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Nuts and seeds may be small, but they are power-packed with health-promoting nutrients in tiny packages. They’re loaded with healthy fats, plant-based protein, vitamins, complex carbohydrates , fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients the human body needs for someone to live their best life. What’s more, because nuts and seeds store and travel without refrigeration, taste so good, and fill you up quickly, they may just be the perfect whole food snacks and convenience foods. While nuts and seeds can be expensive, one doesn’t have to eat much to access this amazing nutrition. For example, just a handful (e.g., 3 flat tablespoons, 1 ounce, or 28 grams) of walnuts delivers 4.3 grams of protein, plus more than the recommended daily needs for omega-3 essential fats, compounds that the brain must have but the human body can’t make itself. Similarly, just 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds gives the body an astounding 4.7 grams of protein, which is 8 to 10 percent of the recommended intake for a teenager. Plus, these little seeds serve up more of those omega-3 fats. Nuts and Seeds: A Lot of Nutrition in a Little Package

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