Surprising Walnut Benefits For Health
Do you know walnut benefits skin, hair & heart? Are Walnuts Good for you? Well, let’s discover what are the benefits of Walnuts?
Walnut is the type of dry fruit that looks like a brain, has multiple folds in it & a bit bitter in taste. Walnut benefits for health are countless because it contains all the nutrients that are essential to the body.
So, to say that Walnut is a just nutritious dry fruit is kind of an understatement. Walnut is not only rich in vitamins and minerals but also rich in Omega -3s.
It is a single seed nut that grows on a walnut tree. Walnut is native to Eastern North America but now it is easily available in China, Iran, and other gulf countries and within the united states, California and Arizona.
It’s quite popular in California by the name of California Walnuts.
Walnut benefits brain power and makes our bone strong. It is rich in Mineral, fiber, protein, omega – 3s and is a tasty and delicious dry fruit which is consumed by people from all over the world.
Walnut benefits in weight management and improves overall health and is certified by the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark.
A daily serving or handful of walnuts may help you in maintaining your diet quality to a great level, as walnuts nutrition are very high so we all should add this little dry fruit in our diet to maintain our bone health.
Nutrition facts
Walnuts are made up of 65% fat and about 15% of protein. They’re low in carbs — most of which consist of fiber.
A 1-ounce (30-gram) serving of walnuts — about 14 halves — provides the following nutrients :
- Calories: 185
- Water: 4%
- Protein: 4.3 grams
- Carbs: 3.9 grams
- Sugar: 0.7 grams
- Fiber: 1.9 grams
- Fat: 18.5 grams
Fats
Walnuts contain about 65% fat by weight .
Like other nuts, most of the calories in walnuts come from fat. This makes them an energy-dense, high-calorie food.
However, even though walnuts are rich in fat and calories, studies indicate that they don’t increase obesity risk when replacing other foods in your diet.
Walnuts are also richer than most other nuts in polyunsaturated fats. The most abundant one is an omega-6 fatty acid called linoleic acid.
They also contain a relatively high percentage of the healthy omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This makes up around 8–14% of the total fat content.
In fact, walnuts are the only nuts that contain significant amounts of ALA.
ALA is considered especially beneficial for heart health. It also helps reduce inflammation and improve the composition of blood fats.
What’s more, ALA is a precursor for the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which have been linked to numerous health benefits.
Why would walnuts be so good for you?
While this new research is intriguing, it also raises the question of whether walnuts are unique in some way. In fact, it may be the types of oils in walnuts that make them special when it comes to cardiovascular health. Walnuts contain a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are healthier than saturated fats. In addition, walnuts have alpha-linolenic and linoleic acids, which may have anti-inflammatory effects that keep blood vessels healthy, in addition to having favorable effects on blood lipids.
All nuts are not created equal. Many nuts (such as my favorites, almonds and cashews) are rich in monounsaturated fats, along with polyunsaturated fats. These are healthier types of fats than saturated and trans fats, but the specific combination of fats and polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in walnuts may be particularly good for cardiovascular health.
Not so fast, walnut lovers
Before you start loading up on walnuts, there are some important caveats to keep in mind:
- The improvements in blood lipids noted in this study were small.
- This study did not determine the ideal “dose” or duration of walnut consumption. In one of the best studies, a mix of about nine hazelnuts, 12 almonds, and six walnuts were consumed daily. That might be more than some people are willing to eat!
- A study of this type cannot prove that walnuts were the reason a person’s cholesterol improved with a walnut-enriched diet. It’s possible that those who like walnuts also tend to exercise more, smoke less, or have more favorable genes than those who don’t eat walnuts.
- No single food in your diet can make you healthy. It’s the big picture that matters most. A healthy diet, regular exercise, avoiding excess weight, and not smoking are good starting points. And even with a healthy lifestyle, some people require medications or other treatments to reduce their risk of cardiovascular and other diseases.