There is no other way to say it – walnuts rock the nutritional world.
It really is true, walnuts are wonderful when it comes to nutrition. These brain shaped nuts are a nutritional masterpiece and although every nut has its own secret weapon when it comes to nutrition, the walnut wins hands down.
Firstly, let’s get the facts straight, technically the walnut is a seed of the walnut tree. So yeah, not really a nut at all. The brown skin which encases the white flesh of the seed is where a lot of the goodness lives, particularly 90% of the antioxidants which walnuts are renowned for. Although this dark skin is slightly bitter, it is worth eating because it holds most of the nutritional power that the walnut has to offer.
The 5 Reasons you should eat Walnuts Daily.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Walnuts are a source of these very special fats and vegetarian sources are harder to find.
- Increased Blood ALA: Eating four walnuts a day significantly raises blood levels of ALA (alpha linolenic acid) (1)
- Antioxidants: Walnut polyphenols had the best efficacy among nuts tested and also the highest lipoprotein-bound antioxidant activity (2)
- Brain Power: Walnuts contain a number of compounds known to be neuroprotective including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, antioxidants and omega fats.
- Magnesium: It is said that 8/10 people are deficient in this relaxing mineral known as ‘natures tranquilliser’. The good news is walnuts are high in it!
Walnut Pesto Recipe
We love to snack on walnuts as they are but if you want to get creative why not try walnut pesto?
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 65g Walnuts
- 80ml Olive Oil
- 50g Basil
Method:
- Blend garlic until minced.
- Add olive oil and basil and pulse in blender.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend until a course paste.
- Serve with bread, pasta or crudites.
References
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17008073
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22187094