Health benefits of makhana (fox nuts)

Here's why you need to add makhanas to your daily diet.

In Ayurveda and Chinese medicines, fox nuts or Makhana is used extensively for controlling nasal bleeding, and gastritis. In India, it is used in various delicacies from snacks to desserts. In fact, makhanas have more health benefits than walnuts. Sohinee Seal, Senior Dietician, Fortis Hospital & Kidney Institute, Kolkata shares with us some more benefits about fox nuts:

Makhanas are great for weight loss as they are low calorie and rich in fibre content. Read: 6 home remedies for weight loss.
It also keeps a check on blood pressure, obesity, and other heart diseases due to its rich magnesium and low sodium content.
Fox nuts also contain a good amount of carbohydrates, magnesium, potassium, protein, fibre, zinc, phosphorous and iron. It is a power house of nutrients.
It is great for your skin as it contains an anti-ageing enzyme that helps repair the damaged proteins.
It is also a gluten-free product. You can add it to bajra, jowar and soybean flour to make gluten-free rotis. Read: 5 healthy alternatives for gluten sensitive people.
Makhanas are very beneficial for diabetics due to their low glycemic index. Those suffering from diabetes can snack on makhanas or add them to the curries or vegetables. The GI of makhana is lesser than that of bread or rice.
Natural flavonoids like kaempferol present in the nuts help in controlling, reducing and preventing inflammations.

How to use Makhana or fox nuts

Makhanas are an ideal snack for in-between meal hunger pangs. You can try them in raw or toasted form. Fox nuts can also be ground to a coarse powder and used as a topping for salads or soups. You can use toasted makhanas instead of croutons in your soup. Makhana powder can be added to regular flour to make paranthas and rotis.