Do you consider nuts to be a significant protein source?

[MrsSlocombe]

To the best of my knowledge, even the highest-protein nut (the peanut) gets the majority of its calories from fat, not protein.  However, when I visited my midwife for an analysis of my diet, she added up the protein in only some of the foods I ate.  Obviously, she counted legumes, and she also counted nuts, though she didn't count any of the protein grams from my grains or vegetables.  In the end, unsurprisingly given that she didn't include all of my food, she said I was low in protein and needed more nuts.  Because I knew I didn't actually have to go by any of her recommendations, I didn't push the point, but aren't many grains and vegetables higher in protein (as a percentage of calories) than nuts?  Well, this may be a redundant question, since I know they are.  Is there some other reason to count the protein in nuts but not the protein in broccoli, pasta, etc.?

I don't mean to imply that nuts might be bad to include in one's diet.  I will continue to eat them as a source of fats, (in some cases) minerals, and taste, but I am wondering if they are a more important source of protein than I'd given them credit for.

Edited by MrsSlocombe - 1/2/12 at 12:55am

[catnip]

Nuts average about 5 grams of protein per ounce, with peanuts and almonds (yes, I know peanuts aren't really nuts) being the highest at almost 7, and pecans and macdamias the lowest at around 2.  Wheat, oats and quinoa give you more protein for the calories, but rice doesn't. 

I eat nut butter or nuts every day, and I do consider them a good source of protein.

[MrsSlocombe]

Thanks.  I suppose most foods are a good source of protein, going by the minimum, non-pregnancy recommendations.  Peanuts get about 15% of their calories from protein, which is towards the lower end of the standard recommendations for most people, and would be considered ideal by some.  I'm just looking for a good reason to choose nuts over other foods that get about 15% of their calories from protein, such as pasta, or over foods that get an even higher percentage of their calories from protein, such as broccoli or asparagus.

[MrsSlocombe]

E.g., I was wondering if the quality of protein in nuts is somehow unique, and if this would be a reason to eat them more often, while reducing grains and veggies.  (I don't need to increase total calories.)

[dovey]

Nuts and pasta have similar protein profiles, but both are deficient in lysine.  Nuts have more lysine than pasta, but beans have lots of lysine.  Beans on the other hand are deficient in methiosine and cystine, so that's why nutritionists recommend eating beans, nuts and grains to get a proper protein balance. 

If you look on http://nutritiondata.self.com, you can look up various foods and find how much of different types of protein a given food contains.  The website includes a lot of packaged/fast food in their data, but if you look through the list, you can usually find what you're looking for. 

[MrsSlocombe]

Originally Posted by dovey 

Nuts and pasta have similar protein profiles, but both are deficient in lysine.  Nuts have more lysine than pasta, but beans have lots of lysine.  Beans on the other hand are deficient in methiosine and cystine, so that's why nutritionists recommend eating beans, nuts and grains to get a proper protein balance. 

If you look on http://nutritiondata.self.com, you can look up various foods and find how much of different types of protein a given food contains.  The website includes a lot of packaged/fast food in their data, but if you look through the list, you can usually find what you're looking for. 

Ah, I see!  Thanks for the link;  I knew there were different amino acids, but based on the nutritional profiles of some foods on that site, there are more than I imagined.  I definitely eat beans, as well, and I do eat some nuts, but I was having trouble understanding why I needed more than half a cup of almond milk and a smear of cashew spread in my day, since they are not actually higher in protein than many other vegan foods.  This is good to know.