Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein, healthy fats, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. Nuts and seeds regulate body weight as their fats are not fully absorbed, they regulate food intake and help burn energy.
First thing’s first: Botanically speaking, nuts are a complicated food group. They don’t always mean what they say or say what they mean. For example, a peanut isn’t a nut at all but rather a legume because it grows in a pod underground versus on a tree.
Cashews, on the other hand, do grow on trees just as traditional tree nuts do, but they are technically considered a seed. Reason being: Cashews as we know them to grow attached to a fruit that’s called a cashew apple. Think of peaches. The pit is a seed because it’s an accessory to what the tree considers its real prize — the fruit.
Then comes the issue of raw nuts versus roasted nuts. Both have similar nutrient content. Raw nuts or dry roasted nuts are generally assumed to be healthier than wet roasted nuts due to the additional oil. However, some research shows that it minimally impacts the fat content, though you run more risk for oxidation because you’re heating oil.
Now that we’ve established the nuts are tricky little things, ready to learn more about each one?
15 Common Types of Nuts – Nutritional Value, Health Benefits
Almonds
Almonds are seeds that come from the almond tree. They’re hard but sweet, and they’re used to create almond milk, almond oil, and even almond flour. You might chop them up in salads. Try adding sliced almonds to vegetable sides like this green bean dish. You can also candy almonds and use them to make crust or breading.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (143 g): 30g protein, 71g fat, 30g carbohydrates, 17g fiber, 6g sugar, 1048mg potassium, 1mg sodium.
Marcona almond
These look similar to macadamia nuts. You may have eaten them on a cheese and charcuterie board or eaten them roasted with seasoning. Their sweetness makes them a delicious snack.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (144g): 24g protein, 88g fat, 24g carbohydrates, 16g fiber, 12g sugar, 560mg sodium.
Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts (which are seeds that come from the aptly named brazil nut tree) originate in the rainforest and have a buttery flavor. They are high in fat, but it’s the good kind. They’re most often blanched or eaten raw.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (120g): 16g protein, 80g fat, 16 g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 4g sugar, 0mg sodium.
Cashew
Their buttery and salty taste makes it hard to stop popping cashews. They are often made into cashew milk and nut butter. Beyond snacking, cashews can also be added as a garnish in stir-fries, and I like to use them in homemade granola bars.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (112g): 20g protein, 52g fat, 32g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 4g sugar, 344mg sodium.
Chestnuts
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” isn’t just a song lyric. People love to roast and eat them. Just don’t eat the shell or skin. They have a spongy, soft texture once cooked (mostly when you boil them). They taste more grainy than nutty and are often compared to the taste of sweet potatoes. Once cooked, they are also buttery and soft like a potato.
- Nutritional profile: Per cup (150g): 2.45g protein, 1.88g fat, 66g carbohydrates, 3mg sodium, 727mg potassium, 45mg magnesium, 60mg vitamin C.
Coconut
Coconuts conjure up images is summertime, but once the “meat” is dried, there’s so much you can do with coconuts. You can buy coconut in flakes, desiccated, or shredded, and it comes both sweetened and unsweetened. Add it to salads, oatmeal, crusts, and baked goods.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (93g, dried and shredded): 2.68g protein, 33g fat, 44g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 40g sugar, 244mg sodium, 313mg potassium.
Hazelnuts
Probably best known as a part of the tasty twosome that makes Nutella or Gianduja so delicious, hazelnuts are small, round, and sweet. Like almonds and cashews, you can also ground hazelnuts to use in seafood crusts and baked goods. They’re crunchy and have thin brown skin that flakes off when cooked.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (135mg): 20g protein, 82g fat, 22g carbohydrates, 13g fiber, 6g sugar, 0g sodium, 918g potassium.
Macadamia
Although most known for their role in sugary cookies, brownies, and other desserts, macadamia nuts are high in healthy fat. You can also add them to salads and puree them into soups. Additionally, turn them into nut butter as a great baking substitute for traditional butter.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (134g): 10g protein, 101g fat, 18g carbohydrates, 11g fiber, 6g sugar, 7mg sodium, 492mg potassium.
Pili nuts
As one of the lesser-known types of nuts, you might not recognize them right away. They resemble the teardrop shape of almonds but may be smaller. Taste-wise, they’re most like sunflower seeds or pine nuts. Their lighter notes lend them well to salads and garnishing. Try lightly toasting them and snacking away.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (120g): 12g protein, 95g fat, 4.78g carbohydrates, 4mg sodium, 608mg potassium, 690mg phosphorus.
Peanuts
Despite not being a nut at all, they’re technically a legume. Peanuts are often used in snack mixes with other nuts, and of course, peanut butter. They are also used in Asian cuisine and stir-fries to add crunch and texture. Since they’re sweet, they’re also great in baked goods (for example, try this salted dark chocolate tart).
Nutritional profile: Per cup (146g): 37g protein, 71g fat, 6.89g sugar, 26mg sodium, 1029mg potassium, 245mg magnesium.
Pecans
Pecans are funnier looking than some nuts, being large and crinkled, but their sweetness makes a great baking partner (especially on these sticky buns). Glaze or toast them as their own sweet snack. Add them to leafy greens salads or chicken salad.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (99g, halves): 9g protein, 71g fat, 13g carbohydrates, 9g fiber, 4g sugar, 0g sodium, 406mg potassium.
Pine Nuts
Possibly the smallest nut on this list, pine nuts are perfect for toasting and adding to salads. It brings out their light, sweet flavor. They are light in color and have a soft, oily texture. And we can’t forget, pine nuts are a vital ingredient when making your own pesto.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (135g): 18g protein, 92g fat, 17g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 4.85g sugar, 339mh potassium, 805mg potassium, 3mg sodium, 339mg magnesium.
Pistachio
As one of the more rich-tasting nuts, pistachios make a great crust for seafood but lend themselves equally well to desserts (ehm, pistachio ice cream anyone?). They are green underneath their light brown shells, which aren’t meant to be eaten.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (123g): 24.80g protein, 55g fat, 33g carbohydrates, 13g fiber, 9g sugar, 603mg phosphorus, 1mg sodium, 1261mg potassium.
Tiger nut
Here’s another lesser-known type of nut. They are small and wrinkly looking, like a chickpea with more texture. They sometimes look like corn-puffed cereal. They taste earthy with slight sweetness, and they’re chewier than you might expect after snacking on other more well-known nuts. You can eat them straight as a snack, or add to salads and oatmeal.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (159g): 10.61g protein, 37g fat, 100g carbohydrates, 52g fiber, 47g sugar, 0mg sodium, 1140g potassium, 159mg calcium.
Walnut
Walnuts look like small pieces of peanut brittle at a distance, kind of wild and misshaped. They are soft with some crunch. You can use them to replace pine nuts in pesto, use them in Asian dishes like this kung pao chicken, or chop them and add to salads and slaws.
Nutritional profile: Per cup (120g): 20g protein, 80g fat, 16g carbohydrates, 12g fiber, 0g sodium, 80mg calcium.
Benefits of nuts
Most nuts have very similar macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) profiles, but different types of nuts may have slightly different micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) content.
Nuts have about 29 kJ of energy per gram, and are:
- High in ‘good – monounsaturated fats (most nut types) and polyunsaturated fats (mainly walnuts).
- Low in saturated fats.
- Good sources of dietary protein – a good alternative to animal protein.
- Some nuts are also high in amino acid arginine, which keeps blood vessels healthy.
- Free of dietary cholesterol
- High in dietary fiber.
- Rich in phytochemicals that act as antioxidants.
- Rich in vitamins and minerals – vitamins include – E, B6, niacin, and folate) and minerals include – magnesium, zinc, plant iron, calcium, copper, selenium, phosphorus, and potassium.
Benefits of seeds
Like nuts, most seeds are rich in:
- protein, healthy fats, and fiber
- minerals (such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, plant iron, and zinc),
- vitamins B1, B2, B3, and vitamin E.
Oily seeds also contain antioxidants that stop the fats from going rancid too quickly.
Due to the unique nutrient profiles of nuts and seeds, they are known to provide several health benefits, such as:
- helping to maintain your weight
- reducing your heart disease risk
- reducing your diabetes risk.
Nuts, seeds, and weight management
Although nuts and seeds are high in energy and fats, eating nuts is not connected with weight gain. In fact, based on large population studies, higher nut intake has been associated with lower body weight.
When included as part of a weight-loss diet, nuts have been shown to enhance weight loss and fat loss in the abdominal region.
Lower fat in the abdominal region means a lower risk for chronic diseases (such as heart disease and diabetes). Therefore, nuts should be part of a healthy diet.
The Australian Dietary recommend 30 grams of nuts on most days of the week.
Nuts help with:
- Fat absorption – fats in nuts are not fully digested and absorbed by the body. When fewer fats are absorbed it means that less energy from nuts is absorbed too.
- Hunger and fullness – nuts help to suppress our hunger. As a result, food intake is reduced. This effect is due to the protein, fat, and fiber content of nuts.
- Energy expenditure – research suggests that nuts can increase the amount of energy we burn. The energy we burn following a nut-enriched meal comes from fat sources, meaning that we burn more and store less fat.
The effect of seeds on body weight has not been researched extensively but is likely to be similar to nuts as they are also high in protein, healthy fat, and fiber.
Nuts and heart disease risk
Including nuts as part of your diet has been linked with a lower risk of heart disease.
Although high in fats, nuts are good sources of healthy fats (such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), and are low in (unhealthy) saturated fats.
This combination of ‘good fats’, makes nuts heart-healthy – they help to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, (known as ‘bad cholesterol) in the body.
LDL cholesterol can add to the build-up of plaque (fatty deposits) in your arteries, which can increase your risk of coronary heart disease.
Nuts also help to maintain healthy blood vessels and blood pressure (through their arginine content) and reduce inflammation in the body as they are high in antioxidants.
Recommended daily serving of nuts
The Australian Dietary recommend 30 grams of nuts on most days of the week
for adults.
One serving quals approximately 30 grams – or 1/3 of a cup (or one handful).
Since all nuts have a similar nutrient content, a wide variety of nuts can be included as part of a healthy diet. This equates to about:
- 30 almonds
- 10 Brazil nuts
- 15 cashews
- 20 hazelnuts
- 15 macadamias
- 15 pecans
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 30 pistachios
- 10 whole walnuts or 20 walnut halves
- a small handful of peanuts or mixed nuts.
How to include nuts and seeds in your diet
Different types of nuts have slight differences in their vitamin and mineral content, so eating a variety of nuts will increase your levels of various nutrients. Tips on how to make nuts and seeds a part of your diet include:
- Instead of snacking on biscuits or pieces of cake as a snack, have a handful of raw or dry-roasted nuts.
- Combine nuts and seeds with low-energy-dense foods (such as vegetables). This is a good way to enhance vegetable-based meals – such as in Asian-style dishes or added to a salad.
- If you are vegan or vegetarian, nuts and seeds are a good protein substitute for meats, fish, and eggs. They also contain fat, iron, zinc, and niacin. You may need more than 30 grams of nuts and seeds a day to ensure adequate protein.
- Eat them with vitamin C-rich foods and add them to drinks (such as tomato, capsicum, orange, and citrus juices) to boost your iron absorption.
- There is no need to soak or remove the skin of nuts (or ‘activate’ them) unless you prefer the flavor and texture of soaked nuts. In fact, the skin of nuts is high in phytochemicals that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Roasting nuts (either dry or in oil) enhances their flavor but has little impact on their fat content. This is because nuts are physically dense and cannot absorb much oil, even if they are submerged in it. Most nuts only absorb 2% of extra fats.
- Salted nuts are not recommended due to their higher sodium content – especially if you have high blood pressure. Save salted nuts for parties and make raw and unsalted roasted nuts your everyday choice.
Nut warnings
Be mindful of the risks when eating nuts.
Nuts can be a choking hazard
Whole nuts are not suitable for children under 3 years because they may cause choking if they are not chewed well. However, nut and seed spreads or paste (such as peanut or almond butter, or nut and seed oils) can be included in young children’s diets from 6 months.
Nuts can trigger allergic reactions
All tree nuts, peanuts, and seeds may trigger life-threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) in those with nut allergies.
Unlike many other allergies where children seem to ‘grow out of it’, peanut allergies tend to persist into adulthood.
There is no cure for allergies, so if you or your child have a nut or seed allergy, avoid nuts, seeds, and foods containing them until you have seen a doctor who specializes in food allergies (an allergist). They will conduct medically supervised food tests to find out which nuts or seeds you may be allergic to.
Nuts and seeds should be introduced to infants in the form of kinds of butter or pastes, to prevent choking. Do not give whole nuts to your child until they are 3 years.
Read food labels for traces of nuts and seeds
Always read food labels to check nuts and seeds are not present.
Beware of products that ‘may contain traces of nuts and/or seeds. ‘Cross-contamination’ can occur during manufacturing when products without nuts and seeds are made in the same facility or on the same equipment as those containing nuts and seeds.
Storing
Storing nuts in airtight containers is the way to go. Nuts will last about twice as long when stored with shells on (about 6 months versus 3 months in the fridge or 1 month in your pantry). And yes, you read that right. Nuts won’t last as long at room temperature, so many experts suggest storing them in the fridge to limit heat and light exposure. The more oily the nut, the more likely it is to go rancid at room temp.
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