We’ve all grown up being taught by our grandmothers about the plethora of nutrition that nuts & dry fruits provide. They come packed with vitamins, minerals, and just the right macro nutrients you need to have the immunity of a mountain climber. After all, there’s a reason they’re called super foods, isn’t it? In this article, however, we will be focusing on a particular variety of nut that’s known to be all sorts of good things for your health. Which nut is that? The humble walnut! Read on to find out more about this small-but-powerful super food.
Rich in Antioxidants
Walnuts have the highest known antioxidant quantity than any other commonly found nut. How? It does so with the help of Vitamin E, melatonin—the hormone that helps you sleep—and polyphenols, a compound sourced from plants. Studies have shown that eating a diet rich with walnuts helped keep bad cholesterol, or LDL, at bay, thus keeping your heart pounding with strength.
Super Source of Omega-3
Keeping on with their track record of harbouring the highest levels of nutrition, walnuts are also richly supplied with the Omega-3 fatty acid, which is an essential, healthy fat that our bodies cannot produce internally. This means we have to source this essential acid from outside sources such as salmon, plants and—you guessed it—walnuts! Omega-3 fatty acids help burn the excess fat around your hips and belly, along with significantly reducing the risk of heart and coronary disease.
Great for Weight Watchers
Walnuts are your weight’s best friend! Eating walnuts regularly has been proven to reduce your appetite and keep you fuller for longer. Although they are quite dense when it comes to calories, the amount of energy that our body absorbs from them is only 21%, which means we get more of the nutrition and less of the fat. Walnuts have also been linked to heightened brain activity, leading to dieters and other health conscious groups actively avoiding unhealthy or junk foods, no matter how strong the temptation might be.
They’re Shaped Like A Brain—And Here’s Why!
Although it may be pure coincidence that a nut that’s amazing for the brain actually looks like one, but studies have suggested for quite some time that walnuts and your brain get along quite well. The nutrients present in the walnuts such as the aforementioned polyphenols, polyunsaturated fats and Vitamin E may help to significantly reduce any damage to our brains that may be caused by oxidation. Remember the high levels of antioxidants? Ingesting walnuts have also led researchers to conclude that walnuts improve memory, mental flexibility, a higher processing speed and overall heightened cognitive brain functions.
So, there you go—it may be a small nut, but the benefits are huge! Eating walnuts on an empty stomach is the best way to ensure that your body absorbs everything the super food has to offer till the very last bite. Go, munch on some walnuts today!
