I find the peanut often gets a bad rap. I’m not sure why this is, perhaps it’s seen as “common” in comparison to other more exotic nuts like macadamia nuts (yes, I know, the peanut is technically a legume and not a nut at all). Perhaps it’s because it’s the cause of anaphylactic shock in people with severe nut allergies and as a result it has been banned from many schools. What ever the reason, it’s still a great source of nutrients and doesn’t deserve to be looked down upon.
When it comes to nuts, there really is no clear winner in the nutrient department. They all have different nutrient profiles and can all play roles in a healthy diet. If you were wondering which nut has the most protein, the least saturated fat, or the most calcium, or other some other nutrient, look no further than this handy dandy little chart I’ve compiled for you:
| Nut variety | Protein (g) | CHO (g) | Fat (g) | Sat. Fat (g) | kCal | Fibre (g) | Ca (mg) | Mg (mg) | K (mg) | Zn (mg) | Se (micrograms) |
| Peanuts | 8.8 | 8.0 | 18.4 | 2.6 | 217 | 3.0 | 20 | 65 | 244 | 1.2 | 2.8 |
| Almonds | 7.7 | 6.8 | 18.5 | 1.4 | 209 | 4.1 | 93 | 100 | 261 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Cashews | 5.3 | 11.4 | 16.1 | 3.2 | 199 | 1.0 | 16 | 90 | 196 | 2.0 | 4.1 |
| Walnuts | 3.9 | 3.5 | 16.5 | 1.6 | 166 | 1.7 | 25 | 40 | 112 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Pecans | 2.7 | 3.8 | 20.7 | 1.8 | 198 | 2.6 | 20 | 37 | 118 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Pistachios | 6.7 | 8.6 | 14.3 | 1.7 | 178 | 3.2 | 34 | 37 | 325 | 0.7 | 2.9 |
| Brazil nuts | 5.1 | 4.4 | 23.6 | 5.4 | 233 | 2.7 | 57 | 133 | 234 | 1.4 | 680.6 |
All values are based on a 60 mL/37 g serving of dry roasted nuts and rounded to one decimal place.
