e some of the commonly asked questions on nuts as a foodstuff.

Before starting, we'd like to confirm that what follows is NOT QUALIFIED MEDICAL ADVICE. If you're having health problems and believe that your diet may help or indeed make them worse, you must speak with your doctor!

Will I have an allergic reaction if I eat nuts?

Only a very tiny percentage of people who consume nuts around the world suffer an allergic reaction.

It's also worth noting that such reactions can happen with almost any foodstuff including dairy products, smoked meats, different types of grain or shellfish. Difficulties with allergic reactions can also arise from handling plastic objects, clothes made from artificial (or by contrast natural) fibres and household dust.

If you are very prone to allergic reactions and have not previously consumed nuts (though you may well have done so without knowing in other foodstuffs) then you should consult a doctor for a test in advance and for further advice.

Are there health benefits in eating nuts?

Most modern health advice stresses the need for a balanced and varied diet with overall quantities consumed in moderation.

There is now compelling medical evidence that a regular consumption of nuts can be beneficial in terms of helping to prevent a range of serious health conditions.

Surely nuts are fattening?

One ounce (28g - roughly 23 whole kernels) of almonds contains about 164 calories.

To put that into perspective, a well-known chocolate bar contains around 221. The nuts are also likely to be far healthier in terms of vitamins and other beneficial properties.

Of course, nuts should be eaten in sensible quantities that relate to your height, weight and exercise/fitness levels (i.e. how many calories your body needs to meet the demands you're placing upon it).

Are nuts natural and bio-friendly?

This is a complicated one because there are so many varying interpretations of what these terms mean.

Many nuts are, by any reasonable definition, 100% natural. They may have grown and been harvested by hand or perhaps with the minimal intervention of agricultural equipment. If they're still in their shells when you buy them, you won't find a more natural product.

In terms of bio-friendly, this is such a hotly-disputed term that the best thing to do is to ask the retailer for any information they have on how their supplier sourced them and the grower's practices. In reality, that may be tricky to establish unless you buy from a specialist bio-outlet.

Once nuts have been processed, the entire game changes. In that situation, you should read the product labelling carefully to see what other foodstuffs or preservatives might have been added.

Why are nuts described as "brain food"?

For centuries, there have been tales that eating nuts helped one's brain power. From the middle of the 20th century, such stories were dismissed as "old wives' tales" or downright quackery. People repeating those beliefs were often sneered at!
aOddly, medical science has now finally caught up with reality and very recently medical and cognitive development experts have started to state that there IS a proven link between these thina