Pecans

Pecans are the buttery, mild nuts of the North American pecan tree, close relatives of the walnut. Eat them plain, toasted on salads and porridge or in pie.

What are pecans? North America's answer to the walnut

At Christmas, lots of people crack European walnuts, which can taste bitter, dry and a little musty. North America has something much milder: the reddish, amber-brown pecan (Carya illinoinensis). It looks like a long, smooth, glossy walnut with the same tightly folded, brain-like kernel – but it's hardly bitter at all. Pecans melt on the tongue, soft, buttery and creamy, with naturally sweet notes of vanilla, toast and caramel. In low-carb circles they count as the most luxurious nut you can snack on.

What's in pecans: how they compare with walnuts

When nuts are compared in the lab for their antioxidants, pecans come out well ahead:

• Antioxidant capacity (USDA ORAC): Researchers at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) measured the antioxidant capacity of a long list of nuts in the lab. Pecans came first – ahead of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts.
• Gamma-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E): Pecans contain gamma-tocopherol, a fat-soluble form of vitamin E that sits in the nut's oil.

What studies have measured: oxidised LDL and fullness

Pecans and oxidised LDL cholesterol

Cholesterol in your blood isn't automatically the enemy – your body needs it as a building material, for example to make testosterone. Researchers are more interested in oxidised LDL cholesterol. In one trial, overweight adults at higher cardiovascular risk ate a large handful of raw pecans every day for eight weeks. At the end, the researchers measured lower levels of oxidised LDL in their blood than at the start.

A low-carb nut: about 72% fat

With about 72% fat, most of it monounsaturated, and only about 4 g of carbs per 100 g once you leave out the fibre, pecans fit easily into keto and low-carb eating. Lots of fat, very few carbs: a small handful makes a filling snack.

Watch out: the pecan pie trap

At Thanksgiving, many Americans turn this nut into pecan pie – where it sits in a thick, sticky filling made with large amounts of syrup. That makes a very sugary dessert out of a simple nut. Pecans are at their best plain: unsweetened, raw and crunchy, as a snack next to a cup of black coffee.