Those with diabetes or even high blood sugar should limit the consumption of certain types of fruit, such as bananas, figs, grapes, persimmons and chestnuts. Yes, even chestnuts, the delicious fruit of this season (the election period is from October to December). But should we banish them completely from the table and renounce the pleasure of roasted chestnuts on a cool autumn day?



Let's see below if it is possible to dispel this myth and if you can at least partially taste the fruit of autumn.
Chestnuts and low glycemic index
The high fiber content, which is the main characteristic of chestnuts, makes it a low glycemic index food that is therefore suitable for avoiding those dangerous peaks of blood sugar concentration. Compared to the other other nuts, chestnuts are less rich in oxalate, the molecule that promotes the formation of painful kidney stones.

The strength of the fruit is instead another: compared to a lower fat content than that of other nuts it provides a good source of essential fatty acids important both for a correct development during childhood and for health in general in adulthood, especially for linoleic acid. Finally, chestnuts are a source of oleic acid, the very same monounsaturated fatty acid that provides several health benefits. A bit like olive oil.

Chestnuts and nutrients
Now let's see in more detail what are the nutritional characteristics of chestnuts?
Chestnuts provide 165 kcal per 100 grams of product and are divided as follows: 84% carbohydrates, 7% proteins and 9% fats. However, the caloric intake of chestnuts also depends on how they are consumed: for 100 grams of fruit, that is to say: 130 calories if they are boiled, 190 calories if roasted and 290 calories by dried.
Chestnuts are also an excellent source of vitamins, in particular: Vitamin A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5, B6, B9 (folic acid), B12, C and D. Among the Amino acids present instead there is aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine, serine and threonine.

Chestnuts have always been known as "bread of the poor" even if the selling price at the supermarket would make one think of the opposite. But the historical definition fits perfectly with the composition of macronutrients that compose it: this fruit is mainly a source of complex carbohydrates in fact about 15 chestnuts replace an average portion of bread and pasta. Therefore, if you consume at the end of a meal like a fruit you should never exceed the amount of 8 chestnuts a day.