Superfoods – Walnuts
Walnuts are superfoods for many reasons. Eating walnuts regularly provides the body with essential omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Walnuts have the highest antioxidant content of the tree nuts.
Research suggests that walnuts can be a healthy part of the diet for the prevention of not only breast and other cancers, but also diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Walnuts – “The King of Nuts”
Walnuts are considered by many as the “king of nuts” from a nutritional perspective. Walnuts, like other nuts are high in monounsaturated fats. These are the same type of health-promoting fats that are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Therefore, to get the health benefits of walnuts, a moderate handful is sufficient.
Other health benefits of walnuts include:
- Prevent Gallstones – as little as 1 ounce per week has been shown to reduce the risk of gallstones.
- Source of Bioavailable Melatonin – improves the quality of sleep.
- Prevents Atherosclerosis – lowers LDL’s (bad cholesterol).
- Controls High Blood Pressure – omega 3 fatty acids help to regulate the blood pressure.
- Antioxidant King – one of the highest antioxidant levels of all superfoods.
- Promotes Heart Health – reduces overall cholesterol, reduces LDL’s (bad cholesterol), increases artery elasticity, antioxidant activity reduces heart disease risk by protecting the blood vessels from free radical damage.
- Regulates Type II Diabetes – improved overall cholesterol profile, which helps to regulate the effects of the disease.
- Protects Bone Health – supports bone health and prevents excessive bone turnover with the bioactivity of alpha linolenic acid, an omega 3 fatty acid found specifically in walnuts.
- Enhances Brain Activity – omega 3 fatty acid content helps to sustain a clear, healthy brain by supporting the cellular function via the fatty brain cell membranes.
Walnuts are a fantastic source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which have been found to not only protect the heart and promote better cognitive function, but also provide anti-inflammatory benefits for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis.
Walnuts also contain the antioxidant compound ellagic acid, which is known to fight cancer and support the immune system. Studies have shown approximately 16 polyphenols in walnuts, including three new tannins, with antioxidant activity so powerful it was described as “remarkable.”
So ‘in a nutshell’, walnuts are incredibly healthy for many different parts of the body. Try incorporating them into main meals like ‘spinach roasted pumpkin and walnut salad‘ or treats like ‘walnut raisin cookies‘ in the following video:
