The Health Benefits of Eating Superfood Walnuts

If you’re reading this, you’re probably well aware that the health benefits of eating a balanced diet are endless. When it comes to superfoods, however, walnuts are king. Superfoods are plant-based foods that have amazing nutrients and nutritional benefits. To be considered a superfood, an item must have at least one micronutrient in great abundance or demonstrate a notable nutritional profile. To name just a few of the wonderful health benefits of eating walnuts: they lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease by reducing blood pressure and decreasing the chance of developing hypertension; they improve immune function and protect against respiratory tract infections, and they help to reduce inflammation caused by injury or infection.

Superfood Walnuts

Walnuts are linked to multiple health benefits and have an impressive nutrient profile. Just 1 ounce (28 grams) contains (16):

• Calories: 185
• Fat: 18.5 grams
• Protein: 4 grams
• Carbs: 4 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Copper: 50% of the DV
• Magnesium: 11% of the DV
• Manganese: 42% of the DV

How to Choose and Store Fresh Walnuts

As a healthy food, eating walnuts is a smart choice. But, as with any food, freshness is key. To ensure you’re eating fresh walnuts, it’s important to understand how they’re harvested and how you can store them to maintain their quality. For walnuts, harvesting is the key step in their lifecycle. They’re harvested when the outer husk becomes too ripe and soft, and the walnut inside is disturbed. This timely disturbance allows the walnut to “settle back” and be ready for harvest once again. For this reason, walnuts are at their prime when they’re just a tad bit too ripe to use. To properly store walnuts, you can put them in an airtight container or put them in the freezer. If you want to eat them sooner, simply put them in the fridge. However, if you want to keep them longer, simply put them in the freezer.

Walnuts Benefit Your Heart

In an animal study, mice were fed a diet rich in walnuts. The researchers found that this diet helped to prevent atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits on the inside of the arteries that can cause blood pressure to rise, heart disease, and stroke.

Walnut Consumption Benefits Weight Loss

Think about it: a diet rich in walnuts will help you feel fuller longer. This is a crucial aspect of weight loss. So, if you’re looking to drop those last few pounds, consuming a diet rich in walnuts can be a huge help.

Walnuts Benefit your Immune System

Too many people are under the false assumption that diet is the best way to improve immunity. Why? Because a poor diet is usually low in micronutrients, which can cause deficiency. But what if you had an anti-inflammatory superfood like walnuts? Now, your diet is filled with the nutrients your immune system needs to stay strong and healthy.

Walnuts Help with Inflammation

The inflammatory response is essential to healing injuries and fighting infections. But, if left unchecked, inflammation can lead to a host of diseases, including heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, certain cancers, arthritis, and others. So what can you do to decrease inflammation while eating walnuts? You can try adding them to your meals. You can also try adding them to your snacks. Eating walnuts can help with inflammation because they contain anti-inflammatory components, such as phenolic compounds, vitamins E and K, minerals, and fiber.

Summary

We hope you can see how eating walnuts can protect your heart, control your weight, and improve your immune system. But wait, there’s more. Walnuts are also an excellent source of vitamins A, E, and B-complex, as well as minerals such as manganese, copper, and even selenium. These nutrients can help to maintain healthy skin and hair, lower cholesterol, boost your metabolism, and protect your immune system. These are just a few of the health benefits of eating walnuts. The list is endless, and the sooner you start incorporating walnuts into your diet, the sooner you’ll start to experience the benefits.