chestnut nutritional value


Chestnuts - Nutritional Value


Chestnuts are extremely good for you and are the only nuts allowed on the Pritikin Diet.  They are a unique fresh product which has one great advantage - they are clean and healthy.

Chestnuts also have the Heart Foundation tick of approval.

Australian chestnuts do not require treatment against insect pests, as many of the grubs and pests that affect chestnuts do not exist in Australia.

Chestnuts, in contrast to most other nuts, contain only small quantities of fat and oil and are very high in complex carbohydrates.  This makes them useful for a wider food range than other common ‘oily’ type nuts.

Chestnuts have a quite remarkable nutritional composition that sets them apart from all other nuts and makes them an outstanding food source which can be a dietary staple.  Chestnuts are made up of primarily complex carbohydrate and have a low glycaemic index (GI).  They are low in protein, very low in fat, and are cholesterol free.  They contain reasonable quantities of vitamin C and potassium, but have very low sodium levels.  They are gluten free.

The protein is of very high quality, comparable with eggs, and is easily assimilated by the human body. 

The nutritional composition of the chestnut as compared with the apple is shown below:

Per 100g Fresh Fruit : Australian grown chestnuts
Constituent Chestnut Apple
Water  (g) 48.2 84.8
Protein  (g) 3.4 0.2
Fat  (g) 0.2 0.1
total Carbohydrate (g) 32.1 14.0
Sugars (g) 3.3 1.0
Energy  (kJ) 730 230
Dietary Fibre (g) 14.9 0.1
Calcium (mg) 17.6 7.0
Zinc  (mg) 0.4 88
Iron (mg) 0.7 0.3
Sodium (mg) 0.8 1.0
Potassium (mg) 468 110
Source: Silliker Microtech 2002

Chestnuts contain no cholesterol and are low in sodium, fat and kilojoules. They are rich in mineral salts and a good source of vitamins C, B1 and B2 and folates.  An average 30g serve provides only 200 kilojoules.


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