Nuts Recipe: Low Fat, Low Sugar

They should not be eaten in large quantities as they add too much fat to the diet.

Coconut is also high in fat, and is a good source of many minerals and fibre. It can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes and as a snack.

Hazelnuts can also be eaten fresh or lightly roasted. and are good sources of minerals and vitamins.

Pecan nuts are lower in protein than most nuts, and can be used to flavour bread and cakes, or used in savoury nut dishes.

Walnut is another good source of many minerals, and walnut oil is high in poly-unsaturates.

Sweet Almonds can be eaten whole or ground into a flour for use in cakes or starch-free breads. They should not be eaten in large quantities.

Brazil Nuts have the highest fat level of any nut. Eat whole or add to savoury dishes and starch-free salads.

Cashew nuts have to be roasted and shelled by hand before sale to remove a caustic fluid that covers the nut. They are high in fat, protein and minerals. They can be eaten as a snack, or made into a protein bread, or added to savoury dishes.

Peanuts are legumes rather than nuts. They have high protein and fat levels. Ground peanuts can be used as a substitute for butter or other fats in baking.

Pine nuts can be eaten as snacks, added to savoury dishes or salads. They are one of the main ingredients of pesto sauces.

Pistachios are used to flavour sweets or eaten as a snack. They are an excellent source of iron.

Nuts protein starch+sugar fat calcium/100g Coconut 4% 11% 38% +++ Hazelnut 7.5% 16.7% 62% ++++ Pecan 4.5% 14.6% 71% ++++ Walnut 12% 15% 60% ++++ protein starch+sugar fat calcium/100g Almond 17% 19.5% 54% +++++ Brazil nut 16% 10.9% 66% ++++ Cashew 20% 29.3% 45% ++++ Peanuts 30% 18.6% 40-50% ++++ Pine 31.1% 11.6% 47.4% Pistachio 22% 19% 53% +++ Precise calcium figures unavailable *-***** indicates low to high calcium levels

Copyright Peter Thomson 2012-February-4