Walnuts are a very popular food. They are delicious and convenient. It can enjoye with all types of diets, from keto to vegetarian. Despite their high-fat content, they have many impressive benefits for health and weight loss. Top 8 health benefits of eating walnuts

 What are walnuts?

Walnuts are seed grains and are widely use in cooking or eaten alone as a snack. They are high in fat and calories. They contain a hard, inedible outer shell, which usually must be split to release the grains inside. Fortunately, you can buy most of the walnuts that have been shelle and edible at the store. Here are some.

The most commonly eaten nuts:

• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• Cashew nuts
• Hazelnuts
• Macadamia nuts
• Pecan pine nuts
• Pistachios

 Although peanuts are technically legumes like peas and beans, they are similar in nutrients and characteristics. They are often called walnuts.

Source of Nutrents

 Nuts are an important source of many nutrients and are very nutritious. One ounce (28 grams) of mixed nuts contains :

• Calories: 173
• Protein: 5 grams
• Fat: 16 grams, including 9 grams of monounsaturated fat

• Carbohydrates: 6 grams of
• fiber: 3 grams
•  Vitamin E: 12% RDI
• Magnesium: 16% of RDI
• Phosphorus: 13% of RDI
• Copper: 23% of RDI
• Manganese: 26% of RDI
• Selenium: 56% of RDI

Some nuts have higher nutrient content than others. For example, a Brazil nut provides more than 100% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of selenium (2). The carbohydrate content of walnuts varies greatly.

Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and Brazil nuts contain less than 2 grams of digestible carbohydrates per serving, while cashews contain nearly 8 grams of digestible carbohydrates per serving. In other words, walnuts are usually a good food for a low-carbohydrate diet.

Rich in antioxidants

Walnuts are strong in antioxidants. Antioxidants, including polyphenols in walnuts, can fight oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause cell damage and increase the risk of disease

. A study found that walnuts have higher resistance to free radicals than fish. In a study of 13 people, eating walnuts or almonds increased polyphenol levels and significantly reduced oxidative damage compared to a control diet. Oxidized “bad” LDL cholesterol: the main risk factor for heart disease. However, studies of the elderly and individuals with multicentric metabolic syndrome found that walnuts and cashews have no significant effect on antioxidant capacity, although there are some other marker improvements.

 It May help lose weight

Although nuts are considere a high-calorie food, studies have shown that nuts can help you lose weight, significantly higher than those who receive olive oil. In controlle studies, almonds have been proven to promote weight loss rather than weight gain.

Some studies have shown that pistachios can also help lose weight. In a study of overweight women, women who ate almonds lost nearly three times their weight. The amplitude is also significantly greater. Compared with overweight women.

Control group In addition, although walnuts are very high in calories, research shows that your body cannot absorb all the calories, because during the digestion process, part of the fat is still trapped in the fibrous wall of the walnut.  

For example, although the nutritional information of a pack of almonds may indicate that a 1 ounce (28 grams) of almonds contains 160-170 calories, your body can only absorb these calories Of 129 calories. A recent study found that your body absorbs 21% and 5% less calories from nuts and pistachios than previously reported.

Can reduce cholesterol and triglycerides

Walnut has a significant effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Pistachios have been shown to reduce triglycerides in obese and diabetic patients. In a 12-week study of obese people, people who ate pistachios had nearly 33% lower triglyceride levels than the control group.

The ability of nuts to lower cholesterol may be due to their high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Almonds and hazelnuts seem to increase the “good” HDL cholesterol while reducing the total “bad” LDL cholesterol. One study found that ground, sliced, or whole hazelnuts have similar beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.

Another study of women with metabolic syndrome found that eating an ounce (30 grams) of a mixture of nuts, peanuts, and pine nuts per day for 6 weeks can significantly reduce all types of cholesterol, except for “good” HDL

Studies have shown that macadamia nuts can also lower cholesterol levels. In one trial, a medium-fat diet including macadamia nuts reduced cholesterol as much as a low-fat diet.

Good for Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic

 Syndrome Type 2 diabetes is a common disease that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

2 Diabetes is closely related to metabolic syndrome. Interestingly, nuts may be one of the best foods for people issues with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. First, they are low in carbohydrates and will not raise blood sugar levels too much.

Therefore, replacing foods high in carbohydrates with walnuts should lower blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that eating walnuts can also reduce oxidative stress, blood pressure, and other health indicators in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In a 12-week controlled study, people with metabolic syndrome who ate less than 1 ounce (25 grams) of pistachios twice a day had a 9% reduction in fasting blood sugar. On average (37 In addition, compared with the control group) The reduction in blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) (an inflammatory marker related to heart disease) in the pistachio group was greater; however, the evidence is mixed, and not all studies have shown that people with the syndrome eat walnuts Metabolome.

It Can reduce inflammation

Walnut has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a way for your body to defend against injury, bacteria, and other potentially harmful pathogens. However, long-term chronic inflammation can lead to organ damage And increase the risk of disease.

Studies have shown that eating walnuts can reduce inflammation and promote healthy aging (39 trusted sources). In a study on the Mediterranean diet, people who added walnuts to their diet had C-reactive protein (CRP) inflammation markers A reduction of 35% and 90%). ) Like interleukin 6 (IL-6) (40 reliable sources), some nuts, including pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts and almonds, have been found to be effective against healthy people and people with serious diseases such as diabetes and diabetes Inflammation.

Kidney problems. (25 credible sources, 37 credible sources, 41 credible sources, 42 credible sources, 43 credible sources. However, a study on almonds consumed by healthy adults found that there was almost no difference between almonds and the control group. There was no difference, although some inflammatory markers declined among those who ate almonds.

High content of beneficial fiber

Fiber provides many health benefits. Although your body cannot digest fiber, the bacteria living in the colon can. Many types of fiber can be used as food for prebiotics or healthy gut bacteria. The intestinal bacteria then ferment the fiber. Fiber convert it into beneficial short-chain of fatty acids called (SCFA).

These SCFAs have powerful benefits, including improving gut health and reducing the risk of diabetes and obesity. And reduce the amount of calories you absorb from your meal. A study showed that increasing fiber intake from 18 grams to 36 grams per day can reduce the absorption of up to 130 calories.

Here are the nuts with the highest fiber content per 1 ounce (28 g) serving:

• Almonds: 3.5 g
• pistachios: 2.9 g
• hazelnuts:2.9 g
•  pecans: 2.9 g
• peanuts: 2.6 g
•  macadamia: 2.4 g
•  Brazil nuts: 2.1 g 8

It Can reduce the risk of heart attack and strok cancer

 Nuts are extremely good for the heart. Several studies have shown that nuts help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke because they are good for cholesterol levels, “bad” LDL particle size, arterial function, and inflammation.

Interestingly, a study on the Mediterranean diet found that people who ate walnuts had a significant decrease in small LDL particles, a significant increase in large LDL particles, and “good” HDL cholesterol levels.

 Normal or high cholesterol were randomly assigned to a high-fat diet to consume olive oil or walnuts. Better than the olive oil group, regardless of your initial cholesterol level.

Delicious, versatile and widely used

 Nuts can be eaten whole, as a nut butter, or chopped and sprinkled on food. They can be seen everywhere in grocery stores. And provide a variety of choices online, including salty, salt-free, seasoning, original, raw or grilled. Generally speaking, eating walnuts raw or roasting them in an oven below 350°F (175°F) is healthier. C).

Dry roasted nuts are the next best choice, but try to avoid roasting nuts in vegetable oil and seed oil. Nuts can be stored at room temperature, making them ideal for snacks and travel. However, if you want to store them for a long time, a refrigerator or freezer can keep them fresh.