The New Complete Book of Food

 The New Complete Book of Food

Folate Content of^1 / 2 Cup Nuts

Nut* Folate (mcg) %RDA†

Almonds 44 22–24

Cashew 47.9 24–27

Filberts/hazelnuts 10.6 5–6

Macadamia oil-roasted 10.6 5–6

Pistachios 37.8 19–21

Walnuts black, dried 40.9 20–23

* Dry-roast, unless otherwise noted

 The lower number is for men; the higher, for women

Source: USDA Nutrient Database: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl, Nutritive Value

of Foods, Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72 (USDA, 1989).

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food

With peanuts or with beans. Both are legumes, which provide the essential amino acid lysine

needed to “complete” the proteins in nuts. Adding raisins adds iron.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food

Antiflatulence diet

Low-calcium diet

Low-fat diet

Low-fiber, low-residue diet

Low-oxalate diet (for people who form calcium oxalate kidney stones; almonds and cashews)

Low-protein diet

Low-sodium diet (salted nuts)

Buying This Food

Look for: Fresh nuts with clean, undamaged shells. The nuts should feel heavy for their size;

nuts that feel light may be withered inside.

Choose crisp, fresh shelled nuts. They should taste fresh and snap when you bite into

them. As nuts age, their oils oxidize and become rancid; old nuts will have an “off” flavor. If

nuts sold in bulk are exposed to air, heat, and light, their fats will oxidize more quickly than

the fats in packaged nuts. Check the date on the bottom of the can or jar to be sure packaged

nuts are fresh.

Avoid: Moldy, shriveled, or discolored nuts. The molds that grow on nuts may produce

potentially carcinogenic aflatoxins that have been linked to liver cancer.