Nuts are an important part of a balanced diet. Among them are the Walnuts, which are highly celebrated in the kingdom of Nuts. They are said to have originated in the Mediterranean and Central Islands but are widely cultivated in India, China and Persia. Walnuts are widely known as “Akhrot” in India. Walnut benefits in Culinary and Medicinal purposes were long recognized in many countries. They are one of the most popular ingredients added to salads, desserts and even gravies. Apart from adding an element of crunch, Walnuts also offer high amounts of nutrition like Omega-23 fatty acids, Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc. Let’s delve a little deeper to learn about the various health benefits of Walnuts.
What Is Walnut?
A walnut technically is not a nut. It is a seed of a drupe, which bears a hard, brown outer shell. The shell has 2 segments and rarely 3, which when opened reveal the brain like Kernels. They are mildly sweet in taste with a bitter undertone. The importance of walnut is well-known in the medical and beauty world, which makes them so popular.
Types Of Walnuts:
There are 3 basic types of Walnuts available in the global market:
- English Walnuts: They are also called Persian or Juglans Regia. These are the most commonly available Walnut varieties.
- Black Walnuts: Also called Juglans Nigra, black walnuts have a darker shade and are more pungent in flavour.
- White Walnuts: These Walnuts are also called Butternut or JuglanCinerea. They are extremely rare and found only in certain parts of the US and Canada.
Is Walnut Good For Health?
Walnuts are one of the best sources of many important nutrients. These nuts are laden with good cholesterol, essential for promoting a healthy heart. Studies show that regular consumption of Walnuts has reduced the risks of Heart problems by a significant percentage. Besides that, Walnuts are also good for aiding in weight loss and dealing with a number of ailments.
Walnuts Nutrition Facts:
Listed below is the nutritional value of Walnuts per 100 gms of serving:
- Total Calories: 654
- Carbohydrates: 13.71
- Fats: 65.21
- Proteins: 15.23
- Vitamin B6: 41 % of DV
- Folate: 25 % of DV
- Manganese: 163 % of DV
- Phosphorous: 49 %
- Zinc: 33 %
How To Eat Walnut?
Walnuts can be used in many ways to benefit your health.
- Consume 1-2 walnuts daily before you retire to bed. You can also soak them at night and eat them in the morning on empty stomach.
- Chop them in your morning cereal.
- You can also add them to a nutty mix of many variants of dry fruits. Add one to two walnuts to your bowl of nuts that you can eat as a brunch for a high dose of energy.
- Include them in your bowl of oats to make it crunchier.
- You can also make walnut butter. Grind some walnuts along with cinnamon and honey. Spread it on your bread and enjoy.
- Chop some of them in your bowl of salad at any point in time.
How Many Walnuts To Eat Per Day?
Seven walnuts a day is a good dose to consume. Consuming more of it could lead to weight gain and hence restrict the number to a good 5-7 and use the same quantity in your walnut-rich diet. These 7 nuts will do the trick!
See how you can incorporate them into your diet and what it serves. Your best recipes will have a rich touch with the presence of walnuts flavoured in your choice. There are various recipes in chocolate, pudding, cake, ice cream etc.
Amazing Benefits of Walnuts for Skin, Hair and Health:
Here we enlisted 19 best health benefits of Akhrot. Let’s have a look into them.
1. Aids In Weight Loss:
The benefits of Walnuts for weight loss aspirants make them one of the most popular foods. These nuts help in managing weight since the omega fats in it help with good causes. Along with that, you have protein and fibre as well, which helps bring down weight, when walnuts are consumed in moderation. Most dietitians and fitness trainers recommend having a healthy portion of Walnuts regularly to curb hunger cravings.
2. Cures Insomnia:
Insomnia can be treated, yes you read that right. Walnuts can help with sleep disorders too since they have melatonin which is a hormone. Melatonin is known to regularize sleep patterns and to bring in sleep on equal amounts too. This is why chewing walnuts in the evening would be good. Go guilt-free and snack on it.
3. Nourishes Hair:
For lovely hair, walnut is known to be a hair food. Walnuts have B7 in them, which is the reason for hair being long and strong, and hair fall would be reduced too. Sources say, even hair growth is possible when walnuts are added in the daily meal. This is one of the best uses of Walnuts.
4. Promotes a Healthy Heart:
Walnut benefits for the heart are quite known to doctors. This is because walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in it, which help fight issues that plague the heart. We all know how omega fats can also help combat LDL and cholesterol levels in the body, and enhance the existence of HDL or good cholesterol too, hence snack on walnuts darlings.
5. Helps With Diabetes:
Akhrot benefits diabetic patients, especially those who suffer from type 2 diabetes. Walnuts have shown good results in regulating blood sugar levels and also keeping the LDL percentage in check. Though walnuts are high in Calories, taking them in recommended quantities is sure to help you deal with diabetes.
6. Improves Sperm Quality:
Walnut benefits for men are too good to believe! Good semen quality with a handful of walnuts is possible. Walnuts, therefore, help in improving sperm quality, which includes taking care of its vitality, motility and morphology. Akhrot aid in an increased swimming capability of the sperm along with a considerable increase in their size and shape. Walnuts are also known to improve sex drive. They are indeed a blessing in terms of fertility for men. It results in improved reproductive health for men. 75 grams of walnut a day will do the magic.
7. Imparts Healthy, Glowing Skin:
Using walnuts for moisturized skin is a well-known secret in the beauty world. This is because there is plenty of Vitamin E and A in it along with anti-oxidants that help the skin fight against the damages created by free radicals. By consuming Walnuts regularly, you can attain younger, fresher looking skin. Making a Walnut face mask or using it in the form of a scrub can make your skin glow with radiance.
8. Prevents Alzheimer’s:
Walnuts are wonderful for your brain by stimulating its functions. As per the latest research, Walnuts are also said to prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Walnuts are loaded with antioxidants which can reduce the oxidative stress on your brain cells, leading to their malfunction. Taking walnuts regularly can delay the signs of these deadly diseases.
9. For Healthy Well-Being:
The health benefits of Walnuts are numerous. Walnuts help you live a long life, and it keeps the body free from cardiovascular diseases, dementia, Alzheimer, free radical damage leading to cancer and tumours and more. Neuroprotective compounds like vitamin E, melatonin etc. have a bearing on the health of the brain.
10. Regulates Blood Flow:
The Amino Acids L-ARGININE that are in rich quantity in walnuts, when eaten flow hard in our blood vessels. It is then converted into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a compound that dilates the blood vessels. And directly makes your blood flow fast to all your muscles. The vitamin E in walnuts is a gamma-tocopherol kind that helps to protect the prostate cells from cancer.
The saturated fats in walnuts help the arteries be flexible and keep them tamping down inflammation. Not less, walnuts also supply a major part of manganese and copper minerals that help destroy the radicals that break down cells and premature ageing.
11. Offers Instant Energy:
Walnuts are also considered as high energy nuts. Walnuts are full of energy. 100g of walnuts contains about 654 kcal of energy, which is quite a high number of energy. Therefore, walnuts help to children be very active in sportsmanship. The energy, children get from walnuts is very helpful in keeping them sporty, as the blood molecules flow fast because of the minerals available from walnuts. Whereas babies that are under one year of age are not advised to intake walnuts because of its rich ingredients may become more for the baby’s digestive system.
12. Strengthens Bones:
Walnuts are very rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, Calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. With the richness of these minerals, bones get high support from calcium and magnesium, whereas haemoglobin always would be at its best because of the iron minerals. Potassium is always a better electrolytic than sodium and Digestion, formation for protein, repairing of cells, and various other biochemical reactions that happen in the human body. It is one of the best walnut health benefits.
13. Walnut Benefits For Babies:
Walnuts contain a good source of vitamins. The energy level of children boosts with the help of the large supply of various vitamins provided by walnuts. Walnuts have Vitamin-C, E, A, K, Foliate, thiamine, and niacin in good proportion. All these vitamins help in their particular specific specialities. Vitamin C helps in improving the child’s immunity. Thiamine is very good proven for converting carbohydrates into energy. And niacin helps in various other metabolic activities in the human body.
14. Alleviates Muscle Pains:
Walnuts are so good for adult people as well. You can say it can prove to be a blessing for age sick people. Many people suffer from aching joints after a particular age. Walnuts contain fibre that is very helpful in curing osteoarthritis by reducing overweight and inflammation reduction. Daily consumption of an ounce full of walnuts in the morning and on an empty stomach helps in reducing obesity and indirectly becomes a cure for people who suffer from arthritis conditions.
15. Lowers Blood Pressure:
One of the key benefits of eating Walnuts is reducing high blood pressure. Walnuts offer good cholesterol to the body and lower bad cholesterol or LDL levels. This result in unclogging the arterial walls and widening the passage. The blood flow rate is restored to normalcy, which prevents heart disorders.
16. Reduces Risk Of Some Cancers:
Walnuts are rich in antioxidants which are known to fight Cancer cells. Walnuts are also one of the highly studied nuts for slowing down Cancer growth. They are a rich source of phytochemicals and polyphenols, which have anti-inflammatory properties. These agents are known to prevent many types of Cancers.
17. Walnut Benefits For the Brain:
Walnuts are one of the best brain foods available naturally. These are laden with a concentrated DHA, one type of Omega-fatty acid. Along with adults, Walnuts also benefit cognitive development in babies and young children. A walnut-rich diet can help in delaying cognition loss in senior people. This is one of the major advantages of Walnuts.
18. Anti-Dandruff Properties:
Walnut is a natural anti-dandruff agent, which can prevent dry and flaky skin. It is high in Zinc, which can reduce the effect of yeast infections on your scalp. The fatty acids present in walnuts can moisturize your scalp and reduce patchiness. Make a paste of walnut and mix it with yoghurt to apply as a hair mask. This is one of the best Walnut benefits for hair.
19. Prevents Baldness:
Walnuts are rich in Selenium, which is known to reduce baldness caused due to hair loss. Another important agent present in Walnuts is Biotin, which can strengthen your tresses and prevent them from falling. Regular consumption of walnuts can help you flaunt voluminous, shiny tresses.
Soaked Walnuts Benefits:
Not just walnuts, but most of the nuts are soaked overnight or for a few hours before eating them. The reason is simple. Soaking breaks down the phytic acid so that it absorbs well. These nuts are also known to have abundant enzyme inhibitors. Therefore, dry nuts or unsoaked nuts are harder to digest. However, when you soak them, the enzymes are neutralized to ensure proper digestion.
The other reason why they are soaked is to get rid of the harmful chemicals present in the peels that can be fatal to the body. However, nuts do not lose their nutritional value even if they are soaked.
Here is how you can eat Soaked Walnuts.
- Soak around 5-7 walnuts in normal water overnight and cover them.
- Strain them in the morning and eat.
Walnut Oil Benefits:
- Walnut oil has been used to treat fungal infections like athlete’s foot, candida etc. It battles with fungal infections and provides relief.
- Walnut oil greatly helps in reducing the black circle around the eyes. Simple dab a cotton soaked with walnut oil and massage around the eyes.
- Walnut oil when mixed on face packs, is known to reduce the signs of ageing. It prevents wrinkles and fine lines which are common signs of ageing. This is one big advantage of walnut oil.
- It is also ideal for Psoriasis. Psoriasis causes patchy abnormal skin and is often triggered by cold and infection, and sometimes, stress too. When you apply walnut to the affected area, the inflammation reduces greatly.
- Arthritis, eczema and other inflammatory diseases can be cured by walnut oil, by applying it to the affected areas.
Walnut Side Effects:
Listed below are some of the side effects that arise from eating Walnuts:
- May cause rashes, hives and other reactions in people with nut allergies.
- Overconsumption can lead to stomach upset, nausea and belching.
- Can cause weight gain when consumed in excess.
- Chances of lowered blood pressure when had in large quantities.
Now that you have understood the health benefits of Walnuts, it’s time to put them to use. Walnuts are one of the best gifts of nature to mankind. If you don’t like the oily taste of walnuts, so be it! Try them in your salads or soups and even in your dips to camouflage their flavour. There are numerous recipes on the internet to use Walnuts creatively. So, time to switch to something healthy. Time to eat some Walnuts.
FAQ:
1. Are walnuts good during pregnancy? How many walnuts should pregnant women eat per day?
Ans: Yes, walnuts are good during pregnancy because they contain Omega 3, which helps the baby’s brain development and promotes higher IQ levels in the baby.
