Nuts and seeds can add value to your diet

Don't overlook seeds and nuts when you're trying to add good nutrition to your diet.

Choose your favorites - walnuts, cashews, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and more. These little packages of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals are also high in essential fatty acids and protein.

Sure, there are downsides. Many packaged nuts and seeds are salted. Eat too many, and they may contribute to a diet that's too high in sodium.

And because seeds and nuts are rich in fat, they're high in calories. Just a handful of cashews or two tablespoons of peanut butter contain about 200 calories, more than the amount you'd get in half of a tuna salad sandwich.

Another potential drawback: allergies. Tree nuts are among several of the most allergenic foods.

Fortunately, most people tolerate seeds and nuts just fine. You would do well to incorporate more of them into your diet more often.

In addition to being highly nutritious, seeds and nuts taste good and add crunch and texture to foods. Some, including walnuts, have even been found in studies to help lower blood cholesterol levels.

They're versatile, too. Nut and seed butters need no refrigeration, so they make convenient spreads for bag lunch sandwiches. They also add flavor when they're stirred into sauces and stir-fry.

This is also a good opportunity to bust a myth about people with diverticulosis, a condition in which small outpouchings appear in the colon. Conventional wisdom said that people with this condition should avoid most nuts and seeds.

However, there's little scientific evidence to back up this claim. Most people with this condition can eat nuts and seeds. (As always, follow your doctor's advice if you have a medical condition.)

Getting a little nutty

To add more nuts and seeds to your diet, try these ideas:

Add them to salads and sides. Slivered almonds go well with steamed green beans, and walnuts taste good in a spinach salad or Waldorf salad.

Add sunflower seeds to any salad. Chopped nuts add color and crunch to fruit salads.

Chili and thick soups. I add cashews to my chili. You should also try creamy African-style peanut soup. (I include a good recipe in my book, "Living Vegetarian for Dummies.")

Spread nut and seed butters. Use them on celery sticks and apple and pear slices, too. Find almond and cashew butters in natural foods stores. Sesame seed paste, or tahini, is used in Middle Eastern dips such as hummus, as well as in homemade, creamy salad dressings.

Process some pesto. Basil pesto is easy to make from scratch. You can find simple recipes online. Most recipes call for pine nuts, but walnuts are a less-expensive alternative.

Add them to desserts and baked goods. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over rice pudding or a baked apple. Slivered almonds are good on peach or cherry cobbler, and chopped nuts go well in cookies, muffins, quick breads and pancakes, too.

Like autumn leaves, scatter a few nuts and seeds this fall.