Are Hazelnuts Good For You?
Hazelnuts are less popular and often eaten with chocolate. Are hazelnuts good for you? Are they healthy or less responsible? Discover it here!
Are Hazelnuts Good For You?
Yes of course! Hazelnuts are good for you just like other nuts. Hazelnuts contain healthy vegetable fats, which provide you with important fat-soluble vitamins.
You can not only eat them as a healthy snack, but also add them to dishes. For example, add them to your oatmeal porridge.
Or crush them with a mortar and sprinkle your muesli with them. This way you make your muesli extra crunchy without having to opt for the crunchy muesli with a lot of unnecessary sugars.
What are hazelnuts?
The hazelnut is a fruit of the hazel tree. To be precise, it is the seed of a fruit. The hazel is a native shrub from the birch family. During the growth of the hazelnut, it is protected by bracts, which then form a hard bark.
The nuts are about 1.5 to 2 cm in size and have the shape of an egg. It has dark and thin brown skin. The taste of the raw hazelnut is bitter. The taste is less bitter when they are blanched.
Blanching means that the hazelnut is stripped of its skin and briefly boiled, which gives the hazelnuts a white color.
Hazelnuts are also used to make hazelnut oil. This is one of the most expensive oils in the world. It is used cosmetically and is said to be good for dry skin and has a blood vessel constricting effect, among other things.
What are the nutritional values of hazelnuts?
Below you can read the nutritional values of a handful (25 grams) of hazelnuts.
- Energy: 168 kcal
- Fat: 15.8 g
-Of which saturated fat: 1.2 g - Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
-Of which sugars: 1.1 g - Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 4.1
- Salt: 0 g
What nutrients do hazelnuts contain?
Below you can read the nutrients of a handful (25 grams) of hazelnuts.
| Nutrient | Quantity | Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) |
| Potassium | 180 mg | 3500 mg |
| Calcium | 40 mg | Men and women 18-24 years: 1000 mg Men 25-69 years and women 25-49 years 950 mg Women 60-69 years 1100 mg |
| Magnesium | 40 mg | Men 350 mg Women 300 mg |
| Iron | 0.9mg | Men and women who do not menstruate 11 g Women who do menstruate 16 mg* |
| Selenium | 1 µg | 70 µg |
| Vitamin A | 0 µg | Men 800 μg Women 680 μg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 10 μg >70 years People with tanned skin People who rarely go outside and/or cover their hands and face 20 μg |
| Vitamin E | 3.8mg | Men 13 mg Women 11 mg |
| Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.1mg | 0.1mg |
| Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.03mg | 1.6mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.09mg | Men and women 1.5 mg Men >50 years 1.8 mg |
| Folic acid | 30 µg | 300 μg Pregnant and lactating women 400 μg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 2.8 μg |
| Niacin | 0.3mg | 16 mg |
| Vitamin C | 1 mg | 75 mg |
| Iodine | 1 μg [1] | 150 μg Pregnant and/or lactating women 200 μg |
What are the health benefits of hazelnuts?
Hazelnuts contain healthy fats, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Below you can read more about the health benefits of hazelnuts.
It contains a lot of proteins
Hazelnuts are a rich source of protein. With a handful of hazelnuts you get no less than 4.1 grams of protein. Proteins are important for good resistance and the construction and repair of cells.
Amino acids (building blocks) of proteins play many important roles in our body, such as regulating our energy supply and in the production of hormones. Don’t want to eat meat? Then regularly add nuts to your diet to get enough protein.
It contains the amino acids tryptophan, cystine and phenylalanine
The proteins in hazelnuts consist of many types of amino acids. The proportion of the amino acids cystine, tryptophan and phenylalanine is particularly large. Cystine is a semi-essential amino acid.
This means that your body can usually produce it itself, but in certain situations not (enough). This is the case, for example, during illness or during very intensive sporting activity.
Cystine is often confused with the amino acid cystine. It looks very similar and also basically has the same function. Cystine is only less easily absorbed than cysteine.
Cysteine is needed, among other things, to make the proteins taurine and glutathione. Taurine is important for our heart, among other things. Glutathione protects our DNA and our cells.
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid for the production of the happiness hormone serotonin and the sleep hormone melatonin. It is also found in bananas. Phenylalanine is necessary for, among other things, the production of the happiness hormone dopamine.
RESUME
Hazelnuts contain many amino acids such as cystine, tryptophan and phenylalanine, which are important for bodily functions, happiness hormones and sleep hormones.
It is rich in healthy nutrients
Hazelnuts are a source of many healthy nutrients, such as thiamin and iron. Thiamine (vitamin B1) plays an important role in our energy supply. Iron is important for the production of red blood cells.
Unfortunately, hazelnuts also contain phytic acid, which may reduce the absorption of certain minerals (such as iron).
Hazelnuts also contain various antioxidants. Antioxidants capture free radicals, which are caused by oxidative stress as a result of body processes and external factors such as sunlight and smoking.
These free radicals are believed to cause premature aging and diseases such as cancer. As a result, hazelnuts may be able to prevent these diseases.
Please note: the majority of these nutrients are found in the skin of the hazelnut. The blanched variant has been stripped of the skin, which negates many health benefits.
RESUME
Hazelnuts are rich in nutrients, antioxidants and healthy fats. The skin contains many benefits, but phytic acid can reduce the absorption of some minerals.
It contains healthy vegetable fats
Hazelnuts consist largely of fats. Fats can keep you feeling full for longer, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. The majority of the fats consist of unsaturated fats, the good fats.
By eating as many unsaturated fats as possible instead of saturated fats, you reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Unsaturated fats increase HDL cholesterol (healthy cholesterol). Saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol (unhealthy cholesterol). The more LDL cholesterol you have, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In a small study with 21 subjects, a reduction in total cholesterol, triglycerides (bad fats in the body) and LDL cholesterol was seen after eating a lot of hazelnuts. 18 to 20% of the total energy intake of these subjects consisted of hazelnuts.
A reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol was also seen in 9 other studies. In the studies, these results occurred with an intake of approximately 29 to 69 grams of hazelnuts per day.
Note: do you also want to eat more hazelnuts? Then it is important to look at your total diet. Hazelnuts contain many calories, which can quickly cause you to consume too much energy.
RESUME
Vegetable fats in hazelnuts can promote satiety and unsaturated fats reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Watch out for calorie intake when eating more hazelnuts.
It provides a feeling of satiety for longer
Hazelnuts contain a lot of fats and proteins, both of which can keep you feeling full for longer [8]. In addition, these nuts contain 2.2 grams of dietary fiber per 25 grams, which can also ensure a longer feeling of satiety.
This makes it easier to maintain your weight, which means you have a lower chance of developing obesity-related conditions.
Are hazelnuts good for weight loss?
Hazelnuts can help you lose weight because they can keep you feeling fuller for longer. Moreover, this can cause you to lose less muscle mass.
Unfortunately, when you lose weight, you also lose muscle mass in addition to fat mass. The less muscle mass you lose, the higher your energy needs remain.
Muscle mass burns more energy (at rest and exercise) than fat mass. This makes it easier to lose weight. If your energy needs are lower, you have to eat even less to lose weight.
Finally, hazelnuts contain few carbohydrates and sugars, making them a good fit for a low-carb diet. This makes it an ideal snack if you are hungry between two large meals, for example.
You can also add them to a dish to eat more protein.
Is dark chocolate with hazelnuts healthy?
This depends on what type of dark chocolate was used. In the Netherlands, a chocolate may be called ‘dark chocolate’ if it contains at least 35% pure chocolate and at least 18% cocoa butter. However, this variant still contains quite a lot of sugar.
The higher the percentage, the less sugar and the more cocoa it contains. So the purer the chocolate, the healthier it is. Would you like to know more about why dark chocolate is healthy? Then read our article about dark chocolate and health.
Roasted or fresh hazelnuts which are healthier?
Raw (unroasted) hazelnuts are healthier. Valuable nutrients are lost during roasting. Roasted nuts also have a higher fat content because they are roasted in oil.
When are hazelnuts dangerous?
For most people, hazelnuts are not dangerous. Hazelnuts are only dangerous for people with a nut allergy or hazelnut allergy. Unfortunately, this cannot be cured either. If you have a nut allergy, you cannot eat other nuts, such as walnuts , pistachios and Brazil nuts .
Peanuts can often be eaten, because they are not actually nuts. With nut intolerance, some people can eat nuts such as hazelnuts in small quantities.
Can you eat too many hazelnuts?
Unfortunately, you cannot eat unlimited hazelnuts. Although hazelnuts are very healthy, they contain many calories. If you eat a lot of hazelnuts, there is a good chance that you are consuming too many calories. If this happens regularly, you can become overweight, which increases the risk of various (chronic) diseases.
A handful of nuts per day such as hazelnuts or cashew nuts is a good guideline. During a low-carb diet you can eat slightly more nuts.
Conclusion
Hazelnuts are very healthy. They are rich in protein and contain various nutrients, such as iron. It is best to choose the variant that has not been blanched and does not contain salt. Blanched hazelnuts have been stripped of the skin, which contains most of the nutrients.
