Feeling Nutty?

K. Dun Gifford is defending the honor of a much-maligned food group--nuts. The trouble with nuts, he says, is “a whole generation of marketing by people who make a living off of selling processed foods.”

Gifford is founder and president of the Cambridge, Mass.-based Oldways Preservation Trust, a food-issues think tank “that promotes healthy eating based on traditional healthy eating patterns.”

Its goal is for people to return to healthier ways of eating, a time when parents gave their children pistachios instead of corn chips as snacks.

“There is no question that nuts have fat in them; that’s a part of why they’re good for you and good tasting,” Gifford says. Fats are an essential part of a healthy diet--within limit.

Eating nuts, he says, is “no different from eating cream cheese on your bagel in terms of the content, except it’s a lot better for you.”

Unlike meat and dairy products, nuts have no cholesterol. They are, however, full of fiber, protein and oil. “For energy, they’re fantastic foods,” Gifford says. “Just don’t eat a bucket full of them.”

He also suggested rolling the nuts into a flour with a rolling pin (don’t use a food processor--the end result will be too oily) and use this, instead of wheat flour, to bread fish.

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NUTS

Almond: Born in the Eastern Mediterranean region, this nut is part of traditional desserts, such as marzipan and macaroons. High in fiber, potassium and vitamin E.

Honey roasted, 1 ounce

Calories: 168

Fat: 14 grams

Protein: 5 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Dry roasted, unblanched, 1 ounce

Calories: 166

Fat: 14.6 grams

Protein: 4.6 grams

Fiber: 3.8 grams

Cashew: This South American native is cultivated all over the world for all kinds of foods. Good source of vitamin E.

Dry roasted, no salt, 1 ounce

Calories: 163

Fat: 13 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fiber: .8 grams

Oil roasted, no salt, 1 ounce

Calories: 163

Fat: 13.6 grams

Protein: 4.5 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Pistachio: Native to the Persian Gulf, cultivation spread to Turkey and Syria, where they became a dietary staple. High in fiber and potassium.

Dried, 1 ounce

Calories: 164

Fat: 14 grams

Protein: 6 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Dry roasted, no salt, 1 ounce

Calories: 172

Fat: 15 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Brazil nut: Yes, they’re really from Brazil. Because of their high oil content, they get rancid easily. High in phosphorous.

Dried, unblanched, 1 ounce

Calories: 186

Fat: 19 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fiber: 1.5 grams

Macadamia nut: From Australia, they “have migrated around, so sweet and wonderful, everyone wants to grow them,” Gifford says. But just eat a couple of ounces, he says, “if you can stop there.”

Dried, 1 ounce

Calories: 199

Fat: 21 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Oil roasted, no salt, 1 ounce

Calories: 204.7

Fat: 21.8 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Fiber: 2.65 grams

Hazelnut or filbert: This Turkey native is used in cooking oils, especially in Europe. In the U.S., they’re mostly mixed up as nougat in chocolate bars. High in calcium and vitamin E.

Dried, unblanched, 1 ounce

Calories: 179

Fat: 18 grams

Protein: 3.6 grams

Fiber: 1.7 grams

Oil roasted, unblanched, 1 ounce

Calories: 187

Fat: 18 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fiber: 1.8 grams

Pecan: “It’s an American classic,” Gifford says. Popular in cookies, pralines and pies, pecans are grown all over the Southern states, especially Texas.

Dried, 1 ounce

Calories: 189

Fat: 19 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Dry roasted, 1 ounce

Calories: 187

Fat: 18 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Fiber: 2.6 grams

Walnuts They were first cultivated in France and Italy, where they are still used in cooking. They’re full of protein, potassium and omega-3 fats that may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Black, dried, 1 ounce

Calories: 172

Fat: 16 grams

Protein: 7 grams

Fiber: 1.4 grams

English, dried, 1 ounce

Calories: 182

Fat: 17.5 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fiber: 1.4 grams

Peanut: OK, so the peanut is a legume, not a tree nut for all you botanical nuts. Still, this omnipresent South American native is a good source of vitamin E and protein.

All types, raw, 1 ounce

Calories: 160.7

Fat: 14 grams

Protein: 7 grams

Fiber: 2.4 grams

All types, oil roasted, 1 ounce

Calories: 165

Fat: 14 grams

Protein: 7.5 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Nutritional source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/lisUNDERLINEnut.pl

Nutritional research by Scott Wilson, Los Angeles Times researcher