This Week: Hazelnuts!

The hazelnut, also known as the filbert, is a type of nut that comes from the Corylus tree. It is mostly cultivated in Turkey, Italy, Spain and the United States. Hazelnuts have a sweet flavour and can be eaten raw, roasted or ground into a paste. Like other nuts, hazelnuts are rich in nutrients and have a high content of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.
 
What makes hazelnuts unique?

• Compared to other nuts, hazelnuts are one of the highest in fibre, the highest in folate, and are the second highest in vitamin E, with a 30g serve providing 45% of the RDI for vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which may help reduce the risk of heart disease. 

• They contain small amounts of plant omega-3 fatty acids, which have heart-health benefits.

• They contain predominantly monounsaturated fats, important for heart health.

• Hazelnuts are a source of monounsaturated fats and fibre and are naturally low in sugar and sodium.

• They are a source of copper, magnesium, manganese, thiamine, niacin, and folate, and are a good source of vitamin E.

 
Hazelnuts have a great nutrient profile. Although they are high in calories, they are loaded with nutrients and healthy fats. Hazelnuts also contain decent amounts of vitamin B6, folate, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Additionally, they are a rich source of mono- and polyunsaturated fats and contain a good amount of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, such as oleic acid.

Furthermore, a one-ounce serving provides 2.7 grams of dietary fibre, which accounts for about 11% of the DV. Hazelnuts’ high concentration of antioxidant compounds, vitamins and minerals could give them some anti-cancer properties. Among other nuts like pecans and pistachios, hazelnuts have the highest concentration of a category of antioxidant known as proanthocyanidins. Some test-tube and animal studies have shown that proanthocyanidins may help prevent and treat some types of cancers. It is thought that they protect against oxidative stress.

Additionally, hazelnuts are rich in vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant that has exhibited possible protection against cell damage that could cause or promote cancer. Similarly, hazelnuts provide a whopping 87% the RDI for manganese in a one-ounce serving. Manganese has shown to help the functions of specific enzymes that could reduce oxidative damage and decrease the risk of cancer.

Hazelnuts have been linked to reduced inflammatory markers, thanks to their high concentrations of healthy fats. One study investigated how eating hazelnuts affected inflammatory markers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, in 21 people with high cholesterol levels. The participants experienced significant reductions in inflammation after four weeks of following a diet in which hazelnuts accounted for 18–20% of their total calorie intake. Moreover, eating 60 grams of hazelnuts every day for 12 weeks helped reduce inflammatory markers in overweight and obese people.

How to add hazelnuts to your diet:
Hazelnuts can be incorporated into the diet as a healthy snack or as an ingredient in many dishes. You can purchase and enjoy them raw, roasted, whole, sliced or ground. Interestingly enough, it seems that people prefer sliced and whole hazelnuts rather than ground ones.

While the highest concentration of antioxidants is in the skin, some recipes require you to remove the skin. This can be done by baking the kernels in the oven for about 10 minutes, which makes the skins easy to then peel. Peeled hazelnuts can be ground to make flour for baking or to make hazelnut butter, a nutritious spread. Moreover, hazelnuts can also be coated with chocolate or spices, like cinnamon or cayenne, for a sweet or spicy treat. They also make a great complement to cakes or topping for ice creams and other desserts.
 
Detriments:
Hazelnut seems to be safe for most people in food amounts. But some people are allergic to hazelnuts and have had serious allergic reactions including life-threatening breathing problems (anaphylaxis). Hazelnuts have also been associated with one reported outbreak of botulism from contaminated yogurt.