Some foods seem to trick and confuse people when they are asked to figure out what food group they belong to. Nuts are definitely one of those “hard to classify” foods. I’ve got all of the facts here to help demystify for you.
Nuts are included in the protein group. This group includes meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, and seeds among some other various products. Many people know about the meats that are included but overlook the proteins within nuts, seeds, and other foods like eggs or soy products.
Nuts have a lot of interesting qualities that make them a great food to eat and a hard food to classify. Here is some information that set nuts apart from other foods.
Nuts and Their Food Group
Nuts are a great source of protein, one of the most popular food groups to talk about today.
These foods are great for the energy they provide and come with a lot of nutrients as well.
That makes the protein group one of the most important food groups to make sure that you have covered. These foods help you do so many things and that means that nuts should be a fairly regular part of your diet.
Whether you are snacking on them by themselves or if you are eating a mixture of foods such as a trail mix, getting protein regularly is important, and getting your protein from nuts is a great way to do so.
Benefits of Eating Proteins
As a matter of fact, when someone starts to work out regularly and really tries to “get in shape”, it’s often noted that the person needs to eat more protein. While many people trying to lose weight focus on calories, experts know that protein is an extremely important part of building muscle and even losing fat.
With that being said, here are some of the best benefits of eating proteins.
#1. Reduce Your Hunger
Most diets get out of whack by eating too many fats and carbs. Protein is usually a better option because you feel more full after eating them, and the protein that you ate is going to give you more nutrients than the empty calories that are found in carbs, for example.
Fats can be worse for even more reasons too if you don’t understand the varieties of fasts and their complexities.
#2. Gain Muscle Mass
While of course, it is going to be considered to be important to lift weights, stay physically active, and have a balanced diet; those efforts will be hindered if your body is not getting enough protein.
This also applies to those losing weight.
Sometimes losing weight can be done in a dangerous way, or if not dangerous it may not be the best way. People start to lose muscles as they lose weight; but if your protein intake is up to par, you shouldn’t have as much muscle loss.
#3. Bone Strength
Sure, milk is a great option to build bone strength, but you can’t build a diet on milk alone.
However, if you ask some people they will say that protein takes away from your bone strength which is not true. Protein, as it turns out, is actually great for your bones, especially in the long-term.
Even for older people, protein still helps maintain bone strength and it really should be given more credit in this arena.
Women who are interested in getting more protein, as well as more iron, should utilize nuts more often in their diet. These nuts like cashews or sunflower seeds are a great way to get the nutrients they need and they are a tasty snack as well.
#4. Stick to the Meals You Want
Together, nuts and regular proteins are going to keep your diet on track. You’re much less likely to binge on a chocolate ice cream sundae if you are satisfied with what you’ve eaten and if you have a healthy snacking alternative.
There was a study performed on overweight men who were eating more protein in their diet, and that study reported that they had less than half of the cravings that they normally do.
Protein is basically like adding willpower on to your diet which is an incredible boost to morale and health.
#5. Good For Your Metabolism
If you think about it, this seems to make a lot of sense. If you’ve just eaten a healthy meal of meat and nuts as well as some vegetables, think about how you may feel as opposed to how you feel after you eat a bunch of ice cream.
While the way you feel is one thing, it also helps with calorie burn. Eating a lot of protein before a workout is a great way to replace all of the “bad” in your body with some amazing “good”.
Of course, you’ll need to workout regularly and stay active daily to see the best results; but most people are using protein as a way to boost their workouts and get the most out of each step they take.
#6. Better Blood Pressure
While you may need to monitor the exact foods you’re eating, in general protein is going to help keep your blood pressure down.
#7. Keep Your Weight Down
Because proteins have so much to offer and keep you so full, it’s a lot easier to take in less of the empty calories that carbs offer.
With that being said, cashews or other nuts make keeping your weight down easy and will keep you feeling healthy even after a big weight drop.
While we know that nuts are in the protein group, it’s interesting to note that there are often people who ask whether nuts are technically classified as a fruit or a vegetable.
If you look at the botanical structure, fruits grow from flowers of plants and have seeds that allow them to reproduce. Vegetables are basically the opposite of that, they are any other part of the plant like the stems or leaves.
If you judge fruits by their culinary classification, you have to go on taste. Fruits generally taste sweet or tart and are commonly seen in dessert foods. Vegetables are more often seen in stews or soups or salads.
The real answer here is that nuts are classified as fruit due to how they grow. While they may not fit in the classic answer of what a “fruit” is, the fact is that they have a single edible seed with an inedible outer shell.
What Are Nuts in The Food Pyramid?
Nuts are currently classified in the protein section of the Food Pyramid. This puts them in the same category as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and beans.
They’re a great source of protein, especially for those who want to count macros in their diets.
You need to have more proteins than carbs and fat to have an effective diet that will help you build muscle and lose weight, and nuts are a food that can help you do that effectively -albeit you must exercise portion control and not overdo your nut consumption.
Although nuts are classified as a “fruit” by their botanical description, they do not fit in that section of the Food Pyramid.
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.