Pistachios

Antioxidant. In animal studies, pistachios are like a panacea for the cardiovascular system. Greek researchers looking at an extract from pistachio nuts found that it kept the wall of the aorta from thickening while also lowering levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and raising levels of good cholesterol (HDL). Italian investigators have praised of the antioxidants in pistachios, particularly in the skins, while Turkish researchers found that pistachios increased antioxidant activity in rats with high cholesterol.