>It makes no difference as nuts are essentially seeds..and are
>not meant to be eaten really (unless they use the "host" as
>a means of propagating..and are thus indigestible if not chewed).
>
>
>They might look different but their purpose in Nature is identical.
>Thus they stand to gain nothing by being chewed and digested.
>(some obviously use the digestive system of birds and apes etc.
>to propagate but are not..or not all..chewed by these species and thus
>leave their bodies in much the same state as they entered).


Alan,

I think most card-carrying squirrels would disagree. :-) Seriously, I find
that the only-purpose-of-seeds-is-to-give-rise-to-new-plants-and
therefore-are-not-to-be-consumed-directly theory is a very amiable
hypothesis but the existence of squirrels and other graminovores (may not be
the right term, but I mean seed-eaters) seems to fly in the face of it. On
the other hand, the fact that seeds are appropriate fare for squirrels does
not necessarily mean that they are appropriate for humans.

david