Reasons You Should Eat Pine Nuts
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines. About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of notable value as a human food.
Rich in Vitamins E and K
Pine nuts provide generous amounts of the essential vitamins E and K. Both of these nutrients have an effect on your cardiovascular system — vitamin K allows you to form clots to prevent bleeding after injury, while vitamin E helps you produce red blood cells essential for oxygen transport. Each ounce of pine nuts contains 2.7 milligrams of vitamin E, or 18 percent of your recommended daily intake, established by the Institute of Medicine. Pine nuts also provide 15 micrograms of vitamin K per ounce — 12 percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 17 percent for women.
Rich in Manganese and Zinc
Incorporate pine nuts into your diet to reap the benefits of their manganese and zinc content. Manganese helps maintain your body’s hormone balance and connective tissue strength, while zinc supports your immune system and aids in wound healing. Each ounce of pine nuts provides 2.5 milligrams of manganese — your entire daily recommended intake — and also contains 16 percent of the recommended daily zinc intake for men and 23 percent for women, as determined by the Institute of Medicine.
Rich in Iron and Magnesium
Pine nuts’ iron and magnesium contents also offer health benefits. Iron plays a key role in helping your body transport and store oxygen, and it also helps your cells produce useable energy. Magnesium also contributes to energy production, and it makes up a part of your teeth and bones. Consuming an ounce of pinenuts boosts your iron and magnesium intakes by 1.6 and 71 milligrams, respectively. For women, this amounts to 9 percent of the daily iron and 22 percent of the daily magnesium intake, recommended by the Institute of Medicine. For men, each ounce of pine nuts also provides 20 and 17 percent of the recommended daily intakes of iron and magnesium, respectively.