Seeds / Nuts Food Nutrition

Essentially, nuts and seeds are very similar, with the difference being that nuts are seeds covered by a hard coating or shell, and come from the seeds of trees. Seeds and nuts are incredibly rich in nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin E, protein, fibre, natural carbohydrates and unsaturated 'good' oils, and are a very good part of a healthy diet.

A small minority of people have allergic reactions to some types of nut, especially peanuts (although these are officially classified as legumes). Research has shown that certain nuts such as walnuts, flax seeds and almonds, contain essential fatty acids (omega-3 oils), which are known to decrease cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart dsease. Just adding a small handful of nuts and seeds into your daily diet is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 25%, as long as they are eaten in their natural state.