Nuts which arent nuts

As for lectins, these are proteins that occur naturally in most raw plants, including cashews. The good news is that cooking destroys the activity of these proteins — one reason why cashews are always sold roasted or steamed. The other reason is that raw cashews are enclosed in a shell that contains a resin called urushiol, the same rash-causing substance found in poison ivy.

Heat inactivates urushiol — another reason cashews are always sold shelled and roasted or steamed. And according to the Micronutrient Information Center at Oregon State University, consuming a variety of nuts on a regular basis is associated with a lower risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian nutritionist affiliated with the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. So you have to choose between the fruit or cashew.

Most farmers would rather wait for the cashew because they can make more money. Cashew nuts are difficult to harvest as the shells contain some toxins. Farmers have to roast them carefully to get rid of the toxin and preserve the seed. However, I avoid them because it is one tough seed. It may crack my teeth, which happened to me years ago. When shopping for these foods, I look for their original taste, preferably unsalted, unsugared, but roasted.

Roasted nuts and seeds are easy to bite and digest. I pass on those that are coated with chili or other sauces. I am against coated nuts, seeds, and drupes because the coating can mask staleness of the food.

Whenever it is coated with other stuff, it ruins the natural taste of the food. Secondly, added seasonings can stimulate your taste buds and increase your cravings. Excessive eating is terrible. Also, look for where they are made. California is a leading producer of pistachios. Buying U. Our health standard is also the reason why I prefer to buy Made in America. For instance, I only devour no more than 10 walnuts a day. So have fun with nuts, but stay away from people who drive you nuts.

Walnut is a must for breakfast Chinese people call walnuts a brain food. Peanuts Some people avoid peanuts due to allergies. The expensive nuts Like cashew nuts, macadamia nuts are not nuts, they are seeds.

Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. Most edible nuts, like pecans or hazelnuts, grow on trees. But peanuts grow in pods that mature underground and are classified as a legume, like lentils and peas. Technically , nuts are a type of fruit. Fruits develop from a plant's ovary, and as the ovary matures it forms a wall around the fruit.

For common fruits like apples and peaches, the ovary wall is the fleshy outer skin while for nuts the ovary wall is the hard, outer shell. Cashews, on the other hand, are a seed of the cashew apple, shown here. The cashew seed is the c-shaped, greyish object at the bottom of the fruit. Walnuts are another seed masquerading as a nut. Their shells mature and harden inside of a fibrous, green husk, but it's common to extract the walnut prematurely for the English delicacy pickled walnuts.

The desert plant called the pistachio tree is a member of the cashew family, and as we've mentioned before: cashews are not a nut. The food that we think of as a pistachio nut, is actually the seed of the pistachio tree, shown here.