Are you nuts about nuts? Are they really nutritious or are they actually quite fattening? What is the most popular nut? Well, I personally love nuts and I know I am not alone in this category. So, I decided to get a little nutty and answer some of these questions.
Nutritious v. Fattening
Nuts are one of those special types of foods that are both nutritious and fattening! But, not in the way you might think. Nuts are full of fiber, protein, and fat, but the good kind! This is the type of fat that helps protect the heart from the risk of disease. These fats include polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, as well as omega 3 and omega 6.
Almonds are one of the most popular types of nuts and they are full of protein, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, and more! They are thought to help reduce levels of cholesterol in the body, assist in weight loss, and may aid in lowering blood sugar for diabetics.
Pistachios are popular for their fiber content. They are also fish in fat, protein, carbohydrates, and vitamin E. They too aid in reducing cholesterol, risk of heart disease, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Walnuts offer omega 3 and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) as well as fat, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E. The ALA highly contributes to the walnut’s ability to reduce the risk of heart disease, cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation.
Peanuts are part of the legume family. They contain protein, carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, and fat. These qualities are repetitive among nuts of all kinds, although the levels vary in each. However, peanut intake is said to lower death rates and risk of heart disease. Also, it is believed that if pregnant women consume peanuts or peanut butter once or more each week of their pregnancy, they may greatly reduce the risk of their child developing allergies and asthma.
What is the most popular nut in the world
The most consumed nut in the world is the peanut. They are incredibly popular raw, roasted, salted, sweetened, candied, in candy bars and made into peanut butter. Peanut butter is made from roasted peanuts and turned into a spread. Canada is believed to be the birthplace of peanut butter, but it is made all over the world. Peanut butter is also a popular type of cookie. The recipe (thanks to www.barefeetinthekitchen.com) for peanut butter cookies is as follows:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of peanut butter
- 1 egg
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir the ingredients together until smooth. Scoop the dough mixture into 1 inch balls and place onto a parchment sheet. Roll the balls with your hands if you do not have a scoop.
- Make the criss-cross pattern on the top of the cookies by pressing down on the dough balls with a fork.
- Bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.
- Let cool before moving them to a wire rack.
The popularity of the peanut is closely followed by almonds and walnuts. Almonds are also available in a variety of forms including:
- Almond oil
- Raw
- Roasted
- Salted
- Candied
- In candy bars
- Almond milk
- And more!
The range of almond products is likely the reason for the second place in popularity behind peanuts. To my knowledge, there are few walnut products mirror those of peanuts or almonds.
Do not fear the nut! They are a great, nutritious staple that works well as a weight loss aid and can even be consumed to satisfy smoking urges when you’re trying to quit.
Fun fact!
There are nearly endless types of nuts from all over the world. However, it is interesting to note that some nuts may not be nuts at all! As a matter of fact, there are some nuts that are seeds. For example, cashews are not true nuts. They are seeds that are found in cashew apples (which grow on cashew trees). Also, peanuts (as mentioned above) are members of the legume family, not the tree nut family.
