Move Over Turkey!

FRESNO, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Each holiday season, the turkey and its sleep-inducing L-tryptophan gets all the attention for its 'chill-out' properties, but what many people don't realize is that adding a daily dose of pistachios to their diet can help battle the stressors of the season. Sound too good to be true? According to groundbreaking results of a study conducted by nutrition researchers at Penn State University and released earlier this year, eating pistachios may reduce your body's response to the stresses of everyday life. The Penn State study entitled, "Pistachios Reduce Blood Pressure and Vascular Responses to Acute Stress in Healthy Adults," led by nutrition scientist Dr. Sheila G. West, found that lifestyle changes, along with a healthy diet and exercise, can lessen the biological reactions to stress. Pistachios, when eaten in both 3 ounce and 1.5 ounce servings, resulted in study participants experiencing a significant reduction of the biological effects of acute stress. During the diets supplemented with pistachios, subjects had lower blood pressure during stress.

Do the Holidays Have YOU Stressed Out?

The holidays are often associated with the demands of holiday shopping, family obligations, social events and hectic travel. In fact, 76% of Americans claimed they felt stressed out during the winter holidays, according to a new national consumer study conducted by Kelton Research for the Western Pistachio Association. Instead of choosing more healthy alternatives to deal with their holiday stressors, 44% claimed they ate too much; 34% turned to alcohol; 25% said they stopped answering calls; 21% cancelled social engagements; and 14% even called in sick to work just to cope! The experts now recommend an even easier ingredient to cope with holiday stress -- snacking on pistachios.

"There is no way to completely remove stress from your life. From time to time, all of us have to cope with a hectic schedule, negative emotional reactions, or managing a busy family or work situation," said Dr. West, Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University. "However, when you experience even brief stressful situations, blood pressure and heart rate increase. My team and I showed that one to two servings of pistachios each day reduces blood pressure under resting conditions and even during exposure to stress in the laboratory."

As a nutrient dense food, pistachios have recently been praised for numerous health benefits including their antioxidant properties and being a naturally cholesterol-free food that has just 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving -- with the majority of fat coming from monounsaturated and polyunsatured fat -- the types of fat recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A one-ounce serving, or 49 nuts, contains more than 10% of the Daily Value for dietary fiber, vitamin B6, thiamin, phosphorus and copper. In the study by Dr. West, meals provided to the research subjects had lower levels of saturated fats. That fat was replaced by the unsaturated fat (the so-called "good fat") from pistachios. "Replacing bad fats with good ones is important because adding nuts to an already calorie rich diet would cause weight gain," said Dr. West.

The Western Pistachio Association teamed up with renowned nutritionist Dr. Constance Geiger, PhD, RD, CD to offer the top 10 tips to minimize stress of the season and stay healthy in 2008.

"The Penn State University study findings on the stress reduction properties of pistachios are very exciting and relevant this busy time of year," said Dr. Geiger. "Many people also tend to overeat or make poor nutrition choices during the holiday season. Instead of reaching for fried or high sugar foods, I'm advising people grab a handful of pistachios to help manage the effects of stress."

    The Top 10 Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

    *For holiday shopping trips, pack some unsalted pistachios, some fresh
     fruit, cut-up vegetables or string cheese sticks to help avoid impulsive,
     less healthful snack choices.
    *Keep a supply of water handy to stay hydrated. If you are dehydrated, you
     will feel hungrier. During the holidays it's easy to eat too much salt or
     sodium. Use Nutrition Facts labels to choose foods that are naturally
     lower in sodium like pistachios, fruits and vegetables.
    *Also use Nutrition Facts labels to choose foods lower in saturated fat
     and cholesterol, like fish, bean dips, whole grain foods, and, of course,
     pistachios.
    *Before heading out the door to a holiday soiree, eat a handful of
     pistachios and sip a calorie-free beverage so that when you arrive, you
     are not so hungry that you overeat.
    *At parties, choose small portions of 2 to 3 favorite items and some
     fruits and vegetables, and then focus your attention not on your plate,
     but on enjoying the company of your friends.
    *When dining out for holiday celebrations, opt for steamed, grilled or
     broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sauteed. Ask the waiter
     to bring the bread (without butter) with the entree instead of before the
     entree is served. Order an appetizer as your entree and a salad with the
     dressing on the side or a cup of soup.
    *Take at least half of the restaurant meal home to eat for the next day's
     dinner. This will save you calories, time and money.
    *While running holiday errands, park further away from the stores so you
     get in more steps.
    *Take the stairs instead of elevators.
    *Take a walk with family or friends and discuss how to coordinate holiday
     efforts so you're not overwhelmed.

For more information on pistachios, visit the Western Pistachio Association's website westernpistachio.org.

* The Western Pistachio Association Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between October 30--

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-November 1, 2007 using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population age 18 and above. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results