Health Benefits of Walnuts

The health benefits of walnuts include a reduction of bad cholesterol in the body, an improvement in metabolism, and control of diabetes. Other important health benefits of walnuts stem from the fact that these nuts possess anti-inflammatory properties, aid in weight management, and help as a mood booster. They are also believed to slow down the spread of cancer.

What are Walnuts?

Walnuts are edible seeds from the trees of the Juglansgenus. They are round, single-seeded fruits of the walnut tree. The fruit and the seed of the walnut are enclosed in a thick, inedible husk. The shell of the fruit that encloses the kernel is hard and two-halved. The seed of the walnut fruits contain significant amounts of nutrients such as proteins, EFAs (essential fatty acids), carbohydrates, vitamins, and essential minerals.

Walnuts have always been considered as ‘Brain Food’, perhaps because the surface structure of the walnut has a crinkly appearance like that of the brain. Due to this reason, they have been considered as a symbol of intelligence, leading to the belief that walnuts actually increase one’s intellect. While this is not exactly true, recent scientific studies have proven that the consumption of walnuts does help in promoting brain function. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, which increase the activity of the brain. Omega-3 fatty acids coupled with iodine and selenium add to ensuring optimum functioning of the brain.

Along with their delicious taste, walnuts have antioxidants and proteins that help in imparting a multitude of health benefits. Walnuts are also a delicious supplement and therefore can be easily included in anyone’s diet. Walnuts are also considered as ‘Power food’, since they are believed to improve body stamina.

Walnut Facts

Walnuts have been known to mankind for a long time. Some interesting facts about walnuts include the following:

Walnut trees have been known to mankind since 7000 B.C.

Two-thirds of the world’s walnut production happens in California.

One can see crinkles in walnuts both inside and outside.

Nutritional Value of Walnuts

Thomas and Gebhardt (2006) have conducted extensive research on the nutritional facts about walnuts that has been reported by the USDA National Nutrient Database for standard reference. The important nutritional facts from this research are listed below.

Nutritional value in walnuts includes energy of 190 Cal in 1 ounce, or 30 grams, of walnuts.

Carbohydrate content in walnuts per 1 ounce is 4 grams.

Protein found in 1 ounce walnuts is 4 grams.

The total fat content found in 1 ounce of walnuts is 18 grams, which includes both unsaturated fats and saturated fats.

Dietary fiber found in walnuts is about 2 grams per ounce.

The minerals found in walnuts include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.

Vitamins include vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin K, and vitamin A. Carotenoids found in walnuts includes beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Phytosterols in walnuts are about 20 mg per 1 ounce.

There are several health benefits of walnuts. The important ones established by research over the years are listed below.

Improvement in heart function: Walnuts are rich in omega-3 and are an ample source of monounsaturated fatty acids (72%) like oleic acid. It also contains EFAs like linoleic acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA), and arachidonic acids. Scientific studies prove that the inclusion of walnuts in any diet helps prevent coronary heart diseases by favoring a healthy lipid supply. Consumption of walnuts lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases level of good cholesterol (HDL).  Consumption of 25 grams of walnuts every day would provide 90% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of EFAs, which in turn lowers the risk of high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Improved Bone Health: EFAs from walnuts secure the bone health of the body. These increase calcium absorption and deposition, while reducing urinary calcium excretion.

Improved Metabolism: One of the health benefits of walnuts consumption is that it improves the metabolism in the body. Walnuts, along with EFAs, provide minerals to the body. Minerals like manganese, copper, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium are also provided by walnuts. These minerals help contribute to metabolic activities like growth and development, sperm generation, digestion, and nucleic acid synthesis.

Control of Diabetes: People suffering from diabetes can have walnuts on a regular basis without any significant weight gain, since walnuts contain a high amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, as per research conducted by Gillen et al. (2005) at the University of Wollongong, Australia. In an article titled “The impact of nuts on diabetes and diabetes risk”, by Lovejoy (2005) it is mentioned that the intake of nuts is inversely proportional to the risk of developing type-II diabetes.

Fight against Cancer: Some of the components present in walnuts have the capability of controlling the growth of cancer cells in the body. The phenolic compounds and antioxidants found in walnuts recorded a control on human cancer cells, according to the research conducted by Carvalho et al. (2010) from the University of Portugal.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties: The polyphenolic compounds and phytochemical substances found in walnuts reduce the effects of inflammation in the body. This finding was a result of an experiment conducted in the Mediterranean area by Papoutsi et al. (2008).

Vitamins: Rich in gamma-tocopherol, walnuts are also a good source of vitamin E, which is a strong lipid soluble antioxidant. The vitamin E present in walnuts helps in maintaining and protecting the skin from free radicals that are harmful in nature. They are also an important source of B-complex vitamins such as folate, niacin, riboflavin, panthothenic acid, and vitamin B-6.

Bio-Available Melatonin: Want a good night’s sleep? Eat some walnuts soaked in water before sleeping or eat a salad or any other dish using walnuts as toppings. Melatonin, a hormone that helps induce and regulate sleep, is available in walnuts in a bio-available form. Thus, walnuts help make for a perfect dinner that leads you to a great, restful sleep.

Weight Management: The amount of fat, calories, and carbohydrate content found in walnuts is about 18 grams, 190 cal, and 4 grams, respectively per 1 ounce. Therefore, it is believed that walnut consumption may result in weight gain. However, research conducted by Sabaté et al. (2005) at the Loma Linda University, California, USA have shown that walnut consumption of about 35 grams per day did not result in any significant weight gain among tested individuals over a period of 1 year.

Mood Booster: A scientific study indicates that a lack of omega-3 fatty acids (provided by walnuts) cause hyperactivity, irritability, and tantrums. Supplementing a child’s diet with walnuts compensates the deficit in EFAs and alleviates their mood. It is even applicable to adults who are battling depression and stress.

Astringent Properties: Walnut oils have significant astringent properties. Walnut oil has a rich, nutty flavor that helps bring aroma and flavor to the food. This flavor gives a pleasant taste, but only when the walnut oil is used in moderation. It is used as a carrier/base oil in various therapies like aromatherapy, massage therapy, and aromatherapy, as well as in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Walnut oils are terrific as dressings on chicken, turkey, salads, pasta, fish and steaks. The uses of walnut oils in dessert recipes help bring a nutty flavor to the dish. A 35 gram serving of walnut oil provides the same nutritional benefits as 50 grams of walnuts. They also provide significant levels of Vitamins B-1, B-2, and B-3.

How can you add walnuts into your healthy diet?

Walnuts can be integrated into your diet to gain from all the associated health benefits. A few ways to add walnuts to your meal are as follows:

Add shredded walnuts to chicken and fish right before cooking them.Ground some walnuts and use the powder on sandwiches, salads, or any other dish.Add chopped/shredded walnuts to desserts to add a nutty flavor to it.Add chopped/shredded walnuts to yogurt and berries to make a healthy dessert.To roast walnuts, use a 70-75°c oven for 15-20 minutes.

Bigybag

Bigybag: Health Benefitsof Olive OilThe health benefits of...

Bigybag: Health Benefitsof Olive Oil
The health benefits of...: Health Benefits of Olive Oil The health benefits of olive oil include treatment for colon, breast cancer, diabetes, heart problems, ar...

If you don’t do dairy but love the silky mouthfeel of creamer in your coffee, you have options. The first thing to note, though, is that some nondairy creamers actually do have caseins (milk protein) in them, so if you’re vegan, look out for this. Here’s a roundup of six truly dairy-free creamers. Some of them come in several flavors, but for nutrition comparison, we stuck to the originals.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

The health benefits of olive oil include treatment for colon, breast cancer, diabetes, heart problems, arthritis, high cholesterol, weight loss, metabolism, digestion, aging and cancer. Olive oil has been used by mankind for many centuries. It is a staple ingredient for many culinary preparations and also serves a variety of medicinal purposes. Medical studies suggest that olive oil is loaded with health benefits.

The health benefits of olive oil include the lowering of the bad cholesterol level in our blood, as it is rich in monounsaturated fats. The extra virgin olive oil variety contains the highest level of antioxidant polyphenols and oleic acid. Olive oil is thus a healthy option compared to other vegetable oils.

But, olive oil also has lots of calories, so it should be used in moderate amounts for the best health results. The Food and Drug Administration recommends 2 tablespoons of olive oil every day to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Important Sources: Olive oil, as we all know, is an essential fruit oil, which we get from the olive tree crop found mainly in the Mediterranean regions. Olive oil is utilized for cooking purposes, developing cosmetic products and soaps, for medicinal purposes, and as pharmaceutical supplements. It can also be used as fuel and for lighting lamps. Various types of olive oil include the following:

Virgin Olive Oil: This variety is used for cooking with a lower acid content.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is a much better variety and is made by cold pressing the olive fruit.

Pure Olive Oil: This type is a combination of refined olive oil and virgin oils. It contains a highly acidic content.

Lampante Oil: It is used as a fuel and is not recommended for cooking purposes.

Olive oil has numerous beneficial qualities. Apart from being a good cooking aid, it is also known to have unique medicinal qualities. Some of them are as follows:

Reduce Heart Problems: Natural olive oil contains 70% monounsaturated fatty acid. As a result, it lowers cholesterol accumulation in the blood and reduces heart problems. It reduces the LDL, while at the same time increasing the HDL levels. The website of Montelcastelli Solutions Ltd. provides a table comparing the fatty acid composition of different types of oils.

Blood Cholesterol: LDL cholesterol is the bad type of cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attacks and pulmonary heart disease. Extra virgin olive oil, which is rich in almost 40 antioxidant chemicals, helps reduce the oxidation effects of LDL cholesterol.

Weight Loss: Medical experts suggest that it is very difficult to gain weight from the mono-unsaturated fats present in olive oil. Experiments involving Mediterranean olive oil have shown positive results in regards to a reduction in human body weight.

Metabolism: Olive oil boosts the metabolism, the growth of good bone structure, and brain development in children. It is an excellent source of vitamin E, which is very beneficial for older people.

Anti-inflammatory and Antimicrobial Properties: The phenols present in olive oil have anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial characteristics of the oil are a result of its strong aroma.

Digestion: Olive oil is known to aid in the digestive process. It is used as a medicinal oil to clean the digestive tract and to improve bowel movements.

Aging Process: Rich in antioxidants, olive oil slows the natural aging process of the human body. Used in cosmetic products and natural herbal therapy, olive oil does wonders for the skin, which gets a natural shine and glow from the enriching oil.

Prevention of Gall Stones: This oil is also effective in preventing gall stones.

Healthy Cell Walls: Olive oil contains polyphenol which helps in stronger cell walls. It also increases the elasticity of arterial walls, protecting against various heart conditions.

Cancer: Olive oil is said to protect the human body against cancerous growth, especially bowel cancer. Medical research done at the prestigious Oxford University has shown positive signs that the acidic content of olive oil can prevent the commencement of rectum and bowel cancer. In the UK, bowel cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer, and kills almost twenty thousand citizens every year.

Breast cancer: Recent research study suggests that hydroxytyrosol; a major component of olive oil may help prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Hypertension: Recent research study suggests that Mediterranean diet comprising of food rich in unsaturated fats (found in olive oil and nuts) and nitrite and nitrate (found in leafy green vegetables) may help protect you from hypertension.

There are several grades of olive oil, according to the flavor, aroma, acidic value and color. Readers are advised to buy authentic olive oil with proper evaluation for cooking or medicinal purposes.

Grades of Olive Oil

When you go in the market, you find different types of olive oils. What does extra virgin olive oil mean? What does US Fancy olive oil mean? There are two main types of gradations of olive oil that you will find, IOOC standards and US standards.

IOOC Standards

The International Olive Oil Council ( IOOC) has released the Trade Standard Applying to Olive Oils and Olive-Pomace Oils. The council has provided descriptions for different types of olive oils; some of these descriptions are given below:

Virgin Olive Oil: Virgin olive oil is the oil that is prepared from purely mechanical and physical means. There is no alteration to the oil after processing. Edible virgin olive oil has a free acidity of not more than 2 grams per 100 grams. No food additives are permitted in the virgin olive oil.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is a type of edible virgin olive oil, which has a free acidity content of no more than 0.8 grams per 100 grams. No additives are permitted in this oil.

Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil: Ordinary virgin olive oil has a free acidity content of no more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams. This oil does not contain any additives.

Lampnate Virgin Olive Oil: This is virgin olive oil not fit for human consumption. It has a free acidity content of more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams. It is used for refining and technical purposes.

Refined Olive Oil: Refined olive oil is the refined form of virgin olive oil. It has a free acidity content of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams.

Olive Oil: This is a blend of refined olive oil and edible virgin olive oil. It has a fatty acid content of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams.

US Standards

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil in 1948. These standards are still followed in the US and this has, to some extent, caused problems for consumers in purchasing the right kind of olive oil.

The USDA grades olive oil in the following four categories:

US Grade A or US Fancy

US Grade B or US Choice

US Grade C or US Standard

US Grade D or Substandard

The grading is done based on free fatty acid content (calculated as oleic acid according to the Official and Tentative Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists), absence of defects, (degree of freedom from cloudiness at 60 degrees F), odor (typical olive oil odor and its variation to off-odors) and flavor (typical olive oil flavor and its variation to off-flavors). It has given a 100 point score sheet for olive oil in which free fatty acid content, absence of defects, odor, and flavor have weights of 30, 30, 20 and 20 respectively.

Fancy: US Fancy refers to olive oil that has a fatty acid content of no more than 1.4 percent (27-30 points). It should be entirely free from any defects (27-30 points). It should have good typical olive oil odor (18-20 points). It should have good typical olive oil flavor (18-20 points). Finally, it should have a total score of no less than 90 points.

Choice: US Choice refers to olive oil that has a fatty acid content of more than 1.4 percent but not more than 2.5 percent (24-26 points). It should be reasonably free from any defect (24-26 points). It should have a reasonably typical olive oil odor (16-17 points). It should also have a reasonably good  olive oil flavor (16-17 points). It should  have a score of no less than 80 points.

Standard: US Standard refers to olive oil that has a fatty acid content of more than 2.5 percent but less than 3.0 percent (21-23 points). It should be fairly free from any defect (21-23 points). It should have fairly good typical olive oil odor (14-15 points). It should have fairly good typical olive oil flavor (14-15 points). It should have a score of no less than 70 points.

Substandard: Substandard refers to olive oil that has free fatty acid content of more than 3.0 percent (0-20 points). It has more defects than what is present in the US Standard type of oil (0-20 points). It fails to have even a fairly good typical olive oil odor (0-13 points). It fails to have a fairly good typical olive oil flavor (0-13 points). It has less than 70 total points.

Bigybag