Used in sweet and savoury dishes, they are available whole, ground and flaked, or made into oil and nut butter. 100g hazel nuts contain 7.6g protein , and they are lower in fat than most other nuts. A native of NE Australia now also grown commercially in Hawaii. Notoriously difficult to extract from their shells, they are expensive but have a delicious creamy flavour and crunchy texture. Low in carbohydrate, but quite high in fat, 100g Macadamia nuts contain 7g protein and 40mg calcium .
Peanuts Also known as groundnuts or monkey nuts, peanuts are actually legumes.
It gets its name groundnut because as the pods ripen, they are actually forced underground. The oil is used in cooking, as salad oil, in margarines and the residue is fed to animals. As they are usually inexpensive, they can be mixed with other kinds of nuts to bring down the cost, while still maintaining flavour and good nutrition. 100g peanuts contain 24.3g protein , 2mg iron and 3mg zinc . A native of N America where it is used extensively in ice cream, cakes, nut bread and confectionery.