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How good are hazelnuts for you?
Like many other nuts, hazelnuts boast an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, copper, and manganese. Hazelnuts also contain essential fatty acids and high levels of antioxidants. This nutrient profile means hazelnuts may be good for your heart, are linked with lower rates of cancer, may decrease inflammation, and may help to lower blood sugar levels, among other benefits. All in all, hazelnuts are certainly an excellent addition to a healthy diet!
What are hazelnuts?
Hazelnuts are also called filberts, and they are defined as the nuts of any tree from the genus Corylus tree, otherwise known as the Hazel tree. Hazelnuts grow on these trees within protective husks and in clusters. Once ripened, the hazelnuts drop from the husks onto the ground.
Where do hazelnuts grow?
The hazelnut is actually one of Europe’s oldest cultivated plants. The hazelnut tree originated in Turkey and today, Turkey is still the largest producer of hazelnuts. Other areas that commercially produce hazelnuts are Italy and South Western British Columbia, Canada. Hazelnuts are also grown commercially in the United States, in Oregon and Washington. The top three current exporters of hazelnuts worldwide are Turkey, Italy, and the United States.
How are hazelnuts harvested?
Hazelnuts are harvested in autumn when the nuts fall naturally from the trees. Commercial growers use mechanical devices called sweepers, harvesters, nut carts, and forklifts to collect the hazelnuts. The sweeper moves the fallen nuts to the center of the rows, and the harvester separates the nuts from the leaves and twigs. The nut cart is used to hold the nuts that the harvester picked up. A forklift then brings a tote so that the nuts can be offloaded from the cart into the tote. It then stacks the totes which are ready to be shipped to the processor where the nuts are dried. Depending on the quantity of nuts, this harvesting process is performed from 1 to 3 times per season.
Are hazelnuts healthy?
Hazelnuts are exceptionally healthy for a variety of reasons. Hazelnuts are a good source of magnesium, which helps support muscle health by regulating calcium levels and reducing muscle spasms, cramps, and fatigue. Magnesium also helps support bone and joint health, so eating hazelnuts is an excellent way to help prevent osteoporosis. Sun exposure can accelerate the aging process for your skin, and hazelnuts contain vitamin E, which research shows can protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation and premature aging. By making hazelnuts a part of your diet, you are also gaining protection from various types of cancer. The high fiber content of hazelnuts aids in digestive health and supports colon health. Hazelnuts are a natural source of vitamin B, which is attributed to assisting in weight loss and in weight maintenance. In particular, hazelnuts are a good source of vitamin B6 which assists amino acids in protecting the nervous system. The monounsaturated fatty acids in hazelnuts may help prevent coronary artery disease and reduce the risk of stroke.
Are hazelnuts good for heart health?
Eating hazelnuts can be very beneficial for your heart. Hazelnuts are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, which helps lower LDL, aka “bad cholesterol” levels and raise HDL, aka “good cholesterol.” They are also a good source of beneficial linoleic acid, which has also been shown in studies to support heart health and healthy cholesterol levels. Hazelnuts are also an excellent source of magnesium, which helps to regulate calcium levels in your muscles. If your calcium levels are too high, your heart may beat irregularly, so getting a sufficient amount of magnesium is beneficial to your heart in that it keeps the heart from overexerting itself.
Do hazelnuts support brain health?
Vitamin E can not only promote heart health, but it can also help protect against age-related cognitive decline. Hazelnuts happen to be one of the world’s most concentrated sources of vitamin E. In addition to their vitamin E content, hazelnuts also contain essential fatty acids, folate, fiber, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and selenium, all of which support optimal brain health. Because of these properties, hazelnuts earn a spot on the list of ten best foods to help prevent a decline in memory. They can also help improve your mental alertness. Those two benefits alone should motivate you to find creative ways to include them in your diet or to at least regularly enjoy them as a snack.
Are hazelnuts can help in the battle against obesity?
Hazelnuts are high in calories but eaten in moderation and at specific times, hazelnuts can be helpful in fighting the battle against obesity. Hazelnuts are a high-fiber food, so eating ½ ounce or approximately 10 hazelnuts a couple of hours before a meal will help you to feel full at mealtime and will likely result in you eating less during the meal. Additionally, choosing hazelnuts for a snack can reduce your hunger for a longer period of time than if you choose a less fiber-rich food. But it’s not just the fiber content of hazelnuts that’s beneficial for weight loss. Studies show that eating these nuts (along with other nuts) stimulates metabolism, which is a good thing for anyone trying to lose weight.
General questions about hazelnuts
How do you store hazelnuts?
Hazelnuts can be stored just like any other nut. Place hazelnuts in an airtight container and store them in a refrigerator, where they can stay fresh for six to eight months. If placed in the freezer (also in an airtight bag), they can stay fresh and flavorful for a year or more.
Why are hazelnuts so expensive?
While hazelnuts are one of the top ten most expensive nuts, the prices of hazelnuts are actually on a downward trajectory. Since 2016, the price of hazelnuts has been getting lower. A variety of factors may be causing this downward trend, including China tariffs and the devaluation of the Turkish currency.
How many hazelnuts are in an ounce?
There are roughly 12 hazelnuts in an ounce, depending on the size.
Where can I buy hazelnuts in bulk?
While you can buy bulk hazelnuts in the wholesale section of your health food store, it’s easiest to buy bulk hazelnuts online.
Culinary questions
What do hazelnuts taste like?
Hazelnuts can be described as having an earthy flavor, yet they are still somewhat sweet as well. When toasted, hazelnuts take on more of a deeply roasted and buttery flavor.
How many hazelnuts should I eat a day?
If you’re looking to get the optimal number of nutrients from hazelnuts, you should eat roughly 20 hazelnuts a day, which is roughly 1.5 ounces. Consuming this many hazelnuts per day may help to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the FDA.
Can you eat green hazelnuts?
You certainly can eat green hazelnuts! They might be somewhat hard to find, but if you do head to wooded areas where hazelnuts grow, you may be able to find them. You can eat them straight from the shell, and they are quite delicious.
What are hazelnuts used for?
The most popular uses of hazelnuts are in chocolate products, such as Cadbury chocolate bars and Nutella. They are also used in Frangelico liquor and incorporated in confectionery to make praline. You can also purchase hazelnut oil, which has quite a strong flavor and can be used as a cooking oil.
How should I cook with and eat hazelnuts?
Aside from eating them by the handful as a healthy snack, you can incorporate hazelnuts into many different dishes. You may only think of hazelnuts as working well in dessert dishes, but they’re actually much more versatile than that!
In savory dishes, you can try hazelnuts incorporated into traditional Italian food such as pasta, ravioli, and pesto sauce. You can also chop up hazelnuts and use them to top salads and even to coat fish or chicken dishes. Chopped hazelnuts also work quite well as a topping for cooked vegetables like green beans.
And of course, in desserts, hazelnuts work wonderfully. You can use them in desserts such as pastries, pies, truffles, biscotti, cookies, tarts, and macaroons. You can even mix them into a delicious hazelnut chocolate mousse.
You can also incorporate hazelnuts as a flavoring, such as in coffee creamers and in hazelnut liqueur.
If you want to add the flavor of hazelnut to cooked dishes, you can also simply cook using hazelnut oil.
Hazelnuts also work quite well as flour and can be used as a flavorful gluten-free alternative to wheat flour.
Hazelnuts are also commonly used as nut butter as an alternative to peanut butter.
And of course, most simply, you can simply eat hazelnuts raw, or you could try roasting raw hazelnuts with this simple recipe. It’s incredibly easy.
Roasted hazelnuts recipe
Ingredients
Raw hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a SilPat. If you don’t have either, don’t worry. Hazelnuts can be roasted straight on the baking sheet.
- Simply roast the hazelnuts for 15 minutes, but make sure not to overcook.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow your roasted hazelnuts to cool completely (the hazelnuts will continue cooking a bit after removing them from the oven)
- Hazelnut outer skins can be quite delicious, but they are easy to remove as well. Just rub the cooled hazelnuts, one handful at a time, with a clean kitchen towel, and the skins will come right off.
- You can then store them in the freezer in medium-size glass jars with a tight lid or quart-size freezer bags, or simply enjoy them right away!
