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'''nuts aren't realllllll!!!!!!''' THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLDDD :/
{{otheruses|Nut}}

]s from the ]]]
]s]]
] and a walnut core having been removed from the outer pithy fruit. Walnuts are not true nuts.]]
'''Nut''' is a hard shelled ] of some ] that has an ] seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be ''true nuts''. Nuts are an important source of nutrients for both humans and wildlife.

Nuts are a composite of the seed and the fruit, where the fruit does not open to release the seed. Most seeds come from fruits, and the seeds are free of the fruit, unlike nuts like ]s, hickories, ]s and ]s, which have a stony fruit wall and originate from a compound ovary. Culinary usage of the term is less restrictive, and some nuts as defined in food preparation, like ] and ]s,<ref name="tree_nuts_composition_phytochemicals_and_health_effects">{{Cite book | last1 = Alasalvar | first1 = Cesarettin | last2 = Shahidi | first2 = Fereidoon | title = Tree Nuts: Composition, Phytochemicals, and Health Effects (Nutraceutical Science and Technology) | date = | publisher = CRC | location = | isbn = 978-0-8493-3735-2 | pages = 143 }}</ref> are not nuts in a biological sense. Everyday common usage of the term often refers to any hard walled, edible kernel, as a nut.<ref name="the_encyclopedia_of_seeds">{{Cite book | last1 = Black | first1 = Michael H. | last2 = Halmer | first2 = Peter | title = The encyclopedia of seeds: science, technology and uses | date = 2006 | publisher = CABI | location = Wallingford, UK | isbn = 978-0-85199-723-0 | pages = 228 }}</ref>

The grouping of many similar dry seeds and fruits under the single generic name "nut" is not followed in many other languages, which have only individual names for each type.{{Fact|date=August 2009}}

== Botanical definition ==
A nut in ] is a simple dry ] with one ] (rarely two) in which the ] wall becomes very hard (stony or woody) at maturity, and where the seed remains attached or fused with the ovary wall. Most nuts come from the ] with ''inferior'' ovaries (see ]) and all are ''indehiscent'' (not opening at maturity). True nuts are produced, for example, by some plant families of the ] ].

;Order Fagales
<!-- Need a source and better information/explanation for this. Given the above definition walnuts, pecans and others in the Juglandaceae familly cannot be true nuts, as they are the seed of a larger fruit, similar to almonds.
*Family ]
** ], ] ('']'')
** ], ] (''Carya'')
** ] (''Pterocarya'')
-->
* Family ]
** ] (''Castanea'')
** ] (''Fagus'')
** ] (''Quercus'')
** ], ] (''Lithocarpus'')
* Family ]
** ] (''Alnus'')
** ], ] (''Corylus'')
** ]

== Culinary definition and uses ==<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
] nuts — unshelled, and shell, above; shelled, below]]

A nut in ] is a much less restrictive category than a nut in botany, as the term is applied to many ]s that are not botanically true nuts. Any large, oily kernel found within a shell and used in food may be regarded as a nut. Pistachios are seeds enclosed in a tough fruit, which do not split open enough to release the seeds.

Because nuts generally have a high oil content, they are a highly prized food and energy source. A large number of seeds are edible by humans and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, or roasted as a ], or pressed for oil that is used in ] and ]. Nuts (or seeds generally) are also a significant source of nutrition for wildlife. This is particularly true in temperate climates where animals such as ]s and ]s store ]s and other nuts during the autumn to keep them from starving during the late autumn, all of winter, and early spring.

Nuts used for food, whether true nut or not, are among the most common ].<ref>{{cite web | title = Common Food Allergens | url = http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html | publisher = ] | accessdate = 2007-06-24 }}</ref>

Some fruits and seeds that do not meet the botanical definition but are nuts in the culinary sense:
*]s and ]s are the edible seeds of ] fruits — the leathery "flesh" is removed at harvest.
*] is the seed from a ].
*] (used for oil) is a seed.
*] nut is a seed.
*] is a dry, fibrous ].
*]nut
*] is an inedible ].
*] nut is a creamy white kernel (]).
*]
*]
*] is a seed. It is actually not a nut at all, but a ].
*] is the seed of several species of ] (] trees).
*] nut is the seed of a thin-shelled drupe.

==Nutritional benefits==
]
Several ] studies have revealed that people who consume nuts regularly are less likely to suffer from ]. Recent ]s have found that consumption of various nuts such as ]s and ]s can lower serum ] cholesterol concentrations. Although nuts contain various substances thought to possess cardioprotective effects, scientists believe that their Omega 3 ] profile is at least in part responsible for the ] response observed in clinical trials.

In addition to possessing cardioprotective effects, nuts generally have a very low ] (GI).<ref name=mendosa>{{cite web|
|title=Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values|year=2002
|url=http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm |accessdate=2007-11-23 |format= |work=
|author= David Mendosa}}</ref>
Consequently, dietitians frequently recommend nuts be included in diets prescribed for patients with ] problems such as ].

One study found that people who eat nuts live two to three years longer than those who do not. However, this may be because people who eat nuts tend to eat less ]. <ref>. ''URL accessed January 18, 2007.''</ref>

Nuts contain the all important fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are critical for growth, physical and mental development, healthy hair and skin, blood pressure control, immunological responses and blood clotting. In addition, the fats in nuts for the most part are unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturated fats. This type does not elevate blood cholesterol levels like saturated fats.

Furthermore nuts supply one of the best natural sources of vitamins E, F, and G (docopherol, an antioxidant), and are rich in protein, folate, fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.

==Other uses==
The nut of the ] tree (''Aesculus'' species, especially '']''), is called a ''conker'' in the ]. Conkers are inedible because they contain toxic ] ]. They are used in a popular children's game, known as '']'', where the nuts are threaded onto a strong cord and then each contestant attempts to break his opponent's conker by hitting it with his own. Horse chestnuts are also popular ] ammunition.

A related species, '']'', was eaten by the ] of ] during famines after the toxic constituents were leached out.

==See also==
{{portal|Food|Foods.jpg}}
* ]

==References==
<references />
* ], "Nuts May Save the Race." The Itinerary of Breakfast. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1920. 165–203.

== External links ==
{{commonscat|Nuts}}
{{Cookbook|Nuts and Seeds}}
*
* Health Benefits of Nuts
* Nuts
* Nuts and their bioactive constituents: effects on serum lipids and other factors that affect disease risk
*

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Revision as of 19:13, 11 January 2010

nuts aren't realllllll!!!!!! THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLDDD :/