Adventures in Parenting

I’m rather health conscious when it comes to snacks. We don’t eat chips or cookies or candy. Hot dogs and donuts are 2 main culprits I keep out of my house (but I admit, they taste good and we splurge once a year!)

Now I just discovered pistachios as a healthy snack with lots of nutritional value.

Pistachios are the most nutrient dense nut. No empty calories here. They contain 8 essential nutrients: thiamin, vitamin B6, copper, manganese, potassium, fiber, phosphorus, and magnesium. Lutein, an antioxidant needed to maintain eye health is also present in pistachios.

For someone with high cholesterol like me, pistachios contain phytosterols, a naturally occurring compound shown to help lower cholesterol absorption. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in 2008 that found eating one to two handfuls of pistachios a day resulted in a 9-12% reduction in LDL “bad” cholesterol levels.

Most people don’t think of grabbing a handful of pistachio nuts for a snack. But I have found they hit the spot in satisfying the need to snack. It’s a little filling but not too heavy. You only need to eat a handful to feel full. My kids really like them.

The flavor of pistachios are naturally good with a little sweetness. Or you can get the variety of flavors offered by Everybody’s Nuts: Salt & Pepper, South of the Border, or European Roast.

And they are kind of fun to eat. The shell is easy to take off. You might even think of some kind of craft to make out of those smooth shells. Any ideas?

(This is a product review, not paid advertising.)