The expert opinion, in a nutshell.
Nuts drive humans insane.
From bowls of vanilla ice cream to fruity salads, nuts are one of the most adaptable meals. We use them in various cuisines and even as a crunchy garnish to both desserts and healthful sides. Nuts can also be eaten on their own as a sweet or savory snack. For example, during the summer, you might enjoy a handful of salted peanuts at a baseball game, but you prefer honey-roasted peanuts in the winter.
Nuts can be included in your diet in a variety of ways, either as a semi-decorative addition to a meal or as a protein-packed pick-me-up on their own.
The capacity of nuts to improve a wide range of foods isn't their only advantage. Aside from their versatility, there are many nut kinds to choose from, each with its distinct flavor and texture. When it comes to selecting one that would best fit into your weekly meal prep, you have options ranging from standard nuts like almonds and cashews to lesser-known nuts like Baru and Pili nuts.
It's easy to get lost in researching each nut's nutritional value when there are so many to select from. We discovered the most unhealthy nut to nibble on—along with two runners-up—after chatting with a health specialist, and the results may surprise you.
Although you may have heard that cashews have high-fat content (they have roughly 12 grams of total fat per 1-ounce serving), they didn't even make our expert's top three worst nuts list. As we've previously observed, Cashews turn out to be an excellent choice.
According to Victoria Glass, M.D. of the Farr Institute, Pine nuts, and macadamia nuts are the two nuts to limit your consumption of since they are the second and third unhealthiest nut options available, respectively.
"As nutritious as pine nuts are, they create Pine Nut Syndrome, which leaves a harsh, metallic taste in your mouth for months," she explains. Her only criticism about macadamia nuts is that "their fat and calorie counts are really high."
While Glass encourages nut eaters to keep their portions of pine and macadamia nuts in check, she does not consider either nut the worst. According to her, the worst nut to nibble on is also one of the most common: peanuts.
"Aflatoxin, a fungus linked to liver cancer, is found in peanuts," she continues. If you're unfamiliar, aflatoxin is a harmful result of a form of mold that belongs to the Aspergillus genus. However, as the National Peanut Board points out, peanuts are grown in Africa and Asia, rather than the United States, are more likely to be exposed to the toxin.
In addition to posing a risk to your liver's health, Peanuts can cause discomfort, if not death, in particular people if taken. As everyone who has ever suffered from a peanut aversion knows, the nut "may also induce severe allergic reactions in some people," as Glass says.
While peanuts are high in protein and are a pretty healthy snack compared to other snacks, there are a few things to keep in mind as you browse the nut aisle.