"Frozen" Raw Nuts

[Saul]

Dear ALL,

 

In his many valuable posts, Dean has speculated that nuts do not deliver as many calories as the nutritional information indicates.

 

In fact, as I recall, previous posts to the old CR List provided some evidence that this is true, at least for almonds.  However, I'm skeptical that that will be significantly true for nuts that are softer (and therefore I'd guess more digestible) than almonds.

 

Like many of you, I store my nuts in the freezer.   There, I keep raw almonds, raw cashews, raw hazelnuts, raw peanuts and dry-roasted peanuts.  For the past several months, when I eat nuts  (which is daily), I've been eating them right out of the freezer -- "frozen" (not really -- actually "directly from the freezer") nuts.

 

They're delicious -- I may even prefer them "frozen".

 

I speculate that Dean's hypothesis may be more true for the "frozen" nuts -- which are probably harder to digest than when at room temperature.

 

  --  Saul

[Dean Pomerleau]

Saul,

 

Physics tells me that any frozen nuts you consumes will quickly thaw to body temperature in your mouth or stomach, so unless eating them frozen (which I do as well, BTW) causes you not to chew them as thoroughly, freezing shouldn't have any significant impact on nut digestibility as far as I can see.

 

But you might indeed chew them less thoroughly when frozen, so that is still a possibility.

 

--Dean

[Saul]

Hi Dean!

 

I probably don't chew them as thoroughly -- I like the feel of the big pieces.

 

Anyway, I like them better that way. 

 

It's hard to tell how much of any substance that you eat is really absorbed.

 

  --  Saul

[Dean Pomerleau]

It's hard to tell how much of any substance that you eat is really absorbed.

 

That's for sure Saul. I actually don't even weigh my nuts these days, choosing instead to just eyeball my daily quantity.

 

I didn't think you were into counting calories anymore either (if you ever were). Has that changed? If not, why the concern over calories in nuts and their digestibility?

 

--Dean

[Mechanism]

Edited

[Saul]

 Dean!

 

My daily calorie intake is about 1500.  When I modify my basic diet (like switching from celery to Nappa cabbage for breakfast), I check with Cronometer, to make sure that I'm meeting my nutritional needs.

 

But of course, I check my weight daily.

 

  --  Saul

[Saul]

Hi Mechanism!

 

Yes, I also  believe that temperature, texture and other factors probably effect how much nutrition you actually absorb in various foods.   I also agree with Dean that I would guess that, at least some nuts (such as almonds) actually are somewhat lower calorie than their nutrition information -- as I said in my initial post, I suspect that this is true for harder nuts, such as almonds, and, I speculate, "frozen" nuts, eaten directly from the freezer, might share this property.

 

  --  Saul