Pistachios
FROM MARY SNELL
DIRECTOR OF NUTRITION AND WELLNESS,
MARSH SUPERMARKETS
Pistachio trees have grown in the Middle East for thousands of years
but only made their way to California’s Central Valley in the early
1930’s. Today, the states of California, Arizona and New Mexico
represent 100 percent of the U.S. commercial pistachio production.
It takes five to six years for pistachio trees to begin bearing fruit
and almost fifteen years before they are considered full bearing.
Pistachios grow in clusters like grapes. The shell is made first, and
then the kernel appears later in the growing season. The shell splits
while on the tree before it is harvested but the nut stays on the tree
even when ripe. Harvesting pistachios consists of large machinery
vigorously shaking the trees to force the nuts to fall off.
PISTACHIOS’
POWER NUTRIENTS:
Good things come in small packages when it
comes to the nutrition benefits of pistachios.
A 1 ounce serving of pistachios, about 49 nuts,
contains a host of vitamins, minerals and other
nutrients bodies need to function and stay
healthy. One ounce of pistachios provides:
•
160 calories
•
More dietary fiber than 1/2 cup
of cooked broccoli
•
Six grams of protein-the same amount
as one ounce of soybeans
•
Monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats, which are
considered heart healthy
•
As much potassium as ½ of a large
banana
•
More antioxidant power per 100 grams
than blueberries, blackberries, garlic
and pomegranate juice