Hazelnuts are one of the favorite and most commonly used types of nuts. By popularity, it can only be compared with peanuts, since even walnuts with their great usefulness and taste are less popular.
Other names for hazelnuts are hazelnuts, hazel. In reality, there are many types of hazel, it has been cultivated for several centuries, but hazelnut has become one of the best .
Useful properties available in hazelnuts can be listed for a long time. These nuts are very tasty, valuable and nutritious. As a medicinal raw material, all parts of this plant are used: the core, shell, wrapper, pollen, bark, roots, shoots and leaves. They make durable and beautiful furniture out of wood, which compares favorably with decorative properties. Hazelnut shoots are used to weave baskets and other products.
Hazelnuts are very high in calories: 100 grams of nuts contain approximately 700 kcal. Hazelnuts are several times more nutritious than chocolate, bread and dairy products.
What are the benefits of hazelnuts?
The beneficial properties of hazel are due to its rich composition. Hazelnuts contain a lot of high-value fats (about 70%), it contains proteins and amino acids that our body can easily absorb, carbohydrates, natural sugars, and starch.
Since this nut contains few carbohydrates, even such a high content of fat in it does not prohibit the use of this product by those who follow their figure - in reasonable quantities, almost everyone can eat hazelnuts.
Hazelnut kernels contain all 20 amino acids necessary for an organism and vitamins PP, A, E, C and group B.
A huge amount of minerals contains hazelnuts. Its useful properties are obvious, because it has a lot of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, fluorine, sulfur, zinc and manganese, and also copper, iron, sodium, iodine, chlorine, cobalt. There is more iron in hazel than in fruits, meat and vegetables.
All this makes hazelnuts an excellent source of energy for the body. Many of them successfully replace products of animal origin, in particular, fatty meat.
Hazelnuts: useful properties and applications in traditional medicine
Hazelnut oil contains fatty acids - stearic, palmitic, oleic; they protect the heart and blood vessels from damage, prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood and ensure the normal development and growth of all body tissues. For this reason, hazel is needed in daily nutrition for children, adolescents and young people, and it is necessary for mature and elderly people to maintain strength and health.
B vitamins together with vitamin E ensure the normal functioning of the muscular, reproductive system and heart. And vitamin E prevents the onset and development of tumors, which is why it is recognized by medicine as a prophylactic against cancer.
Carotenoids, flavonoids and phytosterols are substances that have high biological activity. When ingested, they help a person to move freely and easily, contribute to maintaining normal weight.
In addition, there are substances in the nut that can cleanse the body, strengthen immunity, and remove toxins and toxins.
Many people know the unique anti-cancer properties of hazelnuts.
The researchers found that hazelnut extract contains a substance long known for its antitumor qualities (taxol). Previously, this substance was obtained only from the bark of a unique yew tree growing on the Pacific coast. Taxol is used in the treatment of cancer of the breast, lungs and ovaries. Hazelnuts contain this substance as much as the yew bark.
If you use 30 grams of hazelnuts every day, the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system will be significantly reduced. And hazelnuts alleviate the condition for neurosis, chronic fatigue, anemia, diabetes; It is also useful for obesity, enlarged prostate, varicose veins and severe physical exertion, thrombophlebitis and problems with capillaries, since the combination of proteins and vitamins favorably affects all organs and tissues of the body. The use of hazel prevents the enlargement of the prostate gland.
The unsaturated fatty acids included in hazel improve the functioning of the brain and central nervous system. By the way, it is this property that has been successfully used by manufacturers of famous chocolate with hazelnuts, whose advertising slogan sounds like “Charge your brains”.
Hazelnut is very useful for urolithiasis. And when you use it with honey, you can cure exhaustion and anemia. Ancient Greek athletes often used this combination - it helped to win in battles and sports competitions.
And if you add dried apricots to hazel with honey, if you use this mixture regularly, your blood vessels and heart will always be healthy, your metabolism will return to normal, and your strength and youth will last longer.
Infusion of hazel leaves is often used in folk medicine as a good diuretic tea - in addition to its excellent taste, it has a strengthening property and favorably affects the work of the stomach, liver and intestines.
And the bark of the plant helps with trophic ulcers, dysentery, hemorrhoids, rheumatism, and colds. Any hazelnut products and preparations, including peanut butter, are effective in reducing sexual function and treating chronic bronchitis.
Hazelnuts: the beneficial properties of nuts have been used in cosmetology
Often hazelnuts and preparations based on this nut are used in cosmetology.
For example, with hair loss, hazelnut oil can be rubbed into the scalp, and it is also recommended to use a decoction of hazel leaves to wash the hair. This contributes to the healing and growth of hair, their acquisition of a healthy, beautiful appearance.
Hazelnut oil is perfectly absorbed, giving the skin an excellent, fresh look and rejuvenates the skin well.
Cooking hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are used in cooking quite often, both processed and raw, in sauces, salads, vegetables, meat and fish dishes, but most often it is used for preparing sweet dishes, pastries and pastries. You can add ground nuts to cakes and pies.
Hazelnuts are used in the manufacture of creams, chocolate, nut pasta, liquors, sweets.
Many people know the Caucasian delicacy based on hazelnuts - churchkhela. The product is stored for a long time, does not contain preservatives, it has a beneficial effect on the state of blood vessels and heart function, lowers cholesterol, normalizes blood pressure, stimulates metabolism, relieves fatigue and increases brain activity.
As you can see, hazelnuts contain many valuable and useful substances, it can be eaten by literally everyone, because it has no contraindications to use, there are only some restrictions. So with obesity, chronic liver disease and diabetes, it is advisable to reduce the amount of hazelnuts in the diet and use it a little less.
The norm is considered if a person consumes no more than 50 g of hazelnuts per day.
Hazelnuts are a unique product of nature, and it is simply impossible to ignore them. Eat it correctly and in moderation, and be healthy!