chestnuts are rich in vitamin C, which can maintain the normal function of teeth, bones, blood vessels and muscles. They can prevent and treat osteoporosis, soreness and weakness of the waist and legs, muscle and bone pain, fatigue and so on, and delay human aging. They are an ideal health fruit for older adults.

Effect five: prolonging life

The rich unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals contained in chestnuts can prevent and treat diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and osteoporosis. They can enhance immune function, nourish and strengthen the brain, and reduce arthritis symptoms. They are a nutritious product for anti-aging and prolonging life.

3. Dietary contraindications for chestnuts

(1) The calories of 6 chestnuts are equivalent to 2 liang of rice. They are highly satiating and keep hunger away for a long time, so they should not be eaten in large amounts, otherwise they will cause indigestion.

(2) Infants and young children, people with weak spleen and stomach and poor digestion, or people with rheumatism should not eat them. Chestnuts are difficult to digest.

(3) People with diabetes should not eat much of them because they contain relatively many carbohydrates.

(4) People with weak spleen and stomach should not eat raw chestnuts. Raw chestnuts are difficult to digest, and cooked ones easily cause qi stagnation. Eating too many at one time will harm the spleen and stomach.

(5) Chestnuts should not be eaten cold, because chestnuts have a high starch content, and when cold the starch will partially retrograde, causing intestinal gas.

(6) Sugar-roasted chestnuts are not hygienic and should be eaten sparingly.

III. Can sprouted chestnuts still be eaten?

It is best not to eat sprouted chestnuts. Although chestnut sprouting itself is harmless, after sprouting they are very prone to mold, which includes the fungus Aspergillus flavus. It can produce a toxin—aflatoxin, which can cause cancer in humans, livestock and poultry. Moreover, after chestnuts sprout, they consume a large amount of the nutrients in the chestnut, leading to conversion of sugars, a decrease in sweetness, and a poorer taste.

Aflatoxin is most common during mold growth. The nut most prone to it is the walnut, and the high-incidence regions are tropical and subtropical areas. Chestnuts are not in the same genus as crops such as walnuts and peanuts (plant family and genus), and sprouted chestnuts are not the same as moldy chestnuts. Moldy chestnuts are very difficult to sprout. In order to verify whether sprouted chestnuts really contain aflatoxin, the editor checked all the materials that could be found. There is no experiment or expert proof that sprouted chestnuts contain aflatoxin. Of course, this situation may include two reasons: one possibility is that there is no toxin, and the other possibility is that it remains to be proven by research. Either way, it shows that the claim that sprouted chestnuts contain aflatoxin is not scientific enough.

IV. What happens if you eat too many chestnuts?

1. Eating too many chestnuts can cause constipation

A normal adult retains a small amount of gas in the gastrointestinal tract each day, but eating excessive chestnuts will increase the amount of gas produced by bacterial fermentation in the intestines, thereby causing gastrointestinal bloating and indigestion, and in severe cases leading to constipation.

Suggestion: Chestnuts contain high protein and high sugar, which can stimulate gastric acid secretion. Eating them in moderation can have a stomach-strengthening effect. However, patients with gastric ulcers and indigestion should eat less.

2. Eating too many chestnuts easily causes abdominal bloating

Chestnuts are a high-starch food. The dietary fiber they contain differs in structure from the fiber in rice, flour and vegetables, and is a large amount of indigestible carbohydrate. The stomach cannot digest it, but it is easily “digested” by intestinal bacteria, fermenting in the intestines and producing gas, so eating too many easily leads to abdominal bloating.

Suggestion: Eating too many raw chestnuts makes them difficult to digest, and eating too many cooked chestnuts easily causes qi stagnation. In particular, people with poor gastrointestinal function or digestive system diseases should not eat too many, otherwise it will worsen their condition.

3. Eating too many chestnuts easily causes weight gain

Chestnuts have a very high starch content and a relatively high glycemic index (GI). The calories of 100 grams of chestnuts reach 212 kcal, which is even higher than the calories of rice. Therefore, eating too many chestnuts easily causes weight gain and is not conducive to maintaining body weight.

Suggestion: It is best to eat chestnuts as a snack between two meals, or cook them into meals, rather than eating a large amount after a meal. Eating them after a meal easily takes in too many calories and can lead to weight gain.

Reminder: Although chestnuts are good, you must not be greedy. It is best to eat about 10 per day, which is both health-preserving and health-protecting.

V. Chestnut pairings

1. What should chestnuts not be eaten with?

(1) Chestnuts should not be eaten with beef

The vitamins in chestnuts easily react with the trace elements in beef, weakening the nutritional value of chestnuts, and they are not easy to digest. Beef is warm in nature and has the effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach, strengthening the waist and feet, and replenishing qi. Chestnuts are salty and warm, and have the effects of tonifying kidney qi and replenishing qi to strengthen the stomach and intestines.

(2) Chestnuts should not be eaten with mutton

Chestnuts cannot be eaten together with mutton, because both chestnuts and mutton are extremely heaty foods. If eaten at the same time, they can easily cause internal heat. Furthermore, neither is easy to digest, and they are unsuitable whether stewed together or stir-fried together. Eating them together may even cause vomiting.

(3) Chestnuts should not be eaten with tofu

Tofu contains magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate, while chestnuts contain oxalic acid. When the two foods meet, they can form magnesium oxalate and calcium oxalate. These two white precipitates not only affect the human body's absorption of calcium, but also easily lead to stone disease. Similarly, tofu should not be eaten with bamboo shoots, wild rice stem or spinach.

(4) Chestnuts should not be eaten with almonds

Chestnuts cannot be eaten with almonds. Eating them together will cause stomach pain.

2. What are chestnuts good to eat with?

(1) Chestnuts + red dates

Chestnuts are rich in multiple vitamins and minerals, so they have effects such as nourishing the stomach, replenishing qi, tonifying the kidneys and reducing swelling. Red dates have effects such as nourishing blood, calming the spirit and replenishing qi, and promoting body fluid production. Eating chestnuts together with red dates has obvious dietary therapeutic effects for people with kidney deficiency, people with sore waist and back pain, and people with frequent urination.

(2) Chestnuts + coix seed

Both chestnuts and coix seed have both food and medicinal properties, and their contents of carbohydrates, protein and vitamins are all very high. They also contain multiple amino acids. The fatty substances in coix seed can effectively inhibit the growth of cancer cells, so it has an anti-cancer effect. Eating chestnuts together with coix seed can achieve the effect of tonifying the kidneys and promoting urination.

(3) Chestnuts + chicken

Chestnuts are very high in nutritional value, and chicken is no exception, and it is also delicious. Cooking chicken with chestnuts can tonify the kidneys and benefit the spleen, and the dishes they make are fragrant, glutinous and delicious, which can increase people's appetite. Therefore, chestnut-braised chicken is a nutritious recipe for nourishing the body.

Through the introduction in this article, I believe everyone has gained a certain understanding and awareness of whether sprouted chestnuts can still be eaten, as well as the benefits and effects of chestnuts and ways to eat them. However, everyone is reminded that although chestnuts are good, do not eat too many. About 10 a day is best.