Now that summer is finally here I feel inspired to eat more salad. Trying to get into the fitness thing is always a challenge but this time round I’m determined to also get into nuts and seeds. As a child and teenager I didn’t like nuts (except salted peanuts). Even later I pretty much turned my nose up at almonds and the like. Perhaps the ones found in Scotland in those days were old, bordering on stale? So when did I develop a taste for these parcels of natural goodness? Perhaps when I first came to Nepal.

 

Which was in the winter and fresh peanuts in shells were seen on every street corner. Warm from roasting. But living on the Tarai I don’t remember there being many varieties of nuts around. Ultimately, I think my nutty attraction started around the time when the dieting fraternity decided that nuts were no longer ‘fattening’, but contained ‘good fats’ and therefore we were free to add them to our daily diet. In fact we were positively urged to add them.

 

Walnuts probably came first for me. Walnut and beetroot salad is still very much on my menu. And, I hate to admit it, but I never saw raw beetroot until a few years ago. The beetroot I ate in Scotland came pickled in a jar. And I honestly thought the color was an additive! But remember I come from a country where fried Mars Bars (in batter) is a real thing! Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds came next. Sprinkled over the top of a salad or in morning muesli. (I can see my child self making a face.)

 

With rising awareness on health issues and more reasonable prices, I think more and more people will be going nutty over seeds

 

I was introduced to chia seeds a couple of years ago and I started adding those to yogurt, muesli and salads also. Flax seeds are something I have come across more recently, and now use both the seeds and oil (am I not good?). My mother always has fresh blueberries in the fridge, but I have yet to develop a taste for them. However, I am trying really hard to incorporate the dried variety into my salads too. Whether any of these make us more healthy I guess depends on all sorts of personal factors, but if they taste good, why not? (Reading this back my child self is asking if I have turned into a bird…)

 

But why are they so pricy here? Can seeds and nuts really be this expensive or are they just marked up for the niche market which is mainly expats? Most of the above were once only to be found at the organic markets around town and are still prohibitively expensive. I guess it’s economics of scale. As a result, I used these seeds, nuts, and dried fruits sparingly, thinking more about my budget than my health.

 

But good news! I have now found all of the above (and more) at a more affordable price, aiming I guess at a growing local market that is becoming health conscious. Interestingly, the producers’ website states they have been in operation for over 30 years! It doesn’t explain further so I think perhaps in the past they specialized in the more traditional nuts for festive occasions. Sold now in 100g and 250g (unfortunately plastic) jars with the benefits and eating suggestions printed on the labels, the nuts, seeds and dried fruits are still a bit pricy, but nowhere as expensive as those in the organic markets.

 

Definitely this is still a bit of a niche market but with rising awareness on health issues and more reasonable prices, I think more and more people will be going nutty over seeds (and nuts, and dried fruits…) And although this is not an advert for the company I know readers now want to know its name. Morsel International. Google it!