Walnuts
It has become more popular to add walnuts to different foods. From healthy salads to indulging cakes, walnuts add not just a distinct flavour but also many health benefits. Walnuts originate from Persia and even these days are not commercially grown meaning that they are not sprayed with chemicals when growing. This makes them also fragile to bacteria and weather therefore the storage of walnuts requires certain conditions.
According to recent researches eating walnuts enhances brains inferential reasoning alongside with bananas. The presence of folate, antioxidants and omega3 linolenic acids all are linked to improvement of nervous system. The discussion about ADM as the most popular reasons for blindness also unearths possible benefits of walnuts. Resveratol is the ingredient of walnuts which fights against the ADM. It is a natural phenol which only exists in plants but its main function is to fight bacteria. In humans however it has also been proven to fight cancer although leukaemia is not in the list. For diabetics it also has hypoglycaemic effects which make the Blood Glucose Levels to reduce.
The strongest evidence has been found that walnuts help to improve blood vessel lining which enhances the cardiovascular system and prevents many related diseases. This effect has been approved especially for diabetics as a possible way of maintaining a healthy heart. Eating walnuts reduces the amounts of protein-endothelin which causes blood clogging, inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
Vasodilation of blood vessels also enhances the elasticity of arteries and reduces hardening therefore makes them more resistant to damage. This is makes walnuts very beneficial for heart. Both walnuts and almonds contribute to stable cholesterol levels in blood despite their high content of fatty acids. As we know there are good and bad fats in our body. These nuts contribute to making ratio between both healthier.
Walnuts also contain melatonin which is a hormone existing in humans. We produce it in the pineal gland and it has been associated with the regulation of sleep patterns. More melatonin helps person to enhance their sleep especially after the patterns have been disrupted. Mostly people who have this problem are night shift workers. Melatonin is also an antioxidant which binds free radicals in the body who are the main cause of cancers. With age the natural melatonin secretion in body decreases thus makes people more acceptable to different health problems. Eating walnuts will help older population to enhance both their sleep and prevent cancer but on other hand Omega3 fatty acids will help to maintain a healthy heart.
There have been some other claims of Omega-3 effect on bone health. It has to be more researched but some studies have shown that Omega-3 linolenic acid prevents bone loss.
Like bananas walnuts also increase the levels of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which has many important effects on the wellbeing. Intake of serotonin has been associated with prevention of metabolic syndrome which leads to obesity, diabetes and related health problems. Serotonin regulates the energy balance, metabolism and glucose homeostasis and is active both in the gut and brains therefore a major attention has been paid to this hormone. Serotonin helps to transmit nervous signals in the brain from the gut and decreases hunger. This action links also to the improvement of mood.
It also has to be noted that 100g of walnuts provide 30% of Thiamine (B1), 49% of Phosphorus, 48% of Magnesium, 22% of Iron and 25% of Folate daily recommended intake(2000kcal diet). These are major components of a healthy cell division, muscle building, bone density and brain activity. Walnuts are probably one of the most multifunctional foods we have seen so far. One has to be remembered though – many of the benefits discussed require regular use of walnuts in order to be achieved.
Benefits of eating Walnuts:
- Keep the heart healthy
- Prevent cardiovascular disease
- Fight and prevent cancer
- Enhance brain activity
- Enhance mood
- Prevent diabetes
- Keep Blood Glucose level low
- Contribute to weight loss
- Lower cholesterol
- Fight and prevent ADM
- Enhance sleep patterns
- Enhance mood
- Protect against bone loss
- Contribute to healthy pregnancy
- Contribute to muscle growth and strength
- Boosts energy
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Walnuts,
Thanks for this. Walnuts have always been my favourite of all the nuts in the world and now that I know that they are really healthy I will enjoy them with a big smile on my face even more!