California Walnuts: Making Everyday Healthy
By Nmami Agarwal, Founder and CEO Nmami Life
The year 2020 may have brought the world to a halt, but there’s one takeaway from it – health, undoubtedly, is wealth. And self-care has become ever more important to support mental health and holistic well-being. But how does one strike that health-work-life balance? How does one make time in their already hectic schedules to rustle up something nutritious, power-packed, healthy, and yummy? Well, to start with, why not grab a fistful of good ol’ walnuts! Yes, walnuts. They are a versatile nut that has the power to help you that goes eons beyond its wonderful nuttiness, making everyday healthy.
A handful of walnuts (28g) are packed with the essential fatty acid omega-3 ALA (2.5g)and also offer protein (4g), fiber (2g), and other key nutrients. They not only supports heart health1, but research also indicates that including walnuts as part of a healthy diet may play a role in helping to maintain and improve cognitive health as people age.2 Walnut consumption may also support the health of the gut and enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria.3 In a nutshell, walnuts are an easy choice with nutrients to support the heart, brain, and gut health.
Walnuts offer a smorgasbord of nutrients, here are some fun facts :
- Walnuts contribute to the normal functioning of the immune system. As per the FSSAI Eat Right During Covid guidelines, including walnuts in your diet helps maintain optimal immune function and good health. The plant-based omega-3 in walnuts may enhance the function of immune cells, and protein may play a role in body’s healing and recovery.4
- Eating walnuts may activate an area in the brain associated with hunger and cravings. Thereby discouraging overeating by promoting the feeling of fullness.5
- Walnut consumption is associated with lower depression, higher energy levels, greater interest in activities, better concentration, and greater optimism.6
- Walnuts also contain melatonin (3.5 +/- 1.0 ng/g), an important plant compound related to maintaining a healthy sleep cycle.7
Introduce walnuts in your salads, breads, those delish trail mixes, and you will not only meet those sweet and salty cravings but feel quite full and satisfied. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a handful of California walnuts everyday to make your heart, brain, and gut happy!
1Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. (FDA) One ounce of walnuts offers 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid – the plant-based omega-3.
2Shukitt-Hale/Tufts/Cognitive Health/Apr 2014 and Ros/Hospital Clinic/Cognition/May 11 2015 (citations noted in Health Research section)
3Baer/USDA/Gut Health/Jun 01 2018, Parhofer/Univ Munich/Gut Health/Feb 22 2018, Lamendella/Penn State/Gut Health/Dec 18 2021 (citations noted below in Health Research section)
4https://fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Guidance_Document_Eat_Right_07_06_2020.pdf
5Farr OM, Tuccinardi D, Upadhyay J, et al. Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study. Diabetes ObesMetab. 2018;20(1):173-177. doi: 10.1111/dom.13060.
6Arab L, Guo R, Elashoff D. Lower Depression Scores among Walnut Consumers in NHANES. Nutrients. 2019;11(2):275. doi:10.3390/nu11020275
7Reiter RJ, Manchester LC, Tan DX. Melatonin in walnuts: influence on levels of melatonin and total antioxidant capacity of blood. Nutrition. 2005;21(9):920–924. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2005.02.005