Nuts and dry fruits- Are these one and the same?
In my interaction with clients during nutritional counseling, I have come across many people who use these terms interchangeably. Clients mention that they consume dry fruits; when asked to specify which ones are taken, they say almonds, pistachios. Some say, they eat nuts; upon probing, it turns out that they eat dates and raisins. You may be wondering what's the big fuss about it. Hear me out. It does make a lot of difference, especially when your nutritional needs are different. In reality, 'nuts' and 'dry fruits' belong to two different food groups. Dry fruits or dried fruits, as the name suggests, are dried fruits, hence tend to be high in natural sugars. Nuts, on the other hand, fall into the category of fats, nuts and oil seeds. Often, oil is derived from them, ex- almond oil. They have different nutrient profile and need to be taken in moderation and/ or avoided as per the individual's health condition. For example, many dry fruits tend to be rich in ir