Wednesday, December 5, 2007

that's nut what i'm talking about

i have always enjoyed eating nuts. as i become more health conscious, i find that they serve as a healthier snack than the usual chips, crackers, pretzels, etc. while i have nutted it up more than the average person, there are still many nuts that remain unmined for me. i have decided to rank the nuts i have eaten based on taste, health benefits, aesthetics and cost.

#7 brazil nuts
these gigantic nuts originate from brazil (i assume). they are kind of bland tasting and truthfully, i have only had these in mixed nut containers or some sort of trail mix. also i occassionally get an allergic reaction to these nuts when i eat them. healthwise, 100g of brazils contain 12g protein, 61g fat, 2.8mg iron, 180mg calcium, 4.2mg zinc. all of these things contribute to the lowest ranking on this list.

nut rating: deez!

#6 pine nuts
these small nuts are pretty tasty and are apparently the seeds (not technically a nut) of pines believe it or not. my experience with pine nuts have been solely through cooking with them or eating food that have been cooked with them to serve as an accent to the dish. they are very expensive and do not not really lend themselves to snacking. pine nuts have slightly more protein than brazil nuts.

nut rating: nut bad

#5 peanuts
also not technically a nut (it's a legume), peanuts are the most common of nuts that i have been around. they are cheap to buy, have a moderate grade taste and are versatile in both snacking and cooking. they are also pretty healthy where 100g of peanuts contain 24.3g protein, 2mg iron and 3mg zinc. while i don't ever do this, nor condone it, people can bulk up their nut mixes by adding copious amounts of peanuts.

nut rating: nuttish

#4 macadamia nuts
ah...the nut from hawaii (actually native to australia). this is a deliciously sweet nut with a softer consistency. while these nuts are very tasty, they are very high in fat (though also high in the good fats) and 100g of macadamia nuts contain 7g protein and 40mg calcium. macadamia nuts are also very pricey.

nut rating: nut

#3 pistachio nuts
these nuts are generally sold still in their shells. while delicious, half the fun is getting these shells open. they are often times dyed red for some reason. they are also reasonably healthy where 100g of pistachios contain 19.3g protein, 14mg iron, 140mg calcium.

nut rating: nutstanding

#2 cashews
cashews are my favorite nut taste-wise. i like cashews like garfield likes lasagna.
almonds. the nut grows in a curious way on the tree, hanging below a fleshy, apple-like fruit. it is related to the mango, pistachio and poison ivy. crazy huh? cashews are also very expensive, making them more of a treat than daily snack. they are pretty healthy as well where 100g of cashews contain 17.2g protein, 60 micrograms vitamin A, 3.8mg iron.

nut rating: nutlicious

#1 almonds
almonds combine the best aspects i am looking for in my nuts. they are not as cheap as peanuts, but cheaper than pine nuts. they don't taste quite as good as cashews, but they are very tasty. they might also be the healthiest nut where 100g contain 16.9g protein, 4.2mg iron, 250mg calcium, 20mg vitamin E, 3.1mg zinc and 0.92mg vitamin B2.

nut rating: nutnificent

some other nuts i didn't list include walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and chestnuts among others. walnuts are ok, but i don't really care about this list as a whole. what do you think about the rankings? did i miss any obvious nuts?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

no love for walnuts?

Pistacheos(sp?) are far superior to all other nuts anyway. Good enough to warrant a hard to spell name.

Kevin when you put the nuts in your mouth do you savor the flavor or just bite down immediately?

Anonymous said...

also noticably missing are hazel nuts used in that delicious creation nutella! I love nutella so much i want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant

kevin said...

haha...that line may never get old with me. i totally did not even think about nutella...that stuuf is pretty good, although i don't know if i have ever had plain hazelnuts before. pistachios are delicious and ranked pretty high on my list.

when i eat nuts, i alternate between savoring the flavor and quickly munching...best of both worlds.

Dan said...

i'm with phil, you've omitted a number of both popular and tasty nuts. walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts (you included pine nuts, i feel it's only fair), chestnuts, etc.

furthermore, i would like to officially endorse "blue diamond wasabi soy almonds". they are delicious.

Anonymous said...

I can vouch for the wasabi nuts mentioned above and their deliciousness

kevin said...

those wasabi soy almonds are pretty good...but i prefer them raw and in their natural state.