Are Nuts Plant Based?

A plant-based diet is a great choice for better health but needs to be planned with consideration to avoid any nutritional deficiencies. If you have transitioned to a plant-based diet recently, it is natural to wonder how you can balance your consumption of essential nutrients. While animal-based products are rich in fats and protein, it is easy to obtain nutrition from plant-based alternatives like nuts. 

So, are nuts plant based? Yes, nuts are certainly plant based. They are pure plant products and can be easily made a key part of a plant-based diet. They are the energy and fat-storing components of plants and can be consumed in their raw form without any processing.

While nuts are an excellent addition to a plant-based diet to get the daily nutrients and health benefits associated with them, it is advisable to consume them in moderation. Anything that resembles a seed or fruit in a hard shell is called a nut and can be added to any diet without any concern.

Below, let us discuss more about nuts and their nutrition to find out how good they are for your plant-based diet. 

Why Are Nuts Plant Based?

Nuts are typically fruits with an edible seed and hard outer shell coming from plants. This is why it is easy to say that nuts, in their pure form, are plant based. They are an excellent source of plant-based fat, fiber, protein, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. 

Except when they are consumed after heavy processing, they are completely allowed on a plant based diet. 

What Are The Main Ingredients In Nuts?

Nuts are fruits of various trees and plants generally coming out themselves from the shell. They contain a lot of good fats that help lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood. They are full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, particularly rich in potassium, vitamin E, calcium and magnesium. 

Most nuts have omega-3 fatty acids, delivering a plethora of health benefits and reduced risk of diseases. They are high in calories and should be consumed in moderation to avail their health benefits. Nuts, in their natural form, contain no other ingredients while processed nuts usually have salt and other ingredients that should be considered when following a strict diet. 

Nuts Nutrition

Adding a variety of nutrient-rich nuts makes a great contribution to a plant-based diet as each of the nuts offers different nutritional benefits. They not only provide fiber, fatty acids, energy and carbs but also high amounts of protein to meet the daily dietary requirements. They are excellent sources of macro and micro minerals, essential vitamins and antioxidants and can easily replace animal products in a plant-based diet.

Here is the nutrition info of some of the most popular nuts:

Nuts (100 g)	Almonds	Pistachios	Cashews	Walnuts	Peanuts
Calories	579	560	553	654	567
Protein	21.15 g	20 g	18.22 g	15.23 g	25.8 g
Fiber	12.5 g	11 g	3.3 g	6.7 g	8.5 g
Fat	43 g	46.5 g	31.5 g	31.5 g	39.98 g
Calcium	269 mg	105 mg	37 mg	98 mg	92 mg
Iron	5.4 mg	3.92 mg	6.68 mg	2.91 mg	4.6 mg

Conclusion

So, nuts should be an integral part of a daily plant-based diet, not only for flavor and variety but also for the essential nutrients that prevent deficiencies and diseases. They can be eaten raw or soaked, ground for milk, ice-creams and spreads or cooked with various dishes.