All Quinnoa articles in one place.
Edamame is soybean harvested while immature. Cooked and shelled, it provides about 12 g protein, 5 g fiber, 5 g fat, and 121 calories per 100 g. A 150 g serving provides roughly 18 g protein and 8 g fiber, an unusually useful combination in one food.
Meat is much more protein-dense per 100 g: cooked chicken breast provides about 31 g and lean beef around 29 g, compared with roughly 9 g in cooked lentils or chickpeas. Legumes, however, provide about 6–8 g fiber per 100 g and can contain as much or more total iron, although it is non-heme iron and is absorbed less efficiently than heme iron from meat.
Chia stands out mainly for fiber and ALA omega-3. A 1 oz (28 g) serving provides about 138 calories, 4.7 g protein, 9.8 g fiber, and roughly 5 g ALA. It is nutrient-dense in a small portion, but it usually works better as a protein contributor than as the main protein source in a meal.
Chia and flax are nutritionally similar but not identical. Per 1 oz, chia provides about 9.8 g fiber and 5.0 g ALA; flax provides about 7.7 g fiber and 6.4 g ALA. Flax is best eaten ground so its nutrients are easier to access, while chia can be eaten whole.
Walnuts are by far the common nut with the most omega-3: a 1 oz (28 g) serving provides about 2.57 g of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Pecans, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, and cashews provide much smaller amounts. ALA is a plant omega-3 and is not nutritionally identical to the EPA and DHA found in fish.
Roasted nuts are not automatically less healthy than raw nuts. Roasting lowers moisture and can reduce some heat-sensitive compounds, but protein, minerals, and most of the fat profile change little. Added oil, salt, sugar, or coatings often matter more than roasting itself.
Almonds are concentrated foods: 100 g provides about 579 calories, 21 g of protein, 12.5 g of fiber and 50 g of fat. A more realistic 1-ounce serving provides about 164 calories, 6 g of protein, 3.5 g of fiber and 14 g of fat, mostly monounsaturated. Almonds are also notable for vitamin E and magnesium.
A 1-ounce serving of walnuts provides about 185 calories, 4.3 g of protein, 1.9 g of fiber and 18.5 g of fat. Their distinctive feature among common nuts is ALA: roughly 2.5 g of this plant omega-3 per ounce. ALA is not the EPA or DHA found in fish, but it is an essential fatty acid the body cannot make.
In a 1-ounce serving, almonds provide about 164 calories, 6 g of protein and 3.5 g of fiber; walnuts provide about 185 calories, 4.3 g of protein and 1.9 g of fiber. Walnuts, however, provide roughly 2.5 g of ALA omega-3, while almonds are far richer in vitamin E. Neither wins every category.
One hundred grams of avocado provides about 14.7–15 g of fat: roughly 9.8–10 g monounsaturated, 1.8 g polyunsaturated and 2.1 g saturated. A 50 g portion provides about 7.3 g of fat, while an avocado with 200 g of edible flesh contains close to 29 g. That is why 'one avocado' is not a useful fixed serving without knowing its size.
Avocado production can create significant environmental pressure when irrigation draws on scarce water or orchards expand into forest. There is no universal 'liters per avocado' number: research in Michoacán has found roughly 417 m³ of water per metric ton for rainfed orchards and more than 1,000 m³/t for irrigated production. Origin and farming system matter more than the fruit in isolation.
Coconut oil is one of the most concentrated common sources at roughly 80–85 g of saturated fat per 100 g; butter, palm oil and animal fats are also high. But 100 g is not a realistic serving of cooking fat: one tablespoon of coconut oil provides about 11–12 g of saturated fat, while an ounce of cheddar provides roughly 5–6 g.