Health Benefits of Chestnuts, Nutrition Data, Uses, Recipes

Chestnuts are a collection of about 8 species of deciduous beech trees and shrubs that belong to the genus Castanea. They are native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The trees produce an edible nut that grows in a green, spiky shell which need to be peeled away to reveal the nut. They are now grown commercially throughout the world. Chestnuts are distinct from conkers derived from the Horse Chestnut tree, or water chestnuts that are used in Asian cuisines.

Discover the wide range of versatile uses for healthy chestnuts. Unsplash free images. Public Domain

Nutritional Profile of Chestnuts

See the table below for a nutrition summary

Nutrition Summary for Chestnuts 100 g (4 oz) Serving

Chestnuts have relatively fewer calories than most other nuts with just 149 calories in a 100 g serving. Unlike other nuts, they have relatively higher levels of carbohydrates with 28 g of carbohydrate per 100 g serving. Most other nuts have most of their calories in fats.

On the other hand, chestnuts have lower protein and fat than most other nuts with just 1.9 g and 2.2 g respectively in a 100 g serving. Most of the fat in chestnuts is unsaturated fat or ‘good fat’. Chestnuts are also a good source of fibre with 5.1 g per 100 g serving.

Other nutrients found in chestnuts include calcium, iron and zinc. Chestnuts also contain a healthy array of vitamins.

Principle	Nutritional Value	Percentage of RDA
Energy	213 Kcal	0.11
Carbohydrates	45.54 g	0.35
Protein	2.42 g	0.04
Total Fat	2.26 g	0.1
Cholesterol	0 mg	0
Dietary fiber	8.1 g	0.21
Vitamins
Folates	62 µg	0.155
Niacin	1.179 mg	0.07
Pantothenic acid	0.509 mg	0.11
Pyridoxine	0.376 mg	0.29
Riboflavin	0.168 mg	0.13
Thiamin	0.238 mg	0.2
Vitamin A	28 IU	0.01
Vitamin C	43 mg	0.72
Electrolytes
Sodium	3 mg	0
Potassium	518 mg	0.11
Minerals
Calcium	27 mg	0.03
Copper	0.447 mg	0.5
Iron	1.01 mg	0.13
Magnesium	32 mg	0.08
Manganese	0.952 mg	0.41
Phosphorus	93 mg	0.19
Zinc	0.52 mg	0.05
Phytonutrients

Chestnuts need to be popped out if their skins after boiling of roasting them first. Unsplash free images. Public Domain

Nutrient Comparison with Other Nuts

The table below provides a comparison of the nutrients in chestnuts with other nuts, highlighting the differences.

Food		Peanuts	Walnuts	Brazil Nuts	Almonds	Cashews	Hazelnuts	Pistachio	Pecans	Macadamia	Chestnuts
Weight (1 oz)	(g)	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28
Calories	kcal	161	186	184	164	157	178	162	202	204	56
Fats (total)	(g)	14	18.5	19	14.2	12.5	17.3	13	21.1	21.6	0.4
Mono Fats	(mg)	6937	2537	~	8960	6758	12965	6968	12484	16834	122
Poly Fats	(mg)	4418	13397	~	3501	2228	2249	3790	5842	425	140
Omega 3s	(mg)	1	2579	~	1	18	25	60	282	56	15
Omega 6s	(mg)	4418	10818	~	3501	2210	2225	3727	5560	370	125
Saturated Fats	(g)	1.8	1.7	4	1.1	2.2	1.3	1.6	1.8	3.4	0.1
Protein	(g)	7.3	4.3	4	6	5.2	4.2	6	2.7	2.2	0.5
Carbohydrate	(g)	4.6	3.9	3	6.1	8.6	4.7	8	3.8	3.8	12.5
Sugars	(g)	1.3	0.7	1	1.2	1.7	1.2	2.2	1.2	1.2	3
Fiber	(g)	2.4	1.9	2	3.6	0.9	2.8	2.9	2.7	2.3	1.4
Minerals
Calcium	(mg)	26.1	27.8	40	76.4	10.5	32.4	30.4	20.4	19.9	5.4
Iron, Fe	(mg)	1.3	0.8	0.7	1.1	1.9	1.3	1.1	0.8	0.8	0.3
Potassium, K	(mg)	200.2	125.2	~	208.2	187.4	193.1	286	120.4	103.1	137.5
Magnesium	(mg)	47.7	44.9	~	76.7	82.9	46.3	31	37.5	33.5	8.5
Phosphorus, P	(mg)	106.8	98.3	~	136.6	168.4	82.4	133.2	83.2	56.2	10.8
Sodium	(mg)	5.1	0.6	1.1	0.3	3.4	0	1.7	0.3	1.1	0.6
Zinc, Zn	(mg)	0.9	0.9	~	0.9	1.6	0.7	0.7	1.4	0.4	0.1
Copper, Cu	(mg)	0.3	0.5	~	0.3	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.1
Manganese	(mg)	0.5	1	~	0.6	0.5	1.8	0.4	1.1	0.9	0.1
Selenium, Se	(μg)	2	1.4	~	1.2	5.7	0.7	2.8	1.1	3.3	~
Fluoride, F	(μg)
Vitamins
Vitamin, A	RAE (μg)	0	0.3	~	0	0	0.3	3.7	2	0	0.3
Vitamin, C	(mg)	0	0.4	0	0	0.1	1.8	0.9	0.2	0.2	11.4
Thiamin, (B1)	(mg)	0.2	0.1	~	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0
Riboflavin, (B2)	(mg)	0	0	~	0.3	0	0	0.1	0	0	0
Niacin, (B3)	(mg)	3.4	0.3	~	1	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.6	0.3
Vitamin, B5	(PA) (mg)	0.5	0.2	~	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.1
Vitamin, B6	(mg)	0.1	0.2	~	0	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.1
Folate, (B9)	(μg)	68.2	27.8	~	12.5	7.1	32.1	14.5	4.5	2.8	16.5
Choline, (mg)		14.9	11.1	~	14.8	~	13	20.3	~	12.7	~
Carotene (μg)	(μg)	0	3.4	~	0.3	0	3.1	45.2	23.9	0	~
Vitamin, A IU		0	5.7	0	0.6	0	5.7	75.5	39.8	0	7.4
Vitamin, K	(μg)	0	0.8	~	0	9.7	4	3.7	~	0	~

Culinary Uses for Chestnuts

Once peeled the shiny nuts are very versatile and they can be eaten boiled or roasted, and they are equally at home in a wide variety of sweet or savoury dishes. Fresh chestnuts are never eaten raw, and have to be cooked before use because of their tanate content.
You need to extract the nuts from their double skins by first either roasting or boiling them whole. Firstly, use a sharp knife to make a small cut in the skin down to the nut inside, before boiling or roasting them or they could explode. Once the chestnuts are cooked, remove the tough outer shell, as well as the thin papery, parchment-like inner skin. Peel the nuts whilst hot as it is virtually impossible to peel a cold chestnut. Make sure you completely remove the inner brown furry skin, which is bitter.