"Nuts are simply a totally exciting food group. Coming from nutritional physiology, but also simply because they can be used in so many different ways in the kitchen": nutritionist Christine Brombach on nuts as a valuable food.
Christine Brombach: Nutritionist Prof. Dr Christine Brombach is head of the Nutrition and Consumer Science department at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Wädenswil. She completed her degree in oecotrophology with a doctorate at the University of Giessen (Germany) and also trained in labour, vocational and business education. This was followed by study visits to the USA as well as a Master of Science in Nutrition and a second major in Gerontology.
Interview
Wädenswil, 14 October 2019
"Pakka": Do you have a favourite nut?
Brombach: Firstly, I love tree nuts in all their varieties. I grew up with tree nuts in the garden and until recently had my own walnut tree here in Wädenswil. It's just a really great nut. But I love all types of nuts: Cashew, macadamia, pecan, hazelnuts. I also like lesser-known nuts, such as beech nuts.
"Pakka": Where can you get Buchecker today?
Brombach: They are not available in the shops. That means you have to collect them yourself in the forest, peel them, roast them and see what you can do with them.
"Pakka": What kind of nut consumer are you?
Brombach: I eat quite a lot of nuts, more than the average. I think on average I eat between 30g-50g of nuts a day. This is in line with the recommendations of the EAT-Lancet report.
"Pakka": "EAT-Lancet-Report", can you say something about it?
Brombach: The EAT-Lancet Report [see info box below] is a report in the internationally renowned specialist journal LANCET, which regularly comments on certain nutritional topics. In January of this year, an exciting report was published that caused quite a furore in the field of nutrition. Against the backdrop of population growth on our planet, a commission of experts calculated the characteristics of an average diet if the globally available resources are taken into account and people eat in such a way that even 10 billion people can live on this earth. They say that mathematically, each person has 2500 kilocalories per day at their disposal. The authors of the report break this amount down into individual food groups and nuts are listed as particularly valuable at 50g per day.
"Pakka": The Swiss Society for Nutrition, as well as the German one, recommend eating 25g of nuts per day. Will you now adjust this recommendation?
Brombach: The nutrition societies make recommendations based on the population. In contrast, the EAT-Lancet report focuses on the global aspect. But in the long term, I do think that we need to increase the proportion of nuts. Even if we manage to get to 25g or 30g of nuts per day, this would be very much in our favour. People are often bothered by the high fat content of nuts. However, good studies have shown that those who consume a high proportion of nuts do not consume more energy overall; on the contrary, they actually eat more healthily. It has to be said that we in Switzerland eat too few nuts overall. According to menuCH, the Swiss nutrition survey, every Swiss person eats less than 5g of nuts per day on average.
"Pakka": We talk about nuts as "power food for body and mind". What does that mean in the language of the nutrition expert?
Brombach: Firstly, the composition of the fats, with the generally high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, the essential fatty acids that we also need for our metabolism. Then we appreciate the very high and high-quality proportion of amino acids and proteins. Due to the favourable fat-protein combination, we speak of "food for the brain". Finally, there are the dietary fibres contained in the seed coat, which promote intestinal movement. All in all, this simply results in a very high-quality food that is part of a balanced diet.
"Pakka": A study recently published by the University of South Australia showed that eating peanuts can improve cognitive abilities in old age. What do you think of such studies?
Brombach: It has been shown time and again that nutrition is a very complex story. Of course, specific foods can be analysed for certain aspects and that may certainly be the case in this context. But nuts serve a whole range of different metabolic processes in the body and interact with other foods. I always find it a little difficult when a single food is labelled in this way. Such studies have to be seen in a certain context, they were carried out with a certain group of people and on the basis of a specific question. You see, the scope of such studies is narrowly defined. We must therefore be careful not to make generalisations from them.
"Pakka": What would be your recommendation for nuts for children?
Brombach: You should be careful up to the age of two because of the risk of ingestion. And of course nuts have allergen potential. Today, however, allergy research has moved away from waiting as long as possible before introducing a potential allergen. The sooner the immune system is activated, the sooner allergies can be prevented. You can therefore start by mixing in nuts in pureed form. But everyone has to try this out for themselves. In a household where nuts are part of the diet, the children naturally want to eat them too. We used to have a walnut tree and there were nuts there too. That was completely normal. We collected nuts, cracked them and made little men out of the shells. And of course we also ate them.
"Pakka": Can you say that the image of nuts has improved as a result of the food trend?
Brombach: I think so, especially due to the vegetarian and vegan diet. In general, however, I keep realising that there is little practical knowledge. By that I mean cooking with nuts. Nuts are simply a totally exciting food group. From a nutritional physiological point of view, but also simply because they are so versatile in the kitchen: In savoury dishes, as a sauce thickener and egg substitute or as a topping in salads and muesli. I'm also thinking of gratins made with nuts. I think we can still learn a lot from the Arab world. In the Levant, nuts are traditionally used a lot, especially in pastes and in combination with pulses. Sesame paste is used in classic hummus, but there are also pea pastes in which nuts are added. Simply because it tastes good. And nutritionally, it is totally valuable. We only know nuts as trail mix and not as something that can actually accompany us all year round. I think that's such a shame, this underestimated potential of nuts!
"Pakka": Do you have a favourite nut recipe that you can share with us here?
Brombach: I love nuts in the form of pesto. And I use all the nuts I have around: Walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamias, cashews. You can also use all kinds of herbs. Pesto really is a classic and is always in our fridge. And then I also love nuts simply as a snack. I have a whole assortment, grab a handful and eat them just like that.
"Pakka": Yes, nuts have an addictive potential...
Brombach: Yes, really! I could easily eat a whole packet in one go. I have to restrain myself a bit. But at this time of year, nuts are simply a must for me. Because autumn is nut season!
To the tomato and walnut pesto recipe from C. Brombach
About the EAT-Lancet Report
The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health brought together 37 world-leading scientists from around the world to answer the following question: Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people with a healthy diet within the limits of our planet? The scientists' answer is yes, but only if we change our eating habits, improve food production and reduce food waste.
The EAT-Lancet report is the first full scientific review of what constitutes a healthy diet from a sustainable food system and what actions can support and accelerate the transformation of the food system.
Find out more: https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/