How to Pick the Freshest Pecans: Remember These Tips

Pecans are extremely nutritious. Many people worry that eating too many will raise their cholesterol, but in fact pecans are different from the walnuts we usually eat. Eating too many will not only fail to raise cholesterol, but can also effectively reduce the absorption of cholesterol by our digestive tract, and regular consumption can also boost brain health. Let us take a look below at how best to choose pecans!

Pecan Buying Guide

1. When choosing pecans, check whether they are plump and whether the color is even, and pick ones that are similar in size.

2. Pecans come in large-tip, medium-tip, small-tip, and large-round, medium-round, and small-round types. The large ones are more expensive, but bigger is not necessarily better; it depends on personal preference, and the smaller ones have a more delicate flavor.

3. Pecans are generally considered best when the nut is large and round, the shell is thin and white, the kernel yield is high, they are dry, the kernel pieces are large, the color is white and clean, and the oil content is high. The selection method should focus on cracking open the nut to observe the kernel, with plump kernels being superior and shriveled ones being inferior.

4. If the kernels are entirely oily, sticky to the touch, dark brown, and have a rancid smell, they have seriously deteriorated and must not be eaten.

The Nutritional Value of Pecans

1. Pecans contain relatively high amounts of protein and the unsaturated fatty acids essential for human nutrition. These components are all important substances for the metabolism of brain tissue cells, and can nourish brain cells and enhance brain function.

2. Pecans help prevent arteriosclerosis and lower cholesterol. In addition, pecans can also be used to treat non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and for cancer patients they have effects such as pain relief, increasing red blood cells, and protecting the liver.

3. Pecans contain a large amount of vitamin E, and regular consumption has the effect of moisturizing the skin and darkening the hair, and can make the skin moist, smooth, and elastic.

4. When you feel tired, chewing some pecans can help relieve fatigue and stress.

Contraindications for Eating Pecans

1. People who should avoid them: those with diarrhea, or with yin deficiency and hyperactive fire, phlegm-heat cough, loose stools and diarrhea, or those who constitutionally have excess internal heat and heavy phlegm-dampness should not consume them.

2. Food incompatibilities: pecans are rich in protein, fat, and mineral elements, and are hot in nature. Eating too much hot-natured food easily stirs up internal fire. Baijiu is sweet, pungent, and very hot, and counts as a hot-natured food. If the two are eaten together, they can easily cause blood heat and even hemoptysis.

3. Do not eat too many: pecans are relatively high in calories. Every 100 grams of pecans can produce 670 kilocalories, which is twice the calories produced by the same weight of grain. Eating too many will make you gain weight. Nutrition experts say the daily amount should not exceed 5, as eating more will cause weight gain and also affect blood lipids.

4. People with diabetes can eat pecans: the correct approach should be a balanced diet, that is, under the premise of controlling total calories, make the types of grains, meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits as complete as possible so as to obtain balanced nutrition.

5. Pregnant women can eat pecans: they are beneficial for the baby's brain development and so on, boosting brain power and intelligence, and are also good for the pregnant woman herself. 5 to 8 nuts a day is enough; do not eat too many.