Sep. 11--Birds, it turns out, know their nutrition.
Sunflower seeds, that favored food of our feathered friends, deliver the most potent combination of vitamins and minerals of any common nut or seed.
Other nuts have a standout nutrient value or two: 1 ounce of Brazil nuts contains 780 percent of the government's recommended daily intake of selenium, a trace mineral that helps with enzyme production and male fertility, and walnuts offer the most heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids of any common nut. (Pumpkin seeds are even better: A quarter-cup boasts double the omega-3s of a 4-ounce portion of salmon.)
But sunflower seeds are complex and complete little kernels, containing, per 1-ounce serving (about 2 tablespoons), at least 30 percent of the daily value of six vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin E, phosphorous, selenium and manganese.
Once relegated to the status of bar snack and saddled with hick associations -- calling former President Jimmy Carter a "peanut farmer from Georgia" was not intended as a compliment -- nuts were later shunned for being high in fat. And they are: A 1-ounce serving of most common nuts contains between 160 and 200 calories and 13 to 20 grams of fat. But it's mostly mono- and polyunsaturated fats, and the other nutritional benefits are such that Planters, the snack-nut company, is now printing the following on some of its labels, a statement approved by the Food and Drug Administration: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat & cholesterol and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease." Planters also markets specialty blends capitalizing on nuts' nutritive status, including for heart health, digestive health, energy and one endorsed by the South Beach Diet.
Potato chips, in contrast, are pretty much empty calories.
Sad to say, given nuts' deliciousness, they're too loaded with fat and calories to consume in abundance. If you want to gorge, reach for the carrots. But as a crunchy complement to a healthful diet, a modest mouthful of nuts, even every day, isn't something to feel guilty about.
Here's an alphabetical breakdown of popular nuts, with nutritional information gathered from labels required by the FDA.
Steve Barnes can be reached at 454-5489 or by e-mail at sbarnes@timesunion.com. Visit his blog at http://blogs.timesunion.com/tablehopping. To see more of the Albany Times Union, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesunion.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Albany Times Union, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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