The benefits of Walnuts you might not know yet

Going nuts was never more important! You might have noticed I like to add walnuts to a lot of my recipes. Of course, this is because I like the taste of them but I started eating more walnuts because of the health benefits they can bring.

Walnuts are for everyone that’s interested in living a long and healthy, high quality life. They are most known for their heart healthy benefits. That alone should make it interesting for anyone already. Keeping that engine running smoothly should probably be the most important thing in your life. But let’s have a look at what this nut can do for us.

Improved memory:

Who doesn’t want to boost their brain while binging on a delicious snack! The David Geffen School of Medicine did some research and found that eating walnuts may improve performance on cognitive function tests, memory, concentration and information processing speed.

Turns out that cognitive function was greater in adult participants that consumed walnuts on a daily basis. Looks like you don’t even need to eat that many walnuts a day to boost your brain, only 13 grams a day. This is less than a handful!

They assume it’s the high content of antioxidants and omega 3 that’s responsible for keeping the brain healthy. I say eat walnuts, get smart!

Reduce inflammation and heart health:

Walnuts have anti-inflammatory properties. Eating walnuts every day can help fighting chronic inflammatory diseases. What is chronic inflammation? Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to infections and damage. This is a very healthy and natural defensive response of the body and is for a short duration. When inflammation occurs for a longer time with an infection or injury we are talking about chronic, long term inflammation. The omega 3 fatty acids in walnuts can lower the levels of inflammation in the body.

Chronic inflammation may increase when we get older, obese, follow an unhealthy diet, have stress or sleep problems. Chronic inflammation can lead to several medical problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

Walnuts are full of antioxidants that can lower the level of inflammation in the body but they are also full of omega 3 fatty acids. Chronic inflammation is known to cause plaque build up in the arteries causing them to harden. Omega 3 can help keeping your arteries smooth and free from damage. Omega 3 fatty acids also raise good cholesterol and might prevent blood cloths by making sure blood platelets are not clumping together. Eating a great snack and not having blood cloths at the same time sounds like a win win to me! Pretty sure you can’t expect the same thing from all the fast-food snacks out there.

Dr. Emilio Ross from the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona also did a study among 600 healthy older adults. They ate 30 to 60 grams of walnuts per day in addition to their normal diet for two years. The people who consumed walnuts showed a significant reduction in inflammation. Inflammatory markers in the blood were reduced by 11.5%. The conclusion of the study was that the anti-inflammatory

Effects of walnuts provide a mechanistic explanation for cardiovascular disease reduction beyond cholesterol lowering.

Of course, this is a small study but it does look good for everyone out there that likes to binge on walnuts instead of potato chips.

Full of antioxidants:

Walnuts are full of polyphenols. Polyphenols are micronutrients that naturally occur in plants. You might think, why do I need more polyphenols? Well, they have the potential of lowering the risk of chronic diseases, they can improve heart health, lower the risk of getting diabetes and have anti-cancer properties.

It has been shown that polyphenols can help reduce blood pressure and keep your blood vessels healthy and flexible. This will promote good circulation. Good circulation is what will keep you going in the long run.

Polyphenols can help control blood sugar levels; they stimulate the body’s release of insulin. This lowers your insulin resistance. Having low insulin resistance and normal blood sugar levels reduces your risk of diabetes.

Full of fiber:

Everyone has heard that eating of fiber is very important. But why is eating fiber so important? For one it prevents you from being constipated. Of course, it’s great that plenty of fiber in your diet will normalize your bowel movements but it can also help control blood sugar level. Fiber can slow the absorption of sugar and help to improve blood sugar level. Having sufficient amounts of fiber in your diet might help prevent the development of diabetes. Since walnuts are high in fiber and low in sugar, they are great if you want to add some more fiber to your diet.

Improve sleep:

Walnuts seem to be one of the best foods out there with melatonin. Walnuts can help the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone we produce that makes you sleepy. It’s also a popular supplement for people who suffer from jet lag. Eat a handful of walnuts after dinner and you just might improve your sleep. Better sleep comes with its own set of benefits like improved recovery, better mood and higher productivity.

I eat walnuts all the time but also have experience with melatonin supplements. I really them in the summer since the days can be so long during this season. Here in the Netherlands the sun goes down after 11.00 PM on the longest summer day. I find that taking some extra melatonin drastically improves my sleep during this time a year. If taking melatonin tabs is not for you but you are looking for a way to improve your sleep…try eating some walnuts before bed.

Athletic performance:

Obviously, having a better maintained cardiovascular system, a faster working brain and improved sleep can also boost your athletic performance.

Having better cardio than the competition is a no brainer. This should always be the goal for any athlete. Eating a diet high in omega 3 fatty acids and high in antioxidants can help you reach that goal. Adding walnuts to your diet might be a good and easy way to mix in some extra omega 3.

When training a sport and having to learn a skill is hard enough as it is. All brain boosters should be welcome here. If you are able to learn faster than the competition and are willing to put in more hours, you will become better faster for sure. With adding walnuts and more omega 3 to your diet you will have this advantage. Of course, you will still need to work hard. It’s not a shortcut but it can assist you in the long run.

Improved sleep will make sure you actually get the most out of your rest. Most of sleep extremely restless nowadays. This hinders proper recovery. If by eating walnuts before going to bed can improve this, it’s definitely worth a try. Having higher quality sleep in combination with a good diet will make sure you are training optimally every day. So get in some walnuts, lay down and close your eyes.

Conclusion:

The say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Maybe consider to eat some walnuts with that apple.

Of course, it will never be one singular type of food in our diet that will make us healthier. Eating walnuts is a great addition to your diet and eating lots of them can come with many benefits. This does not mean that chucking back a handful of walnuts a day will fix the problems caused by those Big Macs you ate earlier. To stay healthy your diet has to be balanced all together.

What I do like, walnuts are a very easy snack that you can eat in between meals any time. I also like to add them to lots of my recipes. I add them to my morning smoothy, as well as to a protein cake or cookie. For more walnut cooking ideas please check the food section.