Chestnut is a deciduous tree plant of the Fagaceae family. The stems and branches are thick and cylindrical. The surface is dark green, with fine longitudinal stripes and small villi.

The leaves are mostly curled, with short stalks, and the leaves are oval, with a yellowish-brown surface. The leaves are finely hairy.

Chestnuts are known as the "King of Dried Fruits". Chestnuts are not only delicious but also rich in various nutrients, which are beneficial to spleen, stomach, and intestines. However, there are also taboos on eating chestnuts. Are you eating them correctly?

The health benefits of chestnuts

1. Nourishing the spleen, strengthening the stomach, and thickening the intestines

2. Chestnuts are sweet and have a high carbohydrate content. They can provide sufficient calories to the human body and help metabolize fat in the body.

3. Helps prevent and treat cardiovascular disease

4. Chestnuts are rich in unsaturated acids, vitamins, and other minerals, which have certain preventive and therapeutic effects on cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and arteriosclerosis.

5. Strengthen muscles and bones.

6. Chestnuts are rich in vitamin C, which can maintain the normal functions of teeth, bones, blood vessels, and muscles. It can prevent and treat osteoporosis, soreness and weakness in the waist and legs, muscle and bone pain, fatigue, etc., and delay human aging. Regular consumption of raw chestnuts also has the effect of treating waist and leg pain, relaxing muscles, and activating collaterals.

How to choose chestnuts

1. Look at the color.

The chestnut shell is purple-brown and has a shallow waxy layer. Bright and shiny chestnuts are fresh, while chestnuts with relatively black or even dark shells and poor gloss are most likely old goods.

The flesh of fresh high-quality chestnuts is bright yellow and contains more water; if the flesh is milky white and there are black spots on the surface of the chestnut kernels, it means that the chestnuts have been stored for too long or have become moldy and spoiled.

2. Look at the appearance.

The appearance of high-quality chestnuts is smooth and wrinkle-free, with no other abnormality except the inherent white hair. Chestnuts with dark brown mildew spots or a white frosty mold layer on the chestnut shell are generally inferior chestnuts whose internal structure is damaged and deteriorated.

Another important point is that the base of high-quality chestnuts (the connection between the lower end of the chestnut fruit and the hood) is generally small, the fruit shape is correct, and the fruit grains are uniform, while the chestnuts of poor quality have a large base, incorrect fruit shape, and uneven fruit grain sizes. Evenly distributed, with many deformed grains.

3. Smell.

Fresh chestnuts smell fresh or have a light chestnut aroma, while spoiled chestnuts will have a sour, rancid smell or other odors that are irritating to the nose.

These people should be careful when eating chestnuts

- People with spleen and stomach deficiency should not eat chestnuts raw. They should simmer or stir-fry them and also be used to make porridge.

- Pregnant women and children with constipation should not eat more chestnuts.

- Patients with diabetes should eat chestnuts in moderation.