Episode 7 - A nut audit - Nuts for Life | Australian Nuts for Nutrition & Health

26 May 2021

May 2021.

About this episode:

It’s fair to say that nuts have earned their place as a key food within healthy eating patterns. In fact, research clearly and consistently shows that nuts are essential for good health.

Yet most Australians (98%, in fact), fall well short of the recommended ‘healthy handful’ (around 30g) a day, so are missing out on the nutrition and health benefits of a daily handful of nuts.

One of the reasons for this shortfall is concern over the energy and fat content of nuts. In particular, roasted and salted nuts have received a bad rap, despite their nutrient density.

So how do raw and roasted nuts stack up? Are salted nuts as ‘salty’ as we think? And is it time to reconsider nuts in their variety of forms?

To find out, Nuts for Life collected data on the energy, total fat, saturated fat and sodium content, as listed on the Nutrition Information Panel, of 158 nut products. These products were located in the fresh produce, snacks/impulse, and baking aisles of five major Sydney grocery stores.

Belinda Neville outlines the surprise findings from the nut audit, and what they mean for health professionals and the nut industry alike.

About today’s guest:

Belinda Neville is the Program Manager at Nuts for Life – the leading health education initiative of the Australian Nut Industry, responsible for raising the awareness of the health benefits of tree nuts.

Belinda is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) with over fifteen years’ experience working in the food industry sector, specialising in regulatory affairs and in preparing relevant and effective nutrition and health communications.