The dietary fibers in pistachios serve as a natural laxative, promoting bowel movement and alleviating constipation and other digestive issues such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and flatulence.
Do pistachios cause constipation? Pistachios are a fiber-rich food source, which means that they help to ease constipation rather than cause it. However, people with nut intolerances or allergies may experience digestive problems, such as diarrhea, gas, bloating, or stomach cramps.
Tree nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and pistachios are best known for their beneficial fat and protein content. But they also help keep your colon healthy and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Risk of Pistachios
If you have fructan intolerance -- a bad reaction to a type of carbohydrate -- pistachios might bother your belly. If so, you may have: Bloating. Nausea.
Most nutritionists recommend their clients consume no more than two ounces (56 grams) of pistachios every day. For shelled pistachios, that adds up to 90 pistachios. Nutritionists also advise people to drink a sufficient amount of water to digest. Otherwise, you may get an upset stomach after eating pistachios.
It's most effective to eat pistachios between 6 pm and 9pm each evening to boost melatonin levels. It takes some time for them to be digested, for the blood to carry tryptophan to the pineal gland, and for extra melatonin to be produced. And it's not just the nuts that are good for our sleep; it's also the oil in them.
Pistachios Improves Sleep Quality
Pistachios are rich in melatonin, a hormone released in the body to make us sleep. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle and quality of sleep. Therefore, eating pistachios at night 2-3 hours before going to bed can improve sleep quality.
Most nuts appear to be generally healthy. But some may have more heart-healthy nutrients than others. For example, walnuts contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and pecans also appear to be quite heart healthy.
Within pistachio, this deficiency often occurs in the middle of the season (July-August) on young, fast growing trees. Symptoms include the die-back of new growth, forming a “shepherd's crook.” Most, if not all, new growth will show this deficiency.
The laxative properties of dietary fibers in pistachios enhance bowel movement and alleviate constipation, as well as other digestive issues such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and flatulence.
In particular, Sachar recommends Brazil nuts, peanuts, and walnuts for their poop-producing power. Along with fiber, these varieties contain a hefty dose of nutrients like protein and healthy fats. Stick to a handful of nuts per serving so you don't go overboard on calories, which can add up fast.
Gas, bloating, and digestive issues may occur.
It's a common side effect, thanks to compounds in nuts called phytates and tannins, which make them difficult to digest. And eating too much fat, which is found abundantly in nuts, in a short period of time can lead to diarrhea, says Alan R.
Walnuts are one of the best snacks to reach for when you are dealing with constipation.
Nuts are a filling food that is also packed with fiber to help ease constipation. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fiber than other nuts.
Why pistachios are a healthy choice. Making nuts such as pistachios a part of your everyday eating is associated with decreased risk of death from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease, Jeffers says. Pistachios and other nuts are a mainstay of the healthy Mediterranean diet.
Both pistachios and almonds are heart healthy1, and contain a similar calorie and protein count. Almonds contain more antioxidant Vitamin E which contributes to the protection of skin cells.
Antioxidants are known to help protect the body against disease. The scientists said that all nuts have good nutritional qualities but walnuts are healthier than peanuts, almonds, pecans and pistachios.
Eating Pistachios
Put the whole pistachio into your mouth, and let your mouth absorb the salt. Remove from your mouth once the taste subsides. You can also suck on the shells after you have separated them from the nut. This way, you can simply spit out the shell out into the garbage once you've finished sucking it.
Brazil nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts are higher in saturated fat. Too much of this can contribute to raised cholesterol levels, so only eat them occasionally. Chestnuts are an exception – they're lower in all types of fats and higher in starchy carbohydrate than other nuts.
Almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts contain high amounts of fiber, calcium, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin E and Omega-3 fats which all have anti-inflammatory effects.
Foods include: whole-grain bread, pasta, crackers and brown rice. Foods include: peanut butter and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios. Foods include: spinach, nuts, seeds, avocados and black beans. Beverages include: warm milk and herbal teas such as chamomile or peppermint.
According to Losso, pistachios contain certain phenolics which can reduce the breakdown of tryptophan to toxic compounds so that it is converted to melatonin. The increase in tryptophan has the potential to help with delayed sleep onset, sleep duration and quality.
Pistachios also contain B6 and Magnesium which are good for sleep. A 1-ounce portion of kernels eaten about an hour before bedtime should set you up for a good night of sleep.