1. Promote a healthy heart
A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association3 says eating walnuts can lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Too much “bad” cholesterol in your body puts you at higher risk for stroke or heart attack, reports Mayo Clinic4.
2. Help lower blood pressure
Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), notes Harvard Health Publishing5. If you have a diet that’s rich in ALA and other omega-3 fatty acids, this can lower your blood pressure6.
3.Regulate and manage your weight
Walnuts have a lot of calories, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid them. Quite the opposite. For example, one study7 points out that people who ate a handful of nuts a day were at lower risk for obesity.
How to add walnuts into your daily diet
You can eat walnuts plain as a snack, but there are many ways to incorporate them into your favorite dishes. A few ideas from Healthline8:
- Sprinkle some on top of your yogurt or oatmeal
- Grind them up to use as a coating for fish or chicken
- Lightly brown them and add to a stir-fry
Scrumptious salad: Beet walnut
Add a little crunch to your September salad with this recipe from Mayo Clinic9.
Ingredients
1 small bunch beets, or enough canned beets (no salt added) to make 3 cups, drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
8 cups fresh salad greens
1/4 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup chopped celery
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Directions
Steam raw beets in water in saucepan until tender. Slip off skins. Rinse to cool. Slice in 1/2-inch rounds. In a medium bowl, toss with red wine vinegar.
In a large bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil and water. Add salad greens and toss.
Put greens onto individual salad plates. Top with sliced beets, and chopped apples and celery. Sprinkle with pepper, walnuts and cheese. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: 90 calories; fat 5g; cholesterol 5mg; saturated fat 1.5g; carbohydrates 9g; protein 3g; sodium 115mg.
