Most people don't think of nuts as a low-fat food, but chestnuts are the exception!

Low in fat, 2-1/2 cooked chestnuts, or approximately 1 ounce, contain only 1 gram of fat compared to a handful of cashews containing about 12 to15 grams of fat. They are also low in calories with those same cooked chestnuts containing only 60 calories.

Protein is not a highpoint for chestnuts as they contain 1 gram in the same serving size. However, unlike other nuts, they are very starchy, making them high in carbohydrates and great for carbo loading before an athletic event. It's their carbohydrates that make chestnuts, once dried and ground, into an excellent, nutritious flour and great for those who need to be gluten free in their diets.

Of all the nuts, chestnuts are the only ones that contain vitamin C. One ounce of boiled or steamed chestnuts delivers 7 mg. of vitamin C, while the dried variety has more than double that amount with 16.6 mg. for one ounce.

All three common varieties, the Chinese, Japanese, and European, contain B vitamins including folacin. All have small amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc and are a rich source of potassium.