Download Nuts for you - Livingston County, NY

Livingston County Office for the Aging
Senior Nutrition Program Newsletter – May 2013
Nuts for you
Nuts are among the oldest human foods, with records of eating pistachios dating back to
the Stone Age. “You might describe the Stone Age as the time of discovery of the first
trail mix”, says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of Tuft’s HNRCA Antioxidants
Research Laboratory. “Prehistoric nomads mixed ground almonds and pistachios with
chopped dates, sesame oil and breadcrumbs. It’s also interesting that almonds were found
in Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt”.
“While there are differences between nuts, such as the relative amount of mono- versus
polyunsaturated fatty acids or their different forms of vitamin E, their similarities are
more important,” Blumberg explains. These include being rich in good fats (and, thus
calories, too), protein and fiber and vitamin E and low in carbs.
Most of the foods we call “nuts” are “tree nuts” – botanically, a dry, hardened composite
of the seed and fruit of trees such as the walnut or almond tree. Tree nuts also include
Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (also called filberts), macadamias, pecans, pistachios and
even pine nuts, which really are the seeds of pine trees. Chestnuts are also tree nuts, but
are starchier and contain different micronutrients than other types. The notable exception
in the nut world is the peanut. Despite commanding two-thirds of the US’ nut market
(including peanut butter), peanuts are actually legumes, like beans or peas, and grown in
the ground rather than on trees.
Nuts are an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium. Individuals consuming nuts
also have higher intakes of folate, beta-carotene, vitamin K, lutein plus zeaxanthin,
phosphorus, copper, selenium, potassium and zinc per 1,000 calories… Nuts are an
excellent source of phytochemicals (phytosterols, phenolic acids, flavonoids).
Ideas for going nuts
One way to add nuts to your diet is like a
condiment, according to Tufts’ Jeffrey Blumberg and colleagues. For example:
 Add slivered almonds to steamed vegetables. * Add toasted nuts to vegetables
stir-fries. *Sprinkle nuts on top of low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. *Top
green salads with nuts instead of cheese or meats. * Use ground nuts in sauces. *
Try ground nuts in place of some flour in cakes and cookies.
***********************************************************************
Nuts from a to w
Almonds. Today 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in California; they are the
most popular tree nut, accounting for 13% of the US nut market. Almond trees flower
like fruit trees, producing a nut that develops within a protective hull. Among tree nuts,
almonds are highest per ounce in protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin and niacin.
Brazil nuts. Brazil nuts really do come from Brazil- specifically, giant trees that
grow in the Amazon rain forest. The nuts grow in clusters of 8 to 24 within a hardshelled, 4-to-6” coconut-like pod. They are highest among all nuts in saturated fat, but
are an excellent source of magnesium and among the richest dietary sources of selenium.
Cashews. Believed to have originated in South America, cashew trees produce fruit
with two distinct parts: a fleshy, rounded stalk called a cashew “pear” or “apple” and a
kidney-shaped nut that hangs from its lower end. Among tree nuts, they are highest in
zinc, copper and iron.
Hazelnuts. Also called filberts, hazelnuts are among the world’s oldest
agricultural crops. They are good sources of vitamin E, copper and manganese.
Macadamias. Commercially cultivated only since 1858, macadamias are named
for John McAdam, a Scottish-born scientist who first cultivated them. Macadamia nuts
are highest in calories and total fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat.
Pecans. A member of the hickory family, the pecan developed in the Americas and
was an important food source for native tribes. Pecans have been calculated to be highest
in total antioxidants. They are also richest in the gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E.
Peanuts. Botanically legumes-edible seeds enclosed in pods-rather than tree nuts,
peanuts are nonetheless nutritionally similar to true nuts. Peanuts are a good source of
vitamin E, fiber, magnesium and folate and an excellent source of niacin.
Pine nuts. Found inside pine cones, the pine nut is known in the American
Southwest as the pinon and in Italian cuisine as pinoli (or pignoli). Avoid Chinese pine
nuts, whose strong flavor can overwhelm foods and which has been linked to lingering
bitter or metallic taste. An ounce of pine nuts provides 120% of the daily value for
manganese.
Pistachios. Pistachios originated in the Middle East. Distinguished by its green
shell, the pistachio is the only nut whose shell partly opens – making it the sole tree nut
that can be roasted in its shell. Pistachios are tops among tree nuts in potassium and
vitamin B6.
Walnuts. Among the first tree nuts to be eaten by humans, walnuts are the highest
in polyunsaturated fat and the only nut containing a significant amount of ALA, the plant
type of omega-3 fatty acids.
Storing nuts: keep nuts in an airtight container in your refrigerator or sealed plastic bag
in your freezer; don’t store near foods whose odors might be absorbed by the nuts.
Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, May 2012.