Top 5 Health Benefits of Walnuts

Walnuts are one of the world's most powerful and easily accessible super foods.  They are filled with unique anti-inflammatory benefits that not many other foods on this planet can boast. One of the reasons we love walnuts so much is that they offer the best of all worlds - healthy fats, fiber, and protein all in one bite making them a superfood that can truly stand on it's own! That's why we've dedicated this week's What's That?! Wednesday post to the our top 5 list...

Top 5 Health Benefits of Walnuts:

1. Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Superfood - Walnuts contain a unique blend of phytonutrients like quinone juglone, tannin tellimagrandin, and flavonol morin that are not found in any other commonly eaten food. These antioxidants work to lower chronic inflammation in the body which studies show is one of the main causes of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
   
   
2. Improve Cardiovascular Health & Reduce Risk of Heart Disease - The monunsaturated and polyunsaturated fats or "healthy fats" found in walnuts help to lower your level of LDL "bad" cholesterol, which is one of the primary causes of heart disease. The vitamin E, fiber, and  l-arganine also support heart health by reducing plaque development and improving the artery wall health. There is evidence to support that the omega-3 ALA found in walnuts may help to prevent blood clots, thereby reducing your risk for a heart attack. 
   
   
3. Improve Metabolic Health & Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight - The fiber, protein, and healthy fats found in walnuts make these a nutrient dense food that will keep you feeling full and satisfied longer and work to stabilize your blood sugar. The unique antioxidants and healthy fats found in walnuts have also been shown to decrease chronic inflammation, lower cholesterol, assist to balance hormones, and reduce abdominal fat - 4 of the top contributors to obesity. 
   
   
4. Support Brain Health - Walnuts are high in Vitamin E, folate, melatonin, and omega-3 fatty acids which are all neuroprotective nutrients that help to decrease vulnerability to oxidative stress and enhance cognitive and motor function as we age. 
   
   
5. Reduce Risk of Prostate and Breast Cancer - There are several new studies that show walnut consumption reduced prostate cancer cell growth by 30-40 percent and breast cancer cell growth by 50% (see more here). 

We recommend incorporating between 1-3 ounces of walnuts into your diet each day. 1 ounce is about 14 walnut halves or a generous 1/4 cup. Always buy ORGANIC and RAW and make sure to eat the the flaky/sometimes waxy skins because these contain much of the powerful phytonutrients we discussed above. Use them as snacks, mix them into trail mix or granola, or crumble them over your salads or soups - no matter how you incorporate them, you can't go wrong. 

Here are a few of our favorite recipes using walnuts as one of the main ingredients:
Rosemary Chicken Salad Wraps
Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps 
Strawberry Mixed Green Salad with Walnut-Hemp Clusters
No Bake Berry Crumble


Thanks for tuning in to this week's edition of What's That?! Wednesday...we hope to catch you again next week. 

~Jennifer & Billie