The walnut is the healthiest nut thanks to the balanced composition of its fats, which lower cholesterol and are good for the heart. In addition, it provides valuable nutrients. Discover its taste in delicious recipes.
The walnut enjoys a well-deserved prestige that continues to grow. Almost all people who are interested in their health through nutrition already know that five nuts a day is life insurance for the heart.
Fats in balance
It is one of the nuts with the most fat – 62% of its weight – but has a proportion of fatty acids that make it very healthy. While in other nuts the proportion of omega-6 is significantly higher than that of omega-3 (40 to 1 in almonds, for example), which can promote inflammation if the imbalance is not balanced out by other foods. In walnuts the proportion is 5 to 1, much more balanced.
Only 9% are saturated fatty acids, 14% are the beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids and 77% are polyunsaturated fatty acids, of which 13% come from the Omega-3 family. This is part of the secret of the most studied property of walnuts: their protective effects against cardiovascular disease.
Insurance for the heart
Just 25 g of walnuts cover 91% of your daily omega-3 fatty acid requirement. These improve the ratio between good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) and prevent cardiac arrhythmias and thus the formation of blood clots in the arteries, which are the first cause of a heart attack.
Its benefits are so obvious that in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration, the agency responsible for regulating foods and drugs in the country, recommends the consumption of 40 g of walnuts daily as part of a diet low in saturated fats aimed at reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.
For whom is it suitable?
Walnuts are suitable for everyone, but are especially recommended for people with cardiovascular disease or at risk of suffering from it (high cholesterol or high blood pressure). If you have diet-induced type 2 diabetes, the positive effects on cholesterol levels are more pronounced.
Because of their anti-inflammatory effects, walnuts help with asthma, arthritis or skin diseases such as psoriasis.
For vegetarians who avoid fish, they are a valuable alternative source of omega-3.
The antioxidant substances in walnuts delay or reduce the severity of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
Its ellagic acid promotes the excretion of carcinogenic substances and helps block metabolic pathways that lead to the development of tumor cells.
It seems that a few walnuts in a salad are enough to prevent the formation of gallstones.
They have a satiating effect and it is advisable to include them in weight loss diets that reduce the total fat content by avoiding foods high in saturated fats: it is important to remember that the fat in walnuts does not in itself make you fat, what matters is the diet as a whole. .
Mediterranean recipes with walnuts
Walnuts are very versatile in the kitchen: they can be added to salads and a wide variety of dishes (whole, chopped or chopped), they are also used to make sauces and in baking they have a place of honor for the preparation of cookies, cakes, ice cream and other desserts.
They combine well with chocolate and honey, but also with rice, blue cheese, apples or pasta.
The best time to buy fresh walnuts is at the beginning of November, when the harvest occurs in Spain.
To judge the quality of the nut, it is recommended to pay attention to its taste, which should never be bitter.
A recommendation: If walnuts are eaten raw, it is advisable to chew them well and carefully. For children and the elderly, it is even better to eat them chopped up and served as porridge.
M. Núñez and C. Navarro (Health)
Iker Larre (kitchen)