If you're looking for a wholesome snack, nuts might seem like a sure-fire win.
But some nuts are wildly unhealthy, or even harmful, and the human cost of harvesting
them can sometimes be disturbingly high.
Here are a few picks from the nut and seed aisle you may want to think twice about.
Almonds
Not only are these perennial favorites tasty, but they're good for you, too, and are used
to make a popular alternative to milk for those looking to avoid dairy.
But all that goodness comes at a price, and if you're trying to make more environmentally-friendly
choices, you might want stop eating almonds.
More than 80 percent of the world's almonds come from California, and it's a multi-billion
dollar industry.
You've heard the horror stories of drought and wildfires in the state — now consider
that every single almond you eat took a little more than a gallon of water to grow.
That toll has lead to a domino effect, even impacting the local salmon population, which
is plagued by low water levels.
But wait, almonds get worse!
Bitter almonds
Almond production is problematic, but bitter almonds can be straight-up deadly.
Not to be confused with common "sweet" almonds, bitter almonds are actually apricot kernels.
They lend almond flavor to things like marzipan, but eating them raw is dangerous.
Raw bitter almonds have a compound inside them that the body converts to cyanide, unless
they're properly prepared.
Case studies of people who eat them raw are nothing short of terrifying, including one
case where a 67-year-old woman ate only a handful bitter almonds, thinking they were
"medicinal."
Just that small amount gave her lightheadedness and nausea, and when she had a dozen more,
she was incapacitated and on her way to the emergency room within 15 minutes.
Despite many claims online to the contrary, actual medical professionals advise people
to avoid eating raw bitter almonds entirely.
So… don't get medical advice from anonymous internet strangers.
And speaking of horrible poisons...
Cashews
The majority of cashews come from India and Vietnam, and picking and processing them isn't
easy.
Cashew apples have several tough layers that need to be discarded, and those layers are
toxic.
Workers earn a pittance for shucking cashews, and many of them have suffered permanent damage
from the toxic liquid that the shells release.
An expose by Time magazine uncovered that Vietnamese cashews are often the product of
forced labor camps staffed by people addicted to drugs, and they coined the term "blood
cashews."
If you love cashews, you might want to look into your favorite brand's source.
But wait, poisonous nuts don't end there...
Horse chestnuts
Healthy and delicious chestnuts are one of the nuts you need to eat more of, but you
should never, ever eat horse chestnuts.
They look similar, but horse chestnuts are completely smooth.
The good kind of chestnuts have a little point, and the difference is crucial.
Every part of the horse chestnut has a toxin that causes vomiting and, in large enough
doses, paralysis.
Macadamia nuts
Sure, macadamia nuts are delicious, but they're not as healthy as you might think.
That's because a one-cup serving of macadamia nuts contains almost 1,000 calories, and it's
incredibly easy to eat half your daily calorie allowance while you're munching.
That same serving also has 102 grams of fat, which is more than you should get in a whole
day.
Pine nuts
Popular in pesto, pine nuts might be just the finishing touch a recipe calls for, but
there's a weird and completely unexplained thing that can happen to a small number of
people who eat them.
It's called "pine mouth" or pine nut syndrome, and it's a temporary ailment that usually
develops somewhere between 12 and 48 hours after eating the nuts.
For a time, everything else will taste bitter, metallic, or rancid, and some people have
had the taste last for months.
The FDA issued an alert in 2011 that remains in effect today, but there's been no confirmation
as to what causes it and how to prevent it.
It's completely unpredictable, so if you have a special dinner coming up, you might want
to skip the pine nuts, just in case.
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