Nuts are naturally full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, protein and fibre and they’re delicious. This makes them a perfect snack food. A daily serve of nuts is about a small handful (30 grams). Dry roasted or raw nuts without added salt and sugar are the most nutritious choice.
Try these yummy ideas:
- add chopped almonds or walnuts to muesli, porridge or a wholegrain breakfast cereal
- a trail mix snack (a mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruit available from the supermarket or you can make yourself)
- blitz nuts, dried or fresh fruit and coconut and roll into ‘bliss balls’
- add crushed pecans to yoghurt and fruit
- add almonds, peanuts or cashews to a stir fry
- add pine nuts to a roast vegetable salad
- add crushed macadamia nuts and bread crumbs for a great crust on grilled fish
- add walnuts to homemade banana or date bread
- put nut spread like peanut butter on toast, in a sandwich or with celery sticks
- add peanut butter to satay sauce
- add chopped nuts to soup for a bit of crunch.
Check out some recipes at the Nuts for Life website
Nuts and children
We used to think avoiding nuts in the first few years of life helped prevent allergies but now we recommend the opposite.
Current advice is to introduce increasing amounts of nut at around six months (but not before four months) as part of the foods offered in the first year. This is when baby’s immune system is developing and it is thought exposure to nuts may help protect some children against food allergy. Talk to your doctor or child health nurse for advice.
You can add ground up nuts (for example almond meal) or nut spreads (for example smooth peanut butter) to baby’s food. Do not offer whole nuts before the age of three, as they are a choking risk.
Use nut spreads or ground up nuts and remember to watch children while they’re eating.
Nuts at school
Nuts are a nutritious lunchbox choice but we know some children are allergic to nuts – this is why most schools and early learning services choose to go nut-free or allergy-free to help avoid risk. This means you can’t bring any food containing nuts into school.
In this case, seeds (for example pepita or sunflower seeds) are a good alternative.
So, next time hunger hits try a nutty snack.