Nuts are the seeds of certain trees and shrubs. The typical nut possesses a dry, woody outer shell, and a dry, brownish inner coat. The "meat" or kernel of the nut may be readily removed from the shell after the latter is crushed, but it retains its inner coat in the form of the brown epidermis of the kernel. This inner coat is usually eaten with the kernel, though it is possible to remove it by loosening it through the action of actively boiling water, after which it can be slipped off easily between the fingers. The classification of nuts along with the carbonitrogenous foods is justified by their high percentage of protein and of carbonaceous foods. In almonds, for example, which may be taken to represent an average, the edible portion contains twenty-one per cent of protein and over 72.2 per cent carbonaceous food, of which about fifty-five per cent is fat. Of the carbohydrates, besides cellulose, which is practically indigestible, there is a small amount of sugar in most nuts and a large amount of starch in some nuts. Chestnuts, for example, contain a large amount of starch. For that reason it is necessary to cook chestnuts. Fresh chestnuts just as they are gathered from the woods are frequently boiled, though the most prevalent method of preparing chestnuts is to roast them in a pan over the coals. Nuts have been looked upon as being difficult of digestion; some people seem to find them altogether indigestible. This bad reputation has undoubtedly been gained through the unwise use of nuts. If made a part of the regular menu at all, they have usually been used with figs or raisins as a sort of postprandial dessert - after the long-suffering stomach has already been gorged to the limit. Taken in this way it is easy to understand that nuts may serve as the last straw and be the precipitating cause of a case of indigestion.

Table VII. - Nuts

When nuts are taken seriously and introduced into the dietary as an important source of protein, and introduced into the menu at such a point that they will receive the attention due them, there is no reason why they should not be as readily digestible as cereals or legumes. It goes without saying that this food taken raw, as it usually is, should be very thoroughly masticated.

A favorite way of introducing nuts into the menu is as a part of a salad. In the vegetarian diet nuts are frequently passed through the meat hasher, reduced to a sort of paste, which, with some cereal or vegetable admixture, is fried or baked and served in the place of a meat course. Such preparations are wholesome and nourishing, and to most people easy of digestion. Another favorite method of serving nuts is as a side dish in the dinner. Blanched almonds, salted and roasted, are a common nut for this purpose, though others may be similarly used. If a meal has been poor in proteins, a proper dessert might be one of nuts alone, where English walnuts, almonds, pecans, or other nuts could be served and take the place of a heavy pudding. If nuts taken in this way to supplement proteins are very thoroughly masticated, it is inconceivable that they should be less digestible than the heavy puddings that are sometimes used for desserts.

From a strictly dietetic standpoint they are certainly much more to be recommended than puddings and pastries.