Nuts and fruit are the main tree foods. They contain a wide range of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, sugars, protein and other plant chemicals. For instance in nuts, there will be found
· zinc in brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts
· selenium in brazil nuts
· folic acid in walnuts and hazelnuts

Nuts may be eaten for breakfast in muesli and as snacks rather than crisps and sweets. Hazelnut, almond and cashew butters are commercially available and are made by blending the nuts with a little oil and salt. In Paris in winter, the streets are lined with vendors selling roasted sweet chestnuts and beech nuts collected from the wild were once a staple peasant diet.

Tree fruits contain importantly vitamin C, beta-carotene, minerals and trace minerals. Cooked fruits have less vitamin content than uncooked fruits and dried fruits release their sugar slowly making them a good confectionary snack. Dried fruits are a good source of
· iron in apricots, prunes and figs
· calcium in figs

Only when fruit has been processed such as in the preparation of fruit juices, do the sugars in fruit cause tooth decay.

Fruit has powerful antioxidant effects that boost the immune system thereby helping prevent serious disease and also keeping coughs and colds at bay. The juice of one freshly squeezed lemon each day (e.g. in a salad dressing) can have powerful effects in preventing disease. A recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetable is about 5–6 portions. Fruit salads are an enjoyable dessert and fruit peel contains pectins, a type of soluble fibre, which helps to lower cholesterol levels and encourage healthy bowel movement. Anthocyanins (potent antioxidants) provide the red, violet and blue colours in fruits such as cherries, plums and blackcurrents. They have a very beneficial effect on the body, decreasing the risk of cancer and the effects of arthritis.

It is often unremarked how much trees are used in our diet. Think of spices such as cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, oils such as olive, hazelnut and walnut, olives, avocados etc. Salad dressings can incorporate the valuable benefits of trees for instance by using cider apple vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil etc.

Amongst beverages, cocoa is made from the pods of the tree Theobroama cacoa but cocoa may trigger migranes in those susceptible. Carob (Ceratoma siligua) would then be a good substitute. The tea and coffee generally consumed in the Western world derive from shrubs not trees. However herbal teas can be made from the parts of many different trees such as from lime or elderflowers, black haw bark, hawthorn leaves etc.

In food preparation, use in preference a wooden chopping board. Its oils and resins provide natural antiseptic qualities which help to deter bacteria.

Some indication of which important constituents are derived from which sources are listed below.

Minerals and trace elements:
· zinc, magnesium, copper and manganese - brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews
· selenium – brazil nuts and oranges
· potassium – most fruits e.g. apples, oranges, peaches and plums
· iron – apricots, almonds, cocoa powder, prunes, figs
· calcium – carob flour, brazil nuts, figs, olives, walnuts, prunes
· boron – fruit where the soil contains boron

Vitamins:
· Vitamin A – yellow and orange coloured fruit and veg. ( It exists in the carotenes which colour the fruit) e.g. apricots, mangoes, guavas
· Vitamin B – mainly in nuts: pine nuts, brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts and cashews), also in oranges
· Vitamin B2 – nuts such as almonds
· Vitamin B6 – fruits such as oranges and avocados and nuts including walnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts
· Vitamin C – most fruit
· Vitamin E – vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and especially avocados.

Acknowledgements: TREE MEDICINE, Peter Conway