Pistachios are one of my favorite kind of nuts, mainly because a) they take longer to eat when you have to shell them, and b) you get to eat more compared to other types of nuts! An ounce of pistachios will give you 49 nuts per serving compared to only 28 peanuts or 18 cashews. About 30 pistachios comes to 100 calories, and gives you a nice balance of healthy fats and protein.
What’s great about in-shell pistachios is that the shells left behind as you eat will actually help serve as a visual cue that you have eaten enough. This “Pistachio Principle” – as the Pistachio Health Institute calls it – can help to “fool yourself full.” In other words, seeing the pistachio shells piling up can help to convince your mind that you’ve had enough. One study found that those eating shelled pistachios ate 41 percent fewer calories compared to those who consumed shelled pistachios! The group that spent time cracking open those shells and watching them pile up only ate 125 calories of pistachios for a snack – compared to 211 calories for those eating already shelled pistachios.
It’s actually kind of amazing how these visual and environmental cues affect our eating. There’s tons of research out there showing that eating from smaller plates/bowls/packages can help to reduce calorie intake.
Pistachio Snack Pairings!
I put together three pistachio pairings to help with upcoming snack attacks. Each pairing is healthy, filling, and tastes great together. These are larger snacks – about 200 to 300 calories – so they’d be best classified as a “mini-meal”. They’re a great option when it’s been several hours since your last meal and will be another few hours until your next meal. If you’re just trying to find a snack to hold you over for an hour or so before dinner, though, you could have smaller portions of each or just choose one item from the snack pairings.
Sweet & Salty Treat
30 In-Shell Pistachios + ½ Cup Pineapple + Two Small Pieces of Dark Chocolate
{about 275 calories}
*This one is totally my favorite. Sweet juicy pineapple, salty pistachios, and rich dark chocolate. Yummmm.*
Deconstructed Trail Mix
30 In-Shell Pistachios + ½ cup of whole grain cereal + ¼ cup raisins or dried cranberries
{about 280 calories}
Protein-Packed Pairing
30 In-Shell Pistachios + 3 slices of turkey + 2 thin-sliced pieces of provolone cheese
{about 270 calories}
If you’re loving all these pistachio snack ideas and information, you’ll want to visit the Pistachio Health Institute website to check out more information about the health benefits of pistachios. And you can also head on over to their Facebook Page and enter to win a year’s supply of pistachios!!
Share with me: What is your favorite way to eat pistachios – solo or with another food? What would you pair with pistachios?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Chrissy Carroll
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Melissa Dixon says
April 2, 2015 at 11:02 amI love pistachios, these are great pairing ideas. Thanks for the suggestions, I know what I will be snacking on tonight!
laura says
April 2, 2015 at 12:03 pmThis looks so yummy!
Jessica M says
April 2, 2015 at 2:06 pmI like my pistachios just as they are maybe a slice of cheese. Im going to buy a bag and pack them up in 30 ct servings
Chrissy Carroll says
April 10, 2015 at 9:58 amThat’s a great idea about making your own snack packs of 30 pistachios!
BellaVidaLetty says
April 2, 2015 at 2:53 pmI really enjoy reading about healthy eating. Yummy