Hazelnut enjoys the reputation of "the king of nuts". It is one of the four favorite nuts of the people. This reputation of hazelnut is highly related with its rich nutritional value. Compared with other nuts, hazelnut has a lot of outstanding advantages. 

Hazelnut contains a large number of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among the total fat in hazelnut, the monounsaturated fatty acids occupy 77.7%, and the polyunsaturated fatty acids account for 9.5%. The monounsaturated fatty acids can help reduce the low-density lipoprotein in the blood, so it has a good effect for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. As for the polyunsaturated fatty acids, after they enter into human body, they can produce a substance called as DHA, which can improve the memory and judgement, improve the optic nerve, and make people more intelligent. Therefore, hazelnut is especially suitable for the mental workers who sit in front of the computer all day long.

In addition, hazelnut contains all the 8 kinds of amino acids needed by the body, and its content is far higher than the walnut. What's more, it is rich in arginine and aspartic acid. Both of the two kinds of amino acid can increase the activity of the arginase, so as to exclude the ammonia in the blood, thus can prevent cancer, enhance immunity, as well as reduce fatigue.

What's more, hazelnut contains a great amount of calcium, phosphorus and iron, and the content is much more than any other nut. Every 100 grams of hazelnuts contains 316 mg of calcium, which is three times than that of almond, and four times than that of walnut; while the content of phosphorus is 556 mg, which is higher than other nuts; and iron is 8.6 mg, which is one to three times than that of other nuts.

There are many ways of eating hazelnut. It can be cooked and eaten directly, and can also be used for the preparation of pastries and sweets. Or, you can put it in the cereals such as polished round-grained rice, and make them into porridge together. In such a way, the nutrition of the foods can complement with each other.

However, as hazelnut is a kind of high-fat and high-calorie food, so you pay attention not to eat too much every time, with 20 or so each time is appropriate. What's more, people who suffer from severe liver disease also should not eat too much of it.