h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Edible Nuts - A86169270
Author: Shagbark - U170775

Nuts anyone?

I'd love to see A46905023 worked into the hazelnut section, just because I love that Entry.

At the moment it's not too easy to read because of the formatting, but it is understandable. Could you have a quick go through the bullet points and make sure each name is capitalised and on its own line before the text below? The first few bullet points are easier to read than the ones at the end. It's partly because those that have links to Entries stand out because of the link colour. It does mean that ones without links are much harder to spot. It may be better to use subheaders rather than bullet points. Have a think and see what you think.

At the moment the facts offered about each nut are fine, but patchy; some you talk about where they come from, others about how you eat them, others about precautions you have to take while harvesting. I'd like to see a little more about each one so it is a little more standardised.

I like some of the more useful bits of advice, such as the black walnut advice to use gloves - that makes this feel a lot more useful and real as an Entry. If you have any similar info, like the bits about not to get chestnuts confused with horse chestnuts, it would do a lot to make this Entry feel a little less like a list and more like a guide.

Hi Shagbark

This is a good start, and I can see this Entry making it into the Guide eventually.

I agree with Vip's review, she has pointed out the things that need attending to.

I'd also agree with Vip and say that I would like to see more information about each of the nuts - a little nugget of interesting information, some background history or something unusual about the nut.


Lanzababy

. Hi Shagbark. I've been thinking of writing such an Entry for some time, so I'll read it through properly in due course.

I just noted one thing on my first glance. You've made a link to an external site on 'Chestnuts'. However, there is an Edited h2g2 Entry on Horse Chestnus (I believe) and also my own Entry on 'Wartime Uaes of Conkers' to which you could link

Pistacchio ice-cream has been around since 1040?

Yeah, they ate it while writing the Domesday book- Just kidding. I will correct the date.
Also, I appreciate all the other advice here and will get around to them eventually.

The h2g2 Entry on Pistachio's ) to hich you have linked already contains much general information on nuts, which you should seek to complement (rather than duplicate).

I think you should expand the information you have about minerals in nuts, e.g.

Brazil Nuts: This is the world's most radioactive food due to high radium concentrations 1000-times that of average foods.

Macadama: Rich source of manganese, needed for hormone function and to form antioxidant enzymes whih help prevent cells from damage.

Pecan: Great source of zinc

Pistachio: Great source of zinc

Coconuts: Always remember getting my Beano Annual for Christmas one year and Dennis the Menace walkjs into a shop with his friends and asks for 'A bag of nuts and not too many coconuts please'

Selenium: Cancer protectant, necessary for prostate health, prevention of hair loss, damage to nails. A handful of Brazil nuts/day can reduce risk of 8 types of cancer (liver, lung, stomach, prostate, pancreas, brain kidney, oesophagus) by up to 76%. Just this week the British press was mentioning selenium-enriched tomatoes going on sale in M&S - necessary because we are not getting enough selenium in our diet as it is deficient in soils

Zinc: An essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods (i.e. nuts), added to others, and is available as a dietary supplement.
Zinc is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism. It is required for the catalytic activity of approximately 100 enzymes, and it plays a role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing , DNA synthesis, and cell division. Famously, zinc is essential for male fertility as it helps sperm motility. (The h2g2 Entry on 'Oysters' says a bit about this). Zinc also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence. It is required for proper sense of taste and smell. One needs to have a daily intake because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.

Selenium: Cancer protectant, necessary for prostate health Hair loss, damage to nails.Handful of Brazil nuts/day can reduce risk of 8 types of cancer (liver, lung, stomach, prostate, pancreas, brain kidney, oesophagus) by up to 76%


Link to the h2g2 Entries on:
* Zinc, Cadmium and Mercury
*Selenium
* Useful Enzymes

Oops, meant also to say that walnuts are particularly high in polyunsaturated fats, as well as providing omega-3 fats, Vitamin E and folic acid. Walmuts help preserve the flexibility and elasticity of the bloodvessels. This is necessary to allow the arteries to expand and increase blood flow on demand. Hardening of the arteries is one of the main causes of heart attacks.

(Did you mention in your Entry that nuts are now categorised as 'superfoods'?

That useful enzymes page has very little to do with nutrition and even less to do with nuts.
also the article on Mercury is a solar system entry on the planet.
I will see what I can do with the remainder of posts 7 and 8 but I don't think I want these links.

Pine nuts.

Over-consumption can give the eater a bitter taste in their mouth for a week to ten days. This is known as Pine Mouth. (I discovered this to my cost lately).

An interesting factoid to add?


And how about...

Cola Nuts. Historically a commercially important nut. (Coke and Pepsi no longer contain it, but other drinks do.) Also has ceremonial/currency uses in parts of Africa.

Betel Nuts. Chewed as a stimulant in South Asia along with a stimulant leaf. (Actually a misnomer. Betel aka Paan is the leaf. Its generally wrapped around various spices etc, including a kind of nut.)

Candle Nuts. Basic ingredient of SE Asian curry pastes. (you can substitute Brazils).



Are Beech Nuts and Acorns going too far? Both have been eaten.

"That useful enzymes page has very little to do with nutrition and even less to do with nuts.
also the article on Mercury is a solar system entry on the planet."

As somebody took great pains to point out to me when I first joined h2g2, Shagbark, links are not academic references; they don't have to be anything to do with the Entry. The point of links is to direct the reader to Entries in the Guide that they might otherwise not read/come across.

Zinc, cadmium and mercury A1007416 (i.e. NOT the planet!)

A

but before I would link to them, I would first find the element in a nut.
I have searched far and wide and do not find any mercury in these nuts I named.

this is an article about nuts people eat, not about nuts used as currency or flavoring for soft drinks.

I spent several hours hunting up nutritional values. I hope it was worth it.

Hi Shagbark,

You're missing the point of what I was trying to explain. It's not the fact that the nuts contain these elements per se that is interesting, but the importance of these elements in human nutrition and the fact that nuts are a rich source. Hence you've put a lot in footnotes that really ought to be in the main body.

As I said above:

Zinc is important in sperm motility (and hence male fertility) and for our senses of taste and smell (loads of potential links to h2g2 Entries here I shoould think)

Selenium is a cancer protectant, being protective against 8 different types of cancer, including prostate. It is also deficient in soils, thus making nuts a valuable source for it. (As I said, Marks and Spencer have started marketing selenium-enhanced tomatoes for this reason)

Manganese: The info you've put in a FN would be better incorporated into the main text.

Big Al- I'm sure you have been on hootoo long enough to know that an article reflects the style of the researcher bearing its name.
This is my article. It will look the way I want it to look.
I have previously pulled articles from Peer Review and never let them get to the edited guide if I did not like the looks of where PR was pushing them, and I will do so with this article also, if that is what I need to do to keep control of this article.

I entirely agree with you Shagbark. It's just that from the tone of your responses I wasn't convinced that you knew what I was getting at. (Also I wasn't aware that I was suggesting you change your style). Also, PR doesn't 'push' Researchers. It merely makes suggestions which the Researcher can either take or leave.

A

I am glad we are in agreement. I notice in zadding a comment on pine nuts I ended up with a double period.
I will get to that shortly but right now have other matters to attend to.

>>this is an article about nuts people eat, not about nuts used as currency or flavoring for soft drinks.

OK. But even if you want to exclude potable nuts, kola nuts are also eaten, hence their acquiring a currency value. Lots of references to chewing kola nuts in Chinua Achebe.

Just a suggestion

Are kola nuts the same as cola beans?