You can't really go wrong when choosing nuts as a snack or ingredient, as long as you pay attention to quality. Look for nuts that are organic and raw, not irradiated, pasteurized, or coated in sugar.
For years walnuts have been considered some of the most healthful nuts that you can add to your diet. The levels of antioxidants that they offer are not matched even by peanuts, almonds, pecans, or almost any other nut. In fact, according to Joe Vinson from the University of Scranton, walnuts possess as much as 2X the amount of antioxidants as other nuts.
One ounce of walnuts, or about 14 halves, has 185 calories, 4 grams of protein and carbs, 2 grams of fiber and 18 grams of fat. Of those 18 fat grams, 2 grams are saturated, 3 grams are monounsaturated and the rest is polyunsaturated. Walnuts’ fat content makes them prone to rotting. Store shelled nuts in the freezer or fridge to improve their longevity.
Nuts are especially beneficial for vegetarians who are missing certain vitamins and nutrients from their diet. They slow aging, boost energy for those who workout, and offer cardiovascular benefits. One-quarter cup of walnuts provides more than 100% of the daily recommended value of plant-based omega-3 fats, along with high amounts of copper, manganese, molybdenum, and biotin.
Walnuts make an excellent addition to a number of dishes. You can toss them in salads, add them to green beans sautéed in olive oil or sprinkle them on Greek yogurt or cereal.
Walnuts help reduce not only the risk of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well. In one study, mice that ate the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of whole walnuts for 18 weeks had significantly smaller and slower-growing prostate tumors compared to the control group that consumed the same amount of fat but from other sources. Overall the whole walnut "diet" reduced prostate cancer growth by 30 to 40%.
According to another study on mice, the human equivalent of just two handfuls of walnuts a day cut breast cancer risk in half, and slowed tumor growth by 50% as well.
Walnuts contain the amino acid l-arginine, which offers multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease, or those who have increased risk for heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors.
Walnuts also contain the plant-based omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is anti-inflammatory and helps prevent the formation of pathological blood clots. Research shows that people who eat a diet high in ALA are less likely to have a fatal heart attack and have a nearly 50% lower risk of sudden cardiac death.
Eating just four walnuts a day has been shown to significantly raise blood levels of heart-healthy ALA, and walnut consumption supports healthful cholesterol levels.
However, if you struggle with herpes, you may want to limit your walnuts intake, as high levels of arginine can deplete the amino acid lysine, which can trigger herpes outbreaks.
Rare & Powerful Antioxidants
Antioxidants are crucial to your health, as they are believed to help control how fast you age by combating free radicals, which are at the heart of age-related deterioration. Walnuts contain antioxidants that are so powerful at free-radical scavenging that researchers called them "remarkable," and research has shown that walnut polyphenols may help prevent chemically-induced liver damage.
Researchers found that nuts, especially walnuts, have potent antioxidant powers. Walnut polyphenols had the best success among the nuts tested and also the highest lipoprotein-bound antioxidant activity. The researchers concluded:
Nuts are high in polyphenol antioxidants which by binding to lipoproteins would inhibit oxidative processes that lead to atherosclerosis in vivo. In human supplementation studies nuts have been shown to improve the lipid profile, increase endothelial function and reduce inflammation, all without causing weight gain.
Adding healthful amounts of nuts such as walnuts to your diet can help you to maintain your ideal weight over time. In one review of 31 trials, those whose diets included extra nuts or nuts substituted for other foods lost about 1.4 extra pounds and half an inch from their waists. Eating walnuts is also associated with increased satiety after just three days.
Boosts Brain Health
Walnuts are the same shape as the human brain, and are now being served up as brain medicine for many reasons. Walnuts contain a number of neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, omega-3s, and antioxidants. Research shows walnut consumption can support brain health, including increasing inferential reasoning in young adults.
Studies found that consuming high-antioxidant foods like walnuts can decrease the enhanced vulnerability to oxidative stress that occurs in aging, increase health span, and also enhance cognitive and motor function in aging.
Fights Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the most dreaded conditions that affect us as we age. And the scariest part is that there is no cure, and still so little is understood about its development. But since omega-3s show so much promise in protecting the brain, a lot of research is focused on this nutrient’s potential in preventing and even treating Alzheimer’s disease.
In one study, researchers at Tufts University in Boston wanted to examine the effects of walnuts on the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins in the brain. This substance is the hallmark of many age-related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and it accumulates in our brains as we age.
In this study, researchers used 45 male rats, and divided them equally into three diet groups: control, 6% walnut and 9% walnut. They noted that the 6% walnut diet fed to the rats is equivalent to 1 oz. of walnuts per day for humans. The animals were fed their diets for 15 weeks. The researchers found that the 6% and 9% walnut diets both significantly reduced the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins.
What's even better, the walnut diets seemed to activate a process called autophagy, which the researchers described as “a neuronal housekeeping function,” in the striatum and hippocampus areas of the brain. The discovery of the autophagy in the walnut-eating groups was particularly exciting because as we age, this process slows down.
In addition to these physical changes in the brain, researchers found that both groups fed the walnut diets performed better than the control group in cognitive and motor tests. All this, and the walnut-eating rats did not gain any weight compared to the rats in the control group.
Walnuts are the perfect good-mood food, offering the combined mood-boosting properties of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6 and tryptophan. The nuts are also a good source of folate (vitamin B9),and a deficiency has been linked to depression. Not only can walnuts boost your happiness, they can also help to ease anger.
Helps Control ADD & ADHD
A study done at Purdue University showed that children with a lower concentration of omega-3 fatty acids have a higher risk of hyperactivity, learning disorders, and behavioral problems. There have actually been hundreds of scientific studies signifying a variety of problems linked to omega-3 deficiencies.
The beneficial dietary fat in walnuts has been shown to improve metabolic parameters in people with type 2 diabetes. Overweight adults with type 2 diabetes who ate one-quarter cup of walnuts daily had significant reductions in fasting insulin levels compared to those who did not, and this benefit was achieved within just the first three months.
Improved Reproductive Health in Men
One of the lesser-known benefits of walnuts is their impact on male fertility. Among men who consume a Western-style diet, adding 75 grams (a bit over one-half cup) of walnuts daily significantly improved sperm quality, including vitality, motility, and morphology.
Beautiful Glowing Skin
Walnuts offer up healthy Omega-3 fats that strengthen the membranes of your skin cells, locking in moisture and nutrients that keep it plump and glowing and keeping out toxins that can damage skin cells.
Walnuts for Healthy, Thick, Beautiful Hair
Walnut is a good ‘hair food’ too. This is because walnut contains biotin (vitamin B7) that helps strengthen hair, reduce hair fall and improve hair growth to certain extent. However, not much scientific data is available to support these claims.
Walnuts & Pregnancy
Although not much research has done, it is believed that walnuts can stave off nausea during pregnancy and boost brain development in the child. Harvard School of Public Health nutritionists also suggest that consumption of peanuts and tree nuts during pregnancy might even decrease the risk of allergic disease development in children.