Cooks and grocers define nuts as anything with edible kernels and hard shells.  This includes true nuts like chestnuts and acorns, but also things that botanists would class as seeds, like Brazil nuts, or legumes, like peanuts.  Nuts are usually high in fat and protein, and people throughout the world eat them as snacks or incorporate them into both sweet and savory dishes.  Many nuts can be eaten raw but roasting them helps intensify their flavor.   Nuts are usually harvested in the fall, and it's best to buy unprocessed nuts then.   Many unshelled nuts can be kept for up to a year in a cool place, but shelled nuts, especially those that have been cut or roasted, are more prone to rancidity and should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.

Beans are low in fat and loaded with nutrients, and we'd probably eat more of them if they weren't also loaded with flatulence-producing enzymes. Like beans, shelled peas are packed with both healthful nutrients and flatulence-producing enzymes.

Nuts and seeds varieties:

• Nuts

• Dried peas & lentils

• Dried beans & bean products