Autumn Delights

    Autumn presents us with delights: the oil-rich fruits. Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, pine nuts and peanuts are examples. Although they are noted for their high energy value (about 600-680 kcal/100g) which could, incidentally, be reason for not eating them, the oil-rich fruits offer many health benefits and they should be added to a healthy and balanced diet, provided they are consumed in a controlled manner.

    The consumption of oil-rich fruits is associated with improvements in lipid profile, in particular the reduction of serum LDL cholesterol and the increase in HDL cholesterol as well as the decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.

    Nutritionally speaking, oil-rich fruits are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (50-65 % lipids, about 50% of essential fatty acid), dietary fibre and potassium, in addition to being an excellent source of vegetable protein (15-33 %).

    The oil-rich fruits are also very versatile, as they can be used for starters, main courses, sauces and even desserts!

    St. Martin’s Day is approaching and is the time to celebrate the Magus to bonfire with a erotica wine toast accompanying the traditional roasted chestnuts! Chestnuts is another oil-rich fruit, but with a different composition from the others: it has a higher glycidic content and significantly lower fat content, and about 50% of the chestnut is water (in raw chestnuts), which makes it less energy-giving. Its inclusion in the group of starchy fruits is due to its richness of carbohydrate complexes (starch), and it is therefore an excellent source of energy. Moreover, chestnuts have appreciable amounts of fibre, minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium, and vitamin C, B1 and B2.

    Chestnuts are nutritionally similar to the other foods of the group of cereals and derivatives (due to its richness in carbohydrates - starch) and so it can replace the foods of this group and provide greater diversity in a healthy diet, when the equivalences in carbohydrates are respected:

    5 medium size chestnuts (70g) are equivalent to:

    • 1 bread roll (50g);

    • 1 thin slice of maize bread (70g);

    • One and a half potatoes (125g);

    • 5 tablespoons of breakfast cereals (35g);

    • 4 tablespoons of cooked rice/pasta (75g).

    Thus, it is possible to enjoy this pleasure of autumn while maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, without overeating. Enjoy!

    The nutritional composition of some of the oil-rich fruits is presented in the following table:

    Nutritional composition (per 100g of edible portion) Roasted chestnut with salt Peeled chestnut Walnut Pine nut Almond Hazelnut
    Energy (kcal) 211 185 689 618 619 677
    Water (g) 39,5 48,5 4,9 4,3 4,9 4,5
    Protein (g) 3,5 3,1 16,7 33,2 21,6 14,0
    Fat (g) 1,3 1,1 67,5 51,7 56 66,3
    Saturated 0,2 0,2 5,4 3,5 4,7 4,9
    Monounsaturated 0,5 0,4 15,0 15,0 34,5 52,2
    Polyunsaturated 0,5 0,4 47 31 14,3 6,2
    Carbohydrates (g) 45,5 39,8 15,0 5,0 7,2 6,0
    Dietary Fibre (g) 7,0 6,1 47 1,9 12 6,1
    Vitamin E(mg) 1,4 1,2 3,8 10 24 25
    Calcium (mg) 23 20 90 54 266 249
    Phosphorus (mg) 72 63 288 350 405 274
    Potassium (mg) 571 500 500 780 855 730
    Magnesium (mg) 48 33 160 270 259 159
    Iron (mg) 0,9 0,8 2,6 4,7 4,0 3,0

    KEY: g = gram; kcal = kilocalorie; mg = milligrams; μg = micrograms. Edible portion = weight of the food consumed after all the waste is discarded. Vitamin A = as retinol equivalents. Source: Porto A, Oliveira L. Table of Food Composition. Lisbon: Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge [Dr. Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute]. 2006, page 100-101

    Graça Raimundo

    Portuguese Association of Dietitians

    www.apdietistas.pt