Benefits, nutrients, and how to roast

Chestnuts

Chestnuts are now in abundance and falling off the trees everywhere!  Chestnuts are the edible nuts of trees and shrubs that belong to the Castanea genus. There are a few different species, not all are edible! 

Castanea sativa, otherwise known as sweet chestnut, spanish chestnut or simply just, chestnut, is part of the Fagaceae species of trees, native is Asia and Southern Eurupe.

Chestnuts are such a versatile plant.  They have a slightly nutty, and slighty sweet flavour, a little like a sweet potato. There are so many ways to use them, baked, boiled, on a fire, roasted, blended, as a flour, candied, in savoury dishes and many desserts!

Chestnuts a rich in fiber, which we need for our gut health.  Fiber in plants feed the good bacteria, which then produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs are needed for good gut health, metabolisation regulation, have an immunomodulatory effect, support inflammation and lower the risks of certain cancers.  

Chestnuts are known to support gut and metabolic health, cardiovascular health. they are high in antioxidants and help reduce inflammation. 

Nutrients

Nutrients:

  • Protein, fiber and complex carbs

  • Copper

  • Manganese

  • Potassium

  • Riboflavin

  • Thiamine

  • Folate

  • Vitamin C

  • Vitamin B6, B5 and B3

  • Vitamin K

  • Magnesium

  • rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid and palmitoleic acids

Benefits:

  • High in antioxidants:

    • Zeaxanthin (eyes)

    • Vitamin C (skin and immune)

    • Gallic acid (heart)

    • Ellagic acid (heart)

    • Polyphenols (brain, heart, digestive)

    • Lutein (eyes)

    • Alkaloids (analgesic, antiinflammatory, neuroprotective)

    • Tannins (digestive, blood, anti-carcinogen)

  • Antioxidants have been proven to help benefit our body in many ways, including, digestive health, heart and cardiovascular health, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, neuroprotective, antiviral, antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-diabetic, cognitive enhancing and brain function.

  • Including antioxidant rich foods in your diet helps reduce the amount of free radicals that accumulate in your body, that can damage your cells and increase the risks of diseases and cancer.

  • The phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals have shown to help with thyroid function, regulating blood sugar, improving immune function, improving digestive and metabolic function, improving bone health, improving heart health, enhancing cognition, and helping with reducing free radicals and other toxins in the body

Benefits

Roasted Chestnuts

This is a simple way to prepare chestnuts. Traditionally, they are roasted on an open fire, but, we don’t always have that option!

When identifying the sweet chestnut tree, the leaves are the first identifier. They have an elongated ovular shape with a strongly serrated edge. With the bark, the older trees develop deep fissures that run lengthways up the tree. These have a tendency to twist as they grow, and sometimes create a spiralling effect of fissures around the trunk.

Sweet chestnuts are prickly! They have sharp barbs that protect the nuts from wildlife. So if you can, use a pair of gloves that are thick. The spiky casing (cupules) turns from lime green to a light brown as the chestnuts ripen. The best ones will be more green than brown. If you find them bursting out of the casing on the floor, you should check for any bugs.

Look for holes and signs of unusual growth, discolouration and ones that are falling apart are no good.

  • You need to soak them in water for a good hour. Any that are floating will be either eaten in side by bugs or rotting. Discard these and the rest are the ones you can use!

  • Using a pair of scissors or a sharp knife, put a slight cut on the rounded side of the nut. There is a flat side and a rounded side. It doesn’t need to be too deep, just enough to let out moisture so it doesn’t burst when your cooking them (just into the shell-not too deep into the nut)

  • Lay them on a flat tray with the cut side up, then roast in a preheated oven for 30 mins