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Environmental Nutrition: Hail hazelnuts!

By Lori Zanteson on

Environmental Nutrition

Especially popular during the holidays in sweet confections and baked goods, hazelnuts are a nutritious way to eat well during seasonal celebrations, and all year long.

The folklore

Filberts and hazelnuts (also known as cobnuts and hazels) are different names for the same tree and its small, sphere-shaped nut. The English named it hazelnut, and then French settlers came to call it filbert because the nuts would begin to ripen around August 22, St. Philibert Day. Over the centuries, hazelnuts have been revered. The ancient Chinese considered them sacred nourishment, the Greeks used them medicinally, as a cure for coughing and the cold, and the Celtics saw them as a source of wisdom, knowledge and fertility.

The facts

Hazelnuts are the nuts of hazel trees, members of the birch family. Though there are many varieties of hazelnuts, like Butler and Willamette, the common hazel (Corylus avellana) is most available commercially. Hazelnut products, such as syrups for flavored coffees, liqueurs to mix drinks, and even oils, both to enhance cooking and for skin care, are favorites.

 

Enjoying hazelnuts in their whole form, however, is best. A one-ounce serving, about a handful, packs 11 percent Daily Value (DV) of dietary fiber for healthy weight maintenance, 21 percent DV of skin-protecting vitamin E, and a whopping 86 percent DV of manganese, important for bone health, metabolism, and vitamin absorption. Hazelnuts are also rich in healthy, monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help prevent heart disease.

The findings

Studies have shown the benefits of regular consumption of nuts, like hazelnuts, on cholesterol levels, cardiovascular health and weight loss (Nutrients, July 2010). Daily consumption of 30 grams of hazelnuts for 12 weeks improved overall diet quality without notable changes in body weight or body fat percentage, according to research in overweight/obese individuals. Though the hazelnut eaters had higher calorie and fat intakes -- as well as vitamin E and potassium -- they did not gain weight compared to non-nut eaters (The Journal of Nutrition, 2013).

The finer points

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