Looking for a way to spice up your Memorial Day barbeque and break out of the traditional pasta or potato salad mode? The Western Pistachio Association recommends incorporating pistachios into your Memorial Day meal for a tasty, yet healthy option.

Nuts like pistachios have immense health benefits and are an easy way to improve cholesterol levels and reduce the effects of stress according to recent research conducted by Penn State University and the University of Toronto. In fact, pistachios are a great source of protein and potassium and provide more dietary fiber than any other nut.
The recipe below for an …read more

Guess what?  I have a giveaway!  A good one, too.
One reader has the opportunity to win five 16-ounce bags of Wonderful Pistachios. (These pistachios were not involved in the recent recall. For more information about recalled and non-recalled companies, take a look here.)
I had the opportunity to sample and review Wonderful Pistachios when I was still writing Veggie Chic. Pistachios are considered a mindful snack. You have to stop, take them apart, and then put them in your mouth. It forces you to slow down and think about what you are eating – very different from throwing back a handful …read more

More food recalls! First peanut butter, now pistachios.
Kroger said today it is recalling Private Selection Shelled Pistachios sold in its family of retail stores because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. Stores under the following names in the 31 states where Kroger operates are included in this recall: Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, Smith’s, Dillons, QFC, City Market, Foods Co., Jay C, Scott’s, Owen’s, Baker’s, Gerbes, Hilander and Pay Less. Food 4 Less stores the company operates did not receive any of the pistachios being recalled. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the …read more

We already know that pistachios can help lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risks for heart disease. But how? Penn State researchers offer an explanation:
The researchers report in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that “Inclusion of pistachios in a healthy diet beneficially affects cardiovascular disease risk factors in a dose-dependent manner, which may reflect effects on Stearoyl CoA Desaturase (SCD). ” The researchers used the ratio of two fatty acids, 16:1 and 16:0 in plasma as a marker for SCD, an enzyme that is involved in the body’s synthesis of fatty acids.
However, the …read more

In a previous entry, I’ve mentioned two heart-healthy reasons for eating pistachios. Aside from that, it has been found that pistachios may also reduce your body’s response to the stresses of everyday life.
“A 10-year follow-up study of young men showed that those who had larger cardiovascular responses to stress in the lab, were more likely to contract hypertension later in life,” says Dr. Sheila G. West, associate professor of biobehavioral health. “Elevated reactions to stressors are partly genetic, but can be changed by diet and exercise. Lifestyle changes can make the biological reactions to stress smaller.”
Isn’t it amazing how a …read more

Nuts, such as walnuts and pistachios, are good for your heart. Macadamias, too! According to researchers, combined with a heart-healthy diet, a handful of macadamia nuts reduced total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared with the standard American diet.
This study was supported by The Hershey Co. with partial support from NIH. Hm, are we going to see health claims on the labels of Hershey’s Chocolate Covered Macadamias soon?

Here are two reasons why you should pistachios make a great snack:
1. Pistachios can lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risks for heart disease:
Pistachio amounts of 1.5 ounces and 3 ounces — one to two handfuls — reduced risk for cardiovascular disease by significantly reducing LDL cholesterol levels and the higher dose significantly reduced lipoprotein ratios.
2. Pistachios reduce your body’s response to the stress, thus reducing your risks for hypertension.
So go ahead, shell a handful. Done in the long-term, you’ll be doing your heart some good!