What nuts are considered legumes?
Plant-based diet: Nuts, seeds, and legumes can help get you there
- Botany: It will drive you nuts. It's hard to sort out the differences between nuts, seeds, and legumes. ...
- Portioning is key. Regardless of what you choose to call a nut, seed, or legume, for healthy meals, portioning is a key consideration.
- Add gradually. McManus emphasizes that nuts, seeds, and legumes should be added gradually to your daily diet. ...
Which legumes have the most calories?
Top 10 Highest Calorie Vegetables for Your Survival Garden
- Corn. Corn, a staple of the Native Americans, and for millions across Africa and South America, provides what you need to survive: 21% of a 100g serving is made ...
- Chickpeas. Neither actual pea nor bean, chickpeas (cicer arietinum) are worth cultivating despite their rather long growing period of 100 or so days.
- Kidney/ Lima beans. ...
- Cherry Tomatoes. ...
Are pistachios fattening or good for weight loss?
The majority of this is monounsaturated fat, which is the healthy kind, but it is fat nonetheless. Because of this, you may be wondering whether you should be eating pistachios when trying to lose weight. The short answer is yes. Pistachios can and should be a part of your diet, so long as they are eaten in moderation.
How many pistachios should you eat per day?
What is the healthiest nut to eat?
- Almonds. Sweet tasting almonds have a number of health benefits. …
- Brazil nuts. Originating from a tree in the Amazon, Brazil nuts are one of the richest food sources of the mineral, selenium. …
- Cashews. …
- Chestnuts. …
- Hazelnuts. …
- Macadamia nuts. …
- Pecans. …
- Pine nuts.
Is pistachio a legume?
Botanists do not consider pistachios to be true botanical nuts. However, in the culinary world, Pistachios along with walnuts, almonds, and peanuts are termed as nuts. But in reality, that is not the case. They are also not legumes as their seeds are not attached to the walls of the shell.Jul 10, 2020
Which nuts are really legumes?
Even though peanut has the word “nut” in the name, it's not really a nut at all. It's actually a legume. Peanuts are legumes, which are edible seeds enclosed in pods, and are in the same family as beans, lentils, and peas.Feb 22, 2018
Is a pistachio a nut or bean?
Pistachios are not true botanical nuts. In fact, they're the edible seed of the pistachio tree fruit. However, like many other seeds, they're still considered a nut for culinary purposes, as well as a tree nut among those with allergies.Jan 15, 2020
What nuts are not legumes?
Cherries and peaches are examples of drupes in which we eat the fruit protecting the seed and discard the seed (which we call a pit) itself. On the other hand, in the case of cashews, almonds and pecans, we consume the seed and toss their soft, outer fruit. Peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts.Dec 6, 2021
Which nut is not a nut?
Some examples of true nuts include acorns, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. On the other hand, the fruits of the cashew, almond, and pistachio plants are not true nuts, but are rather classified as “drupes.” Drupes are fruits that are fleshy on the outside and contain a shell covering a seed on the inside.Jul 10, 2020
Are pistachios good for you?
Pistachio Health Benefits Both have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory traits. They can lower your chances for cardiovascular disease. Pistachios are bursting with the fiber, minerals, and unsaturated fat that can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check.Jul 31, 2020
Why is a pistachio not a nut?
The pistachio isn't really a nut at all. Technically, it is a “drupe,” a fleshy tree fruit that contains a shell-covered seed. With pistachios we discard the fruit flesh for the tasty seed within. The opposite is true with other drupes such as stone fruits like peaches, cherries and apricots.
Can you eat pistachios with a nut allergy?
What should I watch out for if I want to provide nut-free food? Although almonds, cashews or pistachios are not nuts in the botanical sense, they still contain allergens which can be dangerous for allergic people. For this reason, food producers should test their products for a number of nuts.Feb 26, 2016
Is pistachio a nut allergy?
Pistachio nut (Pistacia vera) is highly appreciated for its organoleptic characteristics and potential health benefits. However, this tree nut is also responsible for triggering moderate to severe IgE-mediated reactions in allergic individuals.
Why is an almond not a nut?
Here's why almonds are not nuts. In the botanical world, a nut is a dry, hard-shelled fruit. But as you can see, almonds have a fleshy outer layer. Therefore they're technically not nuts, but a different kind of fruit called a drupe, said Tom Gradziel, an almond researcher at the University of California, Davis.Nov 28, 2016
Is Pecan a legume?
Because they grow in a pod, they're technically a legume, a family of plants that produce their fruit (often beans) in a pod, and have more in common with snow peas than actual nuts. Almonds, cashews and pecans, on the other hand, are actually seeds inside a drupe, or a stone fruit.Dec 26, 2020
Are hazelnuts legumes?
Botanically, most nuts are the seeds of a fruit, while true nuts — such as chestnuts, acorns, and hazelnuts — are fruits in and of themselves. Peanuts are the exception, as they're legumes — and thus technically vegetables.Nov 20, 2019
Etymology
Pistachio is from late Middle English "pistace", from Old French, superseded in the 16th century by forms from Italian "pistacchio", via Latin from Greek πιστάκιον " pistákion ", from Middle Persian "*pistak" (the New Persian variant being پسته " pista ").
History
The pistachio tree is native to regions of Central America, including present-day Iran and Afghanistan. Archaeology shows that pistachio seeds were a common food as early as 6750 BC. The modern pistachio P. vera was first cultivated in Bronze Age Central Asia, where the earliest example is from Djarkutan, modern Uzbekistan.
Cultivation
The pistachio tree is long-lived, possibly up to 300 years. The trees are planted in orchards, and take approximately seven to ten years to reach significant production. Production is alternate-bearing or biennial -bearing, meaning the harvest is heavier in alternate years. Peak production is reached around 20 years.
Consumption
The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and salted, and are also used in pistachio ice cream, kulfi, spumoni, pistachio butter, pistachio paste and confections such as baklava, pistachio chocolate, pistachio halva, pistachio lokum or biscotti and cold cuts such as mortadella.
Research and health effects
In July 2003, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the first qualified health claim specific to consumption of seeds (including pistachios) to lower the risk of heart disease: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces (42.5 g) per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease".
Toxin and safety concerns
As with other tree seeds, aflatoxin is found in poorly harvested or processed pistachios. Aflatoxins are potent carcinogenic chemicals produced by molds such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. The mold contamination may occur from soil, poor storage, and spread by pests.
What Are Pistachios?
Pistachios are the seeds of the pistachio tree. They’re usually green and slightly sweet. They’re called nuts, but botanically pistachios are seeds. People have been eating them for thousands of years.
Pistachio Health Benefits
High levels of unsaturated fatty acids and potassium. Both have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory traits.
Risk of Pistachios
Although raw pistachios don’t have much sodium (1 cup has about 1 milligram), that’s not true for roasted pistachios, which are often salted. A cup of dry roasted pistachios with salt has 526 milligrams of sodium. Too much sodium can lead to things like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke .
Pistachio Nutrition
A 1-ounce serving of pistachios, which is about 49 kernels, has about 159 calories and:
How to Prepare and Eat Pistachios
Pistachios can sometimes be tricky to eat since they have a tough shell. If there’s a crack in the shell, you can use the shell of another pistachio to pry it open. If there isn’t a crack, you can place the nuts on a cutting board, cover them with a towel, and hit them just hard enough so the shells open.
Peanuts
Most edible nuts, like pecans or hazelnuts, grow on trees. But peanuts grow in pods that mature underground and are classified as a legume, like lentils and peas.
Cashews
Technically, nuts are a type of fruit. Fruits develop from a plant's ovary, and as the ovary matures it forms a wall around the fruit. For common fruits like apples and peaches, the ovary wall is the fleshy outer skin while for nuts the ovary wall is the hard, outer shell.
Walnuts
Walnuts are another seed masquerading as a nut. Their shells mature and harden inside of a fibrous, green husk, but it's common to extract the walnut prematurely for the English delicacy pickled walnuts.
Pistachios
The desert plant called the pistachio tree is a member of the cashew family, and as we've mentioned before: cashews are not a nut. The food that we think of as a pistachio nut, is actually the seed of the pistachio tree, shown here.
Almonds
Almonds are the seed of the almond tree, which is native to the Middle East and South Asia and is famous for its gorgeous blossoms. In 1890, post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh dedicated an entire painting to the almond tree's beauty.
Nuts vs Legumes
The main difference between Nuts and Legumes is that a nut is a fruit with a hard pod usually having one seed inside it and it is rare to find more than one seed in them on the other hand legumes are the members of the Leguminosae or Fabaceae family, having more than one seeds attached to the inner wall of the pod and generally are dehiscent.
What are Nuts?
The botanical definition of nuts assumes it to be a particular type of fruit with a hard cover. They contain a single seed inside them that besides being tasty is also packed with essential nutrients. The pod or the cover of a nut is woody and therefore is difficult to break. They need to be cracked open due to the hardness of the pod.
What are Legumes?
Legumes are the edible seeds of the Fabaceae family. They are the fruits that contain multiple seeds in a single covering. The pod of the legume is soft and easy to open. They sometimes break itself to reveal the seeds. The seeds in the covering are attached to the inner wall of it. Legumes have a special quality of nitrogen-fixing.
Conclusion
Nuts and legumes may be different from one another but adding both of them in our diet promises a better health for everyone. Including a handful of them in breakfast is a great way to start a day. Before consuming nuts and legumes it is really important to know what you are allergic to.

Overview
The pistachio , a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food.
Pistacia vera is often confused with other species in the genus Pistacia that are also known as pistachio. These other species can be distinguished by their geo…
Etymology
Pistachio is from late Middle English "pistace", from Old French, superseded in the 16th century by forms from Italian "pistacchio", via Latin from Greek πιστάκιον "pistákion", from Middle Persian "*pistak" (the New Persian variant being پسته "pista").
History
The pistachio tree is native to regions of Central Asia, including present-day Iran and Afghanistan. Archaeology shows that pistachio seeds were a common food as early as 6750 BC. The modern pistachio P. vera was first cultivated in Bronze Age Central Asia, where the earliest example is from Djarkutan, modern Uzbekistan.
Pistachio trees were introduced from Asia to Europe in the 1st century AD by the Romans. They …
Botany
Pistachio is a desert plant and is highly tolerant of saline soil. It has been reported to grow well when irrigated with water having 3,000–4,000 ppm of soluble salts. Pistachio trees are fairly hardy in the right conditions and can survive temperatures ranging between −10 °C (14 °F) in winter and 48 °C (118 °F) in summer. They need a sunny position and well-drained soil. Pistachio tre…
Cultivation
The pistachio tree is long-lived, and may possibly live up to 300 years. The trees are planted in orchards, and take approximately seven to ten years to reach significant production. Production is alternate-bearing or biennial-bearing, meaning the harvest is heavier in alternate years. Peak production is reached around 20 years. Trees are usually pruned to size to make the harvest easier. …
Production
In 2019, global production of pistachios was about 0.9 million tonnes, with Iran and the United States as leading producers, together accounting for 74% of the total (table). Secondary producers were China, Turkey, and Syria.
A 2020 report indicated that nearly half of the global production of pistachios in 2019 came from the United States, with production in Iran falling to as low as 7% due to US trade sanctions again…
Consumption
The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and salted, and are also used in pistachio ice cream, kulfi, spumoni, pistachio butter, pistachio paste and confections such as baklava, pistachio chocolate, pistachio halva, pistachio lokum or biscotti and cold cuts such as mortadella. Americans make pistachio salad, which includes fresh pistachios or pistachio pudding, whipped cream, …
Nutrition
Raw pistachios are 4% water, 45% fat, 28% carbohydrates, and 20% protein (table). In a 100-gram reference amount, pistachios provide 2,351 kilojoules (562 kcal) of food energy and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value or DV) of protein, dietary fiber, several dietary minerals, and the B vitamins, thiamin (76% DV) and vitamin B6 (131% DV) (table). Pistachios are a moderate source (10–19% DV) of calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B5, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K (table).