![]() The Definitive Guide to Nuts. Of all Primal- approved food categories, none is more bedeviling to even seasoned followers of the lifestyle than nuts. The questions never end. What is a nut? When you’ve got all these nut- like gymnosperms, drupes, and legumes masquerading as nuts, what even qualifies as an actual nut? Does it even matter? Or phytic acid. Is it or isn’t it a problem? And soaking — am I supposed to soak every type of nut, just some nuts, or none of them? Aren’t nuts really high in omega- 6s, which we’re supposedly trying to limit or at least balance with our omega- 3 intake? How do we reconcile that conflict? Why is “hazelnut” one word, while “pine nut” is two? I’m out of breath, but this is a fairly representative sample of the nut- related questions I receive from readers. ![]() It is confusing, so today I’m going to give you the definitive guide to nuts. After today’s post, you’ll have a solid grasp of which nuts you should and maybe shouldn’t be eating. We've put together the Internet's biggest list of Paleo diet snack ideas! From sweet to savory, and everything in between, come find the perfect snack! You can find quite a few “comfort food reborn” recipes sprinkled around our site. And today’s cleaned-up meal idea, my Paleo Cashew Chicken Recipe, is an. Do you love road trips as much as I do? Samantha, my youngest sister, and I are on the ultimate road trip. Starting point: San Antonio, TX. Ending point: Seattle, WA. Almonds. Remember when you discovered almond meal? Suddenly, the world got a whole lot bigger and brighter. You cranked out Primal pancakes, cupcakes, cookies. You dusted chunks of chicken with powdered almonds before plopping them in hot oil to produce a chicken nugget that even Loren Cordain would begrudgingly accept. And then you gained some weight back, and your stomach felt kind of funny, and you started worrying about your PUFA ratios. So the almond meal got thrown out, and the sack of raw almonds soon followed. But wait: almonds themselves aren’t the problem. Your inability to moderate your use of almond meal is the problem. Give almonds another chance. In an ounce: 1. 63 calories. One of Mother Nature’s gifts to mankind, nuts and seeds, have been on this planet for centuries and up to this day, we’re still harvesting their healthy goodness. Of all Primal-approved food categories, none is more bedeviling to even seasoned followers of the lifestyle than nuts. The questions never end. What is a nut? If you’re new to the Paleo diet, remembering and memorizing the type of food that you can eat can be a little intimidating and confusing. Or if you’re a Paleo. ![]() ![]() A paleo diet food list of the most popular and accessible food items of Paleo. Includes meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs and spices. Jimmy Moore is dropping weight with the fervor of a college wrestler right now on his experimental ketogenic diet. In fact, he’s lost about 47 pounds in the last 3. MUFA, 3. 4 g linoleic acid (LA), 1. SFA6 g protein. 50% vitamin E2. B2. 31% copper. 18% magnesium. Benefits: Concerns: Almonds are a thirsty crop, with 1. California’s yearly water usage devoted to growing almonds. Phytate levels are high in almonds. Phytate has both good and bad sides (binds minerals and prevents their absorption on one hand, may be converted into beneficial compounds in the gut and have anti- cancer effects on the other), but a good compromise is to avoid a nut- heavy diet. Almonds are snacks and supplements, not the main course. Soaking and/or roasting almonds can also reduce phytate levels. Raw almonds are hard to procure. Most almonds advertised as raw on store shelves have been pasteurized. Purchasing directly from the producer/farmer can help you obtain truly raw, unpasteurized almonds. Can you soak? 1. 2 hours. Brazil Nuts. Lining the banks of South American rivers are towering trees whose falling fruits are large and hard enough to stave in skulls. On the bright side, cracking open the fruit reveals up to 2. These are Brazil nuts, and they deserve a spot in anyone’s diet. ![]() ![]() ![]() In an ounce: 1. 86 calories. MUFA, 5. 8 g LA, 4. SFA4. 1 g protein. B1 (thiamine)5. 5% copper. Benefits: The incredible selenium levels are the most obvious benefit to Brazil nuts, as unless you’re regularly eating animal kidneys and wild salmon, selenium can be hard to come by. But selenium is incredibly important for thyroid function, antioxidant capacity, immune function, cardiovascular health, cancer protection, and, you know what? It figures into just about every aspect of our health. And you don’t need to eat an ounce of Brazil nuts to get the benefits. A nut or two a day will get you adequate selenium. Concerns: The extreme selenium density of Brazil nuts causes some to worry about selenium toxicity, but I personally don’t. Extremely high doses of selenium in the form of Brazil nuts appear to be safe. Phytate levels are high in Brazil nuts, but since you don’t need to eat very many to obtain the benefits, it shouldn’t be problem. Can you soak? Some say yes, some say no. Do a trial run of a few hours with a couple nuts before soaking the whole batch. Cashews. Cashews also hail from Brazil, where they grow alongside a strange fruit called the cashew apple. The apple itself is actually edible and, from what I hear, quite delicious. The cashew shell, however, is lined with a poisonous resin called cashew balm. This also means that raw cashews aren’t exactly raw. They’re steamed (to extricate the nut from the shell). In an ounce: 1. 56. MUFA, 2. 2 g LA, 2. SFA5. 2 g protein. B1 (thiamine)6. 9% copper. Benefits: There’s not a ton of research on cashews. What little exists isn’t very conclusive. In one study, a high cashew diet had very little effect on markers of metabolic syndrome. If anything, blood glucose went up. Another found that although a “prudent diet” containing cashews were higher in antioxidants than a control diet, it left serum antioxidant biomarkers unchanged. One study did find that cashews improved baroreflex sensitivity, a marker of heart health. On the whole, they’re probably fine to eat, but they aren’t superfoods. Concerns: Can you soak? Yes, 2- 4 hours. Chestnuts. Though they hail from trees and enjoy membership in the nut club, chestnuts are unlike most other nuts: they’re starchy things, low in fat and protein, more akin to a tuber than a mac nut. But they’re decidedly Primal. They’re low in phytate, high in flavor, and can be eaten raw, roasted, or steamed. The taste of a perfectly well- roasted chestnut is uniquely satisfying. Nutty, sweet, tender. Kinda like Christmas. In an ounce: 1. 04. B1 (thiamine)1. 1% vitamin B6. Benefits: Nutrient powerhouses these are not and few studies into the health effects exist. I’m sure they’re perfectly healthy. Just don’t expect miracles. Concerns: The carb content is high, as chestnuts are more of a starch than a classic fatty nut. That’s not to say you shouldn’t eat them. Just be aware of the carbs and treat them more like potatoes than almonds. Chestnuts are really tricky to open. Anyone have a foolproof method? Exploding chestnuts. Can you soak? A half hour of soaking should make cooking and peeling easier. Hazelnuts. Hazelnuts, AKA filberts, aren’t popular snacking nuts. Instead, you usually encounter them in desserts, baked goods, and chocolate confections. But according to archaeologists, hazelnut shells are “one of the most frequently recovered plant materials from Neolithic sites,” so humans have had an affinity for the filbert for millennia — and very likely much longer. As you’ll see from the list of benefits, I think our ancestors were really onto something. In an ounce: 1. 78 calories. MUFA, 2. 2 LA, 1. SFA4. 2 g protein. B1 (thiamine)2. 8% vitamin E5. Benefits: Concerns: Nutella is delicious, but it’s not an effective way to introduce hazelnut health benefits into your life. Sorry, guys. Allergy, as always. Moderately high in phytate. Can you soak? 8- 1. Macadamia Nuts. My favorite nut by far: the buttery, slightly sweet mac nut destroys all others. Sure, it may not have the densest nutrient profile. Sure, you’re not going to take care of your daily magnesium needs, and it has hardly any vitamin E at all (but that’s only because there’s no fragile PUFAs laying around requiring protection). But does every bite of every food we take need to be “optimized”? Or can it just be tasty and innocuous? And as you’ll see below, mac nuts do confer health benefits. I’ve yet to encounter a nut that doesn’t. In an ounce: 2. 03. MUFA, 0. 4 g LA, 0. ALA), 3. 4 g SFA2. B1 (thiamine)2. 4% copper. Benefits: Concerns: A little too good. Mac nuts are energy dense as well, so just tossing back handful after handful adds up quickly. Allergy, although this is uncommon. Can you soak? I just soak them in my digestive juices. Pecans. Another nut usually reserved for dessert applications, the pecan is underrated and underutilized as a snack nut. Pecans taste great encrusted in a syrupy shell and dusted with sea salt. They’re chewy, almost gooey when you roast them. Honey pecans pair marvelously with balsamic vinaigrettes and whatever leafy stuff you decide to eat them with. But I implore you: try a pecan without all the sugar. Try a raw pecan. No heat, no salt, just a raw nut in your mouth. Chew it, and savor the natural subtle sweetness. Pretty good, eh? In an ounce: 1. MUFA, 5. 8 g LA, 0. ALA, 1. 8 g SFA2. B1 (thiamine)3. 8% copper. Benefits: Concerns: Can you soak? Yes, for 6 hours. Pine Nuts. Pine nuts come from pine trees, obviously, although most species of pine produce nuts too small to merit harvesting. But when you do get your hands on legitimate pine nuts, you’ve got the perfect ingredient for great pesto sauce; as much as the alternative nuts like walnuts or pistachios make a decent pesto, I still prefer pine nut pesto to anything else. As a snack, pine nuts are uncommon. But that shouldn’t preclude you from giving them a try. In an ounce: 1. 78. MUFA, 7. 1 g LA, 0. ALA, 2. 7 g SFA3. B1 (thiamine)3. 3% copper. Benefits: Concerns: Pine mouth is a condition where everything you eat tastes bitter, metallic, and disgusting. In susceptible people, it occurs after consumption of pine nuts and lasts about two weeks. Not everyone develops it, and even people who’ve enjoyed pine nuts for years might experience it out of the blue. Allergies. Can you soak? Just a few hours. Pistachios. I really like pistachios despite the common complaints. They’re funny- looking, the wizened old men of the nut world. Green, too, which maybe makes them the Yoda of the nut world. And it can be really frustrating when you get an entire bag full of shelled pistachios with a nanometer of space between the two halves. But darn it if pistachios aren’t worth the trouble. In an ounce: 1. 59. MUFA, 3. 8 g LA, 0. ALA, 1. 6 g SFA5. B1 (thiamine)2. 8% vitamin B6. K4. 1% copper. 14% iron. Benefits: Concerns: Allergy. Those impossible- to- open shells are really just the worst. Can you soak? Up to 8 hours. Walnuts. Many people in the ancestral health community avoid walnuts. And I used to be like that. But while I’m not eating an inordinately large amount of them on a regular basis, and I am aware of the PUFA content, I enjoy a good handful of walnuts semi- regularly. The literature in favor of the walnut is too broad to deny. Also, they’re really good, especially freshly cracked walnuts. In an ounce: 1. 85.
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