Nuts, health and kids

Why nuts?

Nuts are natural power-packs of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, protein and fibre which help children grow, develop and learn. Examples of nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.

What about peanuts?

Peanuts are technically a legume, but they are commonly referred to as a nut as they have a similar nutritional composition.

What is a serve?

A 30g serve of nuts is a small handful, or roughly:

• 30 pistachio kernels
• 20 almonds or hazelnuts
• 15 cashews, pecans or macadamias
• 9-10 Brazil nuts or walnuts
• 4 chestnuts

A serve of nuts contains approximately:

• 36% of a child’s daily vitamin E requirement
• 13% of a child’s daily fibre requirement
• 4g protein and
• B-group vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium

Health benefits of nuts

Regularly eating nuts as part of an overall healthy diet can help to reduce cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease, maintain regular bowel movements and even support bone health!

Nuts and kids

Nuts can be eaten on their own as a quick and healthy snack or used to add crunch and variety to recipes.

Raw or dry-roasted and unsalted nuts are the healthiest option. Nuts with added salt or sugar should be avoided where possible.

Nuts should be introduced in the diet from six months of age, just like other foods. Children under five should avoid whole nuts due to the risk of choking. Nut pastes or ground nuts are a good alternative.

Adding nuts to your child’s diet

Try these yummy ideas to help your kids get their healthy handful daily:

• prepare a trail mix for snacks or school lunchboxes (if permitted by your school)
• toss almonds or cashews through a stir-fry
• add roast chestnuts or pine nuts to a salad
• sprinkle roasted, chopped hazelnuts or pistachios over soup
• chop macadamia as a crust on grilled fish
• crush pecans over low-fat yoghurt and fruit
• add walnuts to home-made banana bread
• add chopped nuts to muesli, porridge or a wholegrain breakfast cereal
• a pure nut spread on toast, or as a sandwich filling, or in celery sticks
• Visit www.nutsforlife.com.au or our recipe section for more ideas
• and a selection of nutritious recipes to include nuts in your family’s diet

Nuts in schools

Policies on nuts in schools vary with many schools applying an “allergy aware” approach that involves implementing a range of measures to minimise the chance of a student being exposed to a known allergen. Check your school policy before packing nuts or nut containing products in the school lunchbox.

The National Allergy Council have developed a Best Practice Guide for anaphylaxis prevention and management in schools. To access this guide and more support in managing food allergies in schools visit the Allergy Aware Resource Hub.

www.allergyaware.org.au

Nuts and allergies

Peanuts and tree nuts can cause serious allergic reactions in some children.

If your child’s school chooses to have a nut free policy the following nuts/nut products should not be included in the foods your child brings from home:

Foods commonly containing nuts* include:

Check the label

Packaged foods that contain nuts must state this on the label. You can also look for the statement ‘May contain traces of nuts’ which indicates there’s a possibility of cross-contamination during the manufacturing process.