Aside from their flavour and crunch, there are a lot of other great reasons why you should add nuts in your diet – be it on top of your brownies, in your banana bread, muffins, yogurt, or smoothies.
Nuts lower oxidized cholesterol, supply antioxidants, and improve heart health – and those are just some of their benefits. Based on a published study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, there is an association between eating more nuts and improved blood cholesterol levels.
The study found these benefits in all types of nuts that are rich in healthy fats, dietary fiber, high quality protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytosterols that have been associated with heart health.
WALNUTS ARE THE TOP SOURCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS
There are lots of nuts out there, but for this post, let’s pay attention to walnuts. A study shows that walnuts have more healthful and higher quality antioxidants compared to any other nut. Antioxidants found in walnuts are about 2-15 times more potent than vitamin E. Another advantage of walnuts is the fact that people enjoy eating them raw.
Walnuts are also a great source of omega 3 essential fatty acids which contribute to a healthier heart. In fact, just a quarter-cup of walnuts can already provide you with more than 90% of the recommended daily value of omega 3. They are also rich in monounsaturated fats which are shown to have positive effects on cholesterol levels.
Walnuts are also connected with improved cognitive function and anti-inflammatory effects that help relieve rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, psoriasis, and eczema. They also have a specific antioxidant that boosts the immune system and has anticancer properties.
Studies conducted over the years link frequent consumption of even small amounts of nuts or peanut butter with decreased risk of certain kinds of cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and other health complications.
Due to the fact that nuts are high in calories and fat, a lot of people try to stay away from them. However, consuming nuts does not appear to bring about weight gain. In fact, nuts even make people feel fuller longer and therefore less likely to overeat. Higher nut consumption is actually associated with lower risk of obesity and weight gain.
It takes just about seven walnuts each day for you to get the health benefits discussed above. So why not add a handful of nuts to your meals and snacks everyday to make them healthier? We sure will!
