Healthy with nuts: the Walnut
Today our last post about nuts. After the Brazil nut, we didn't want to deprive you of the king of nuts: the walnut. Walnuts are the healthiest of all nuts. Walnuts are full of essential nutrients that contribute to good health.
Eating walnuts helps against stress and high blood pressure. They also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Walnuts contain a relatively high amount of magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. These minerals are necessary because they have a positive effect on metabolism, muscles, nervous system and cell function.
It is almost impossible to imagine all the good nutrients in this wonder nut: in addition to omega-3 fats and fiber, walnuts contain magnesium, vitamin E, polyphenols, proteins, potassium, plant sterols, vitamin B6, arginine, melatonin, copper and zinc . Compared to other nuts, walnuts have the most antioxidants. These can protect cells in the human body against free radicals.
Antioxidants
Nuts contain a lot of antioxidants and the walnut even has the most, but what are antioxidants? The word 'antioxidant' means 'against oxidation'. That is also the role of an antioxidant: the substance prevents damage in your body cells, which is caused by oxidation. Oxidation is a natural process in which so-called free radicals – aggressive substances – damage body cells. These free radicals can also disrupt cell division, which can lead to cancer. Antioxidants react with the free radicals in such a way that they become harmless. Sounds good for the time being, because antioxidants protect against cancer.
That is why the substances that have a so-called antioxidant effect have come to be seen in such a good light. Examples of these substances are vitamins C and E and the trace elements selenium (selenium) and zinc. You can find them naturally in all kinds of foods, such as vegetables, fruit, nuts, red wine, tea and dark chocolate.
Healthy fats
Walnuts contain a lot of fats, but these are mainly healthy unsaturated fats. These help lower the cholesterol level in the blood and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Walnuts contain a high percentage of the super healthy omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid. The body cannot produce this fatty acid itself, but it is necessary for various important functions in the body. The walnut only contains Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and from this fatty acid the two other omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA can be produced. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as in the walnut, ensure that the good cholesterol (HDL) in our blood increases and the bad cholesterol (LDL) decreases.
In this way, walnuts indirectly help protect our heart and blood vessels because the bad cholesterol levels decrease. Omega 3 is important, among other things, in being able to continue to produce hormone-like substances that have an important influence on glucose and fat metabolism. In addition, our immune system is also partly dependent on these fatty acids. In addition, the combination of fats and proteins in the walnuts ensures that the sugar level remains more stable. After a handful of walnuts, we tend less quickly to a sweet snack!
Bowel movement
Walnuts are high in fiber. Do you regularly suffer from constipation? Walnuts can help with that. By adding the fiber-rich walnut to your diet daily, your bowel movements will improve. The fiber in walnuts is important for everyone. Walnuts contain both digestible and indigestible fiber. This means that on the one hand, the fibers end up undigested in the large intestine and thus stimulate the intestine. On the other hand, the digestible fiber from the walnuts provides a breeding ground for the good bacteria in the gut.
Stress
American scientists have discovered that eating a handful of walnuts every day also helps against stress and high blood pressure. Test subjects who followed a diet with walnuts on the menu appeared to respond better to stress.
Read more?
Want to read more about this super nut that can even slow the growth of breast cancer cells? Look here:
- www.ergogenics.org/walnut-remt-breast cancer cell.html
- www.ergogenics.org/walnuts-make-bad-cholesterol-harmless.html
Sources: Sport Nuts, Gezondheidsnet and Ergogenics
At least the walnut is a tasty nut, better than the brazil nut.
At Big C they have bread with walnuts in it.
Very tasty, especially if you warm it up in a toaster.
Don't really brown.
Tastes very good with spreadable herb cheese.
Less so with regular cheese.
Unfortunately, the walnuts are not among my favorite nuts. Prefer the brazil nut. So I have no problems with Ruud. He can have my walnuts and I can have the Brazil nuts!
At least some nice instructive articles!!! Thank you.
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Walnuts good for blood pressure and vessels
Adding walnuts to the diet can improve the health of people who are at increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
This is according to a study by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.
46 adults aged 30-75 were selected for the study. They had a BMI over 25, a waist circumference that was too large and at least one other risk factor for metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. The first ate as usual. The second group also ate the usual diet, but supplemented daily with 56 grams of unroasted walnuts in shells.
In participants who ate walnuts every day with meals or as a snack, endothelial function appeared to improve. Endothelial cells line the inside of the blood vessels and are important for the elasticity of the vessel walls. Vascular wall function and systolic blood pressure also improved in the walnut eaters. Despite the high-calorie nuts, their weight did not increase.
Lots of nutrients
“Our theory is that if you add a satiating, nutrient-dense product to your diet, there is a twofold effect: you experience the benefits of those extra nutrients and you may eat fewer products that are low in nutritional value,” says David Katz.
The results of the study appeared in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Thank you. Very enlightening and reminded me of saving this website a few months ago: http://www.voedingswaardetabel.nl/voedingswaarde/mineralen/C/
At the top you can choose, for example, minerals or vitamins.
Then choose the first letter and you can find out what is in which food.
Why is that important? Well, if you know what you're deficient in, you can figure out what to eat for yourself.
An example:
Walnuts contain, among other things, a high magnesium content. Even better than bananas. Why do you need that? Well, most of us are elderly. And if the majority do not take medication for it, then the majority will suffer from leg cramps at all times at night. And according to doctors, a lack of magnesium is the cause of this. Since I found out, I eat a banana every day, plus a piece of dark chocolate. (yes, not my favorite taste, but you have to have something for your blood vessels). And I can tell you: I hardly suffer from cramps anymore. Have you checked the ingredients (minerals) of banana and chocolate yourself? 😉
so with these walnuts are added to my diet.
Nice and maybe also good for your body, but what is this doing on thailandblog.nl? Are there no good alternatives to other tropical nuts or seeds that can also be grown in Thailand?
Walnut is delicious, but remains import…. If you live in NL, ok, walnuts grow there, so no problem... Opposite our house there used to be a walnut tree, they were quite tasty but not as tasty as the American ones.