Pine nuts are eaten raw or roasted; they are included as ingredients in a variety of traditional dishes, such as breads, candies, sauces and cakes, as well as vegetable, and meat dishes. Pine nuts–the teardrop-shaped is often used in making pesto.
Pine nuts are a good source of nutrients. Pine nuts are beneficial for checking blood lipids and controlling coronary heart disease (CHD). This is due to their containing only unsaturated fatty acids, whereas most other nuts also have monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily oleic acid.
While most tree nuts oils show a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid (18:1n-9), pine nut oil exhibits a fatty acid profile in which polyunsaturated (PUFA) are more abundant, especially linoleic acid. Linoleic acid can be transformed into cellular mediators that play an important role at the vessel level and improve blood coagulation.
Pine nuts
