Eating nougat is beneficial for health

We have associated that any sweet with sugar is harmful to our health, however, nougat contains other ingredients that make it a beneficial sweet in many ways.

We all know that Christmas sweets are a real ordeal for those who want to lose weight, as they have a huge caloric load. This, in its origins(here I leave you a post about the origin of nougat), was a point in its favor, since in times of food shortage, nougat was a perfect diet to have a reserve of calories. However, nowadays it seems that everything that has many calories is harmful to our health, and it is not always so.

The main ingredient of nougat is the almond and, although nuts have a high caloric value, they are extremely beneficial for keeping us healthy, and are even included in many slimming diets.

We tell you The many reasons why nougat is good for your health.

Nougat lowers cholesterol

It should be clarified that when we talk about nougat we are talking about the classic versions, that is to say, the hard nougat and the soft nougat, of artisan elaboration. Artisan nougat, such as the ones we elaborate at
Casa Mira
do not contain preservatives, invert sugars or flavor enhancers, unlike many nougat substitutes sold at industrial level.

All the ingredients of the artisan nougats are natural and preserve all the properties of their ingredients.

The base of nougat is the almond, which contains carbohydrates, vitamins B1, B2, PP, C, A, D and E, as well as vegetable proteins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and a great antioxidant power. Therefore, almonds prevent osteoporosis, provide essential fatty acids similar to those of olive oil and 75% of the acids they contain are unsaturated.

Studies carried out at the Pablo Olavide University in Seville and at the Miguel Hernández University in Elche, showed that Jijona type nougat lowered the ‘bad’ or LDL cholesterol in 74% of the participants, and 67% had lower triglyceride levels. The result is that most people had a total cholesterol reduction and a more favorable ratio between ‘bad’ and ‘good’ cholesterol (LDL or HDL).

This means that nougat reduced the risk of cardiovascular diseases of the heart and brain.

On the other hand, it should be added that almonds increase the antioxidant content in smokers, and contain a low index of sugars.

The Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin Jijona and Alicante establishes the minimum percentage of almonds that must be in soft and hard nougat to have a good quality. Jijona nougat must contain at least 64% almonds, while hard nougat must contain 60%. This makes nougat a healthy food as long as it is eaten in moderation.

What about the sugar in the nougat?

Added sugars are not good for health, however, turrón in its artisanal versions usually contains pure bee honey. In fact, the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin Jijona and Alicante states that it must contain at least 12% honey.

Originally, nougat was not made with sugar, but only with honey, but due to lower production costs and for a better handling of the product, nowadays most of the nougats contain some sugar. That is the only reason why nougat should be eaten in moderation.

In Casa Mira we offer nougat of excellent quality, handmade and with ingredients of unbeatable quality. Our almonds are of the Marcona variety, and the honey we use is rosemary honey. But the best way to find out the excellent quality of our turrones is to taste them.

We invite you to visit and get to know all the variety of nougat and sweets prepared in our workshop in our online store.