Many of the health benefits of walnuts come from the fact that they contain iron, selenium, vitamin E, and some B-group vitamins. Walnuts are also a rich source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, just 3 or 4 walnuts (or 7 walnut halves) could help you meet your daily omega-3 needs.
A review of medical studies has shown that eating walnuts lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, decreases blood pressure, improves vascular function, and decreases oxidative stress and inflammation. The scientific review concluded that some of the beneficial effects can be measured within hours after eating walnuts. (45)
In this article, you will find out why walnuts are one of the best nuts that you can eat for good health.
What Are Walnuts?
The walnut tree is from the Juglans genus, and grows in many countries that have a temperate climate.
Walnut trees produce a fruit called the walnut, which is actually a seed that is contained in a hard shell. The most common types of walnuts are the Persian Walnut, English Walnut, and the black walnut.
Walnut shells need to be cracked open to get to the edible walnut seed. This process may result in splitting the walnut kernel in half. Walnuts look like wrinkly lobes that are covered by a thin brown skin.
Like most nuts and seeds, walnuts can go bad if not stored correctly. According to the University of California, you can prevent shelled walnuts from going rancid by keeping them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This can increase the shelf life of walnuts. (1)
The flesh of the walnut and the skin are rich in antioxidants that have tremendous health benefits. (2, 3)
Nutritional Value of Walnuts
When examining the nutritional value of walnuts, it becomes easy to see just why walnuts are so good for you.
