11 interesting and useful facts you didn't know about nuts

Not all culinary nuts we use are botanical nuts. If fact, we also eat plants that are botanically seeds and legumes. Here is the difference between them and botanical nuts:

Botanical nuts: seeds that are contained inside hard shells which don't open themselves when they are ripe. Examples: hazelnuts, chestnuts, acorns.

Legumes: pods with seeds that open on their own when they are ready to be harvested. Example: peanuts.

Seeds: seeds are the small parts of a plant enclosed in the seed coat or the flesh of the fruit. Like in an apricot, a seed is the reproductive part of the fruit, while botanical nuts are fruits themselves. Examples: almonds, cashews and pecans.

Anyway, in everyday life the term 'nut' is generally applied to all of these plants.

Walnuts date back to 7,000 B.C. The Ancient Romans loved walnuts and called them "Jupiter’s royal acorn."

75% of US families always have a jar of peanut butter at home. Interestingly, it can be quite hard to find good peanut butter in some European countries, but its popularity worldwide is increasing rapidly right now.

Dogs are the only species in which such signs as vomiting, fever, and depression have been reported after consuming macadamia nuts. Scientists still don't know exactly which macadamia component causes such a reaction.

There are 160 calories in an ounce (28 g) of almonds, and they are the lowest-calorie nuts. Most nuts contain 160-200 calories per ounce, which means it's healthy to eat a handful of nuts per day. Unfortunately we usually overeat nuts because they are tasty and small.

Brazil nut is a tree native to South America. Brazil nuts are produced in Guianas, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, eastern Colombia, and eastern Peru. Despite their name, the largest amount of Brazil nuts eaten worldwide is exported from Bolivia.

One ounce (28 g) of walnuts contain 2.5 grams of omega-3, while an adequate daily intake is around 1.4 grams. Note that omega-3 derived from fish is different from that derived from nuts, and one type can't substitute the other one. It's important to consume a variety of omega-3 sources.

Pecans are in top 15 of all antioxidant rich foods. Antioxidants protect our cells from damage and even can reduce cancer risk.

100 grams of chestnuts give you 43 mg of vitamin C. To make it clearer, a medium-sized orange will provide you with approximately 70 mg. For adults, the recommended daily amount for vitamin C is around 70 mg.

Anyway, eating almonds as a component of sweets is not the best idea. Chocolates are very high in sugar, which cuts down the benefits of almonds.

Eating 2–3 ounces (56–84 g) of pistachios a day can help increase your "good" cholesterol.