GuidetoNutsandSeeds
GuidetoNutsandSeeds
Almonds
Theyarethefruitseedsofthesweetalmondtree,andarehighlynutritious.They
containmorecalciumthananyothernut,andhavethehighestdietaryfiberof
anynutorseed(3gramsperounce).Theyalsocontainhealthyamountsofiron,
riboflavin,andvitaminE.
BrazilNuts
TheyarethefruitofatallevergreentreethatgrowswildintheAmazonbasin.
Theygrowinclustersof12-36withinasinglehardshellthatresemblesacoconut.
Eachnuthasa3-sidedshellthatresemblesanavelorangesegment.Thenutin
richincalcium,phosphorus,andthiamin.
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GuidetoNutsandSeeds
Cashews
Thesekidneyshapednutsgrowinadoubleshellonthetopofsmallpear-shaped
fruits.Theyarealwayssoldshelled,becausetheshellscontainanoilthatis
caustic(cashewsarerelatedtopoisonivy).Careistakenduringtheextractionto
makesurethatthenutsaren’tcontaminated.Cashewsareagoodsourceofiron,
andfolacin(aBvitiamin).Theyarelowerintotalfatthanmostnuts,butare
relativelyhighinsaturatedfat.
Chestnuts
Theyhaveaglossyshellandaremahoganyincolor.Theygrowinsideprickly
burrs,whichbreakopenwhenthenutsareripe.Whentheyarefirstpicked,they
aremostlystarch,butafterafewdayssomeofthestarchturnstosugar.
Chestnutsdifferfromothernutsinthattheyaremostlycarbohydrates,butthey
areotherwiselowinfatandcalories.Chestnutsaretheonlynutthatcontainsany
VitaminC.
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GuidetoNutsandSeeds
Coconuts
Coconutsareanotherfruit,thefruitofthecoconutpalm.Unlikethefatinmost
nuts,nearlyallofthefatincoconutsissaturated.But,thesaturatedfatsin
coconutshasbeenknowntoraisetheamountof“good”cholesterol.Besides
beinghighinfiber,theydon’thaveanyredeemingquantitiesofvitaminsor
minerals.So,itshouldbeconsumedsparingly.
Hazelnuts
Thesesmallacorn-shapednutsarerichinfolacin,andareafairsourceofcalcium,
iron,andmagnesium.
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GuidetoNutsandSeeds
Macadamias
NamedafterDr.JohnMacadam,theAustralianthatdiscoveredthattheywere
edible.TheyareindigenoustoAustralia,butareprobablybestknownasa
productofHawaii.Theyhaveasweet,delicatetasteandcreamyrichtexture,but
containmorefatandcaloriesthananyothernut.Nutrientbenefitsofthe
macadamiaaresignificantamountsofiron,magnesium,andthiamin.
Peanuts
Notexactlyanut,peanutsaretheshelledseedsofaplantinthepeafamily.They
growinpodsundergroundandaresoftuntilroasted.Theyhavemoreprotein
thananyothernuts,withamoderatefatcontent.Theyareagoodsourceof
niacin,thiamin,folacin,anddietaryfiber–whileprovidingsignificantamountsof
amountsironandmagnesium.
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GuidetoNutsandSeeds
Pecans
TheyaretheseedofaspeciesofhickorythatisnativetoNorthAmerica.Thenuts
growinclustersandhavesmoothoblongorroundshells.Amongstallthenuts,
pecansarethehighestinfatsandlowestinprotein.
PineNuts
Theseareseedsofnutpinetrees.Theseedsgrowinpinecones.Theyare
harvestedbydryingthetheconestoreleasetheseeds.Theshellsarethen
crackedtoreleasethekernels.Sincetheharvestingprocessisn’tsimple,pinenuts
areusuallyprettyexpensive.Theyarerichinprotein,thiamin,iron,and
magnesium.
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GuidetoNutsandSeeds
Pistachios
Averypopularsnackfood.Grownonevergreentrees,thesepeanut-sizednuts
areagoodsourceofiron,thiamin,andphosphorous.Theyhavebeigeshellsand
greenkernels.Theyaresoldshelledorintheshells.
PumpkinSeeds
Theseseedshaveteardrop-shapedshellsthatarethinenoughtobecrackedopen
withyourteeth.Theyarehighinprotein,secondonlytothepeanut.Theyarealso
lowinfatandareanexcellentironsource.
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GuidetoNutsandSeeds
SunflowerSeeds
Thegrayandwhiteseedscomesfromthecenterofthetalldaisylikesunflower.
Shelledseedsaresoldassunflowerkernelornuts.Sunflowerseedsaresoldinthe
shellsinavarietyofflavors.Whencomparedtopumpkinseeds,sunflowerseeds
comeoutontop,beinghigherincalcium,thiamin,vitaminB6,andfolacin.But,
theyhaveahighercalorieandfatcontent.
Walnuts
Thesenutshaveahardshellwithawrinkledappearance.Theyaresoldinthe
shells,shelled,orinhalvesorpieces.ThemostcommonbeingtheEnglishwalnut,
hasahigherfatcontentthantheblackwalnut(whicharenotsoldonlargescale).
WalnutscontainafairamountofironandvitaminB6.
Sources:
Margen,Sheldon.TheWellnessEncylopediaofFoodandNutrition.Rebus,1992.Print
“FDAApprovesFirstQualifiedHealthClaim.”Nuthealth.org.Web.21May2016
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