Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… Lyrics synonymous with the festive period. While we might hum along with Nat King Cole, chestnuts also have myriad nutritional and flavoursome attributes. They are rich in fibre, predominantly the insoluble type, which helps to support regularity in our daily movements. They also ‘feed’ microbes in the gut, which produce beneficial substances that help build a stronger immune system and a healthier gut overall. In just a small serving of eight to nine sweet chestnuts, you could gain four grams of fibre, which equates to approximately 15 per cent of your daily intake, and it’s nutrition your microbes will love, too – which is handy during party season, when we might be indulging in ‘less gut-supportive’ foods.
Chestnuts, like some other nuts, are a source of B vitamins, which support many processes in the body, including energy production. They differ from other nuts more generally, because chestnuts are higher in carbohydrates, which also provide energy. Vitamin C, with its protective antioxidants and importance in skin health, is also more appreciable in chestnuts than other nuts.