What Are Baru Nuts?
Baru nuts are native to Brazil, but their popularity is on the rise due to their delectable flavor and their impressive nutrition profile. They are cultivated from the savanna ecoregion in Brazil that is called the “Cerrado”. Baru nuts are grown on baruzeiro tree, which actually takes between seven and eight years to grow before it starts producing the nutrient-packed nuts. Baru nuts, which belong to the legume family, are housed inside a tough outer shell.
What Are Their Health Benefits?
Although there is not much research available on these miraculous morsels of nutrition because they are not widely consumed by the majority of the world, the studies that have been done show heart health benefits as well as help with weight control. Recent data from a randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial, published in the scientific journal Nutrition, shows that a diet that included baru nuts decreased abdominal fat, reduced waist circumference, increased HDL cholesterol (your good cholesterol) and improved markers of fat metabolism.
Nutrition Profile
Per 3 Tablespoons (30 grams) roasted: 155 calories, 8 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 0 milligrams sodium, 14 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber (32 percent Daily Value), 0 grams sugar, 7 grams protein, 32 percent Daily Value (DV) of vitamin E, 19 percent DV of magnesium, 15 percent DV of potassium, 14 percent DV of zinc, 10 percent DV of iron, 5 percent DV of calcium.
- Baru nuts are rich in disease-preventing antioxidants — more than any other type of nut and 4 times the antioxidants of blueberries.
- According to lab tests, the ORAC levels for baru nuts is 21,100 micromoles/100 grams. ORAC--which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity — is a unit that measures the total antioxidant capacity of a given food.
- Baru nuts contain twice the fiber of other nuts. Fiber has been been proven to help prevent disease and help you maintain a healthy weight.
- Baru nuts are a complete protein, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids.
- Baru nuts contain fewer calories and less fat than other types of nuts.
- Baru nuts are very high in protein — 24 percent of the weight of these nuts is highly-digestible vegan protein.
What Do Baru Nuts Taste Like?
Baru nuts can be described as tasting like a mix between cashews and peanuts with a subtle cocoa or coffee flavor. You can eat them with or without their skin.
Good for the Planet
Baru nuts are not only good for your health, purchasing them is excellent for the health of the ecosystem and helps support local agriculture in Brazil’s savanna biome. In the past, most of the baruzeiro trees were being cut down for timber and to free up space to be used for cattle farming, charcoal, and agriculture, which was drastically damaging the local ecosystem there and creating a perilous impact on the climate on a global level.
The nutrient-dense mighty morsels are hand-picked by a neighborhood co-op of coordinated families in the Cerrado. By purchasing these nuts, you would be helping to stop the deforestation and preserve the original flora in that region. Because of their recent increase in popularity, they are now considered valuable and are not being destroyed to make room for cattle, thus conserving the original flora & wildlife in that region. Buying baru nuts also creates essential jobs for the indigenous villagers that live there as they make a living off of planting new baruzeiro trees and harvesting nuts that fall off the existing trees. Baru nuts are sustainably-sourced and are harvested through fair trade practices.
Baru nuts also have a very low water footprint, meaning they do not need external sources of water or huge irrigation systems - they only use rainwater. Most other nuts require a large amount of water that has to be brought in. And since they grow in the wild, they are free from chemicals such as artificial fertilizers and pesticides. They are also non-GMO and contain no gluten.
Ways to Enjoy Baru Nuts
- Toss baru nuts on a colorful, veggie-rich salad or on the top of your favorite whole-grain pasta dish.
- Stir a handful into your morning yogurt or oatmeal.
- Mix with some dried fruits, seeds, whole-grain crackers, and other fixins to create your own healthy trail mix.
- Snack on them right out of the bag--my favorite way to enjoy them!
Where to Buy
Baru nuts can be found on several online retailers such as Amazon, https//nuts.com, or https://barukas.com.
