Walnuts - calories, properties and health benefits
If you had to choose a food that contains the maximum amount of nutrients in a small quantity, what would it be? Nuts are undoubtedly such a type of food, and among them, one of the most valuable – the walnut. It comes from Asia and is best known of all nuts. The fruit tree that produces it has been cultivated in Europe and North America for centuries. It is a long-lived tree – in Poland it lives for about 100 years, and in southern Europe for up to 500 years. It is characterized by high resistance to frost, diseases, and pests, and the medicinal properties of the walnut are known worldwide.
Learn:
- how many calories they have,
- what medicinal properties they have,
- what walnut tincture treats,
- how to get rid of the bitter taste of nuts,
- whether walnuts are healthy for everyone,
- why they are so valuable in athletes' diets.
What do walnuts contain?
Their popularity is certainly due to the many nutrients in walnuts. Their kernels contain up to 55% fats, 17% protein, 13% carbohydrates, and 2% minerals. It is worth knowing which vitamins walnuts contain, because they contain quite a lot – not only B vitamins (B1, B3, B6, B9), but also vitamins A, C, E, and K, which are important for health. Walnuts contain omega-3, which is a valuable unsaturated fatty acid, as well as antioxidants that slow down the aging process and are important in cancer prevention. All this makes us want to eat them, often without thinking about how many calories walnuts contain. Well, exactly…
How many calories do walnuts have, and how many should you eat per day?
The high fat content results in a relatively high calorie content of walnuts. In 100 grams, they contain about 666 calories. Knowing how much one walnut weighs, we can easily calculate its calorie content – an average walnut weighs 4 grams, so it contains about 27 calories. A handful of this delicacy is over 200 calories. And yet, we are able to eat much more at once – everyone who likes walnuts knows this. So how many can we eat per day? It depends, among other things, on how much fat we have in our diet from other sources and whether our weight is within the normal range. However, it is not worth giving up eating them because of their calorie content – when consumed in reasonable amounts, nuts help maintain weight because they are very filling and have a low glycemic index.
Walnut – medicinal properties
What are walnuts good for? The properties of this delicacy mean that eating just a few nuts a day can lower blood cholesterol levels and significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. This is due to the presence of antioxidants (including selenium), which protect arteries from the harmful effects of cholesterol.
Regular consumption of nuts helps lower triglyceride levels, has anti-inflammatory effects, and supports the circulatory and nervous systems. Better memory, easier learning, and improved concentration are other benefits of eating walnuts. The effect of this fruit on humans is, as you can see, multifaceted. We can wonder what walnuts are good for, or we can simply eat them, knowing that our body will certainly benefit from them.
How to eat walnuts?
The composition of nuts encourages their consumption. They can be treated as a snack, but we can also find many recipes online that use walnuts. The protein they contain makes dishes with nuts more filling, which is why they are often added to salads. However, let's remember how many calories a walnut contains – adding a handful will increase the calorie content of the salad by about 200 calories. What else can be done with walnuts? There are plenty of ideas! They can be added to baked goods, desserts, oatmeal, and even savory hors d'oeuvres or herring.
Walnut tincture - properties
Another way to use this valuable delicacy is to make a tincture, which has valuable health properties. It is made from green, unripe walnuts, which are best harvested at the turn of June and July. Walnuts suitable for tincture are quite easy to cut. If it is difficult for us – unfortunately, the walnuts are already too ripe.
In what cases can walnut tincture help? It is especially effective for various digestive tract ailments. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and supports the body's detoxification. To prepare it, we need sugar, alcohol, spices, and, of course, walnuts. How many calories does such a tincture have? Unfortunately, quite a lot, so it is not recommended for people on a diet who have problems with their blood sugar levels.
The taste of walnuts
Most of us simply like nuts. But what if we don't like this delicacy, yet we still want to eat it because of the properties of walnuts? Remember that we don't have to eat them whole and that we can influence their taste by combining them with other foods. A simple way to incorporate nuts into your diet is to grind them and sprinkle them into various soups, pancakes, milkshakes, or homemade ice creams. It is important to grind them directly before eating – ground nuts go rancid quickly, so they should not be stored for long.
The characteristic bitterness of walnuts
You may have wondered why walnuts taste bitter. It is worth knowing that the source of the bitter aftertaste is not the nut itself, but its skin, which can simply be removed. If it is difficult to remove, just roast the nuts in the oven. Removing the skin will then be much easier, and the properties of the walnuts will still be valuable. However, the skin itself contains a lot of antioxidants – it is worth eating if the bitter taste does not bother us. Another simple way to get rid of the bitterness is to pour boiling water (even twice) over the walnuts. The calories will remain unchanged, but the taste may be more encouraging to eat.
How to store walnuts?
Walnuts can be stored for many months, or even two years, if properly cared for. The key is to make sure they are well dried after harvesting. Freshly harvested nuts often have damp shells and can quickly become covered in mold if stored in that state. So how to dry walnuts? It is best to spread them out flat in a dry, well-ventilated place, for example on a table covered with paper. Sometimes nuts harvested after rain require at least a few warm days to dry. We can pour dry nuts into containers and keep them in a cool, but not damp, place.
A good way to store nuts for a long time is to keep them in the refrigerator or freezer – they can retain their value there for up to two years! This applies to nuts in shells – shelled nuts stay fresh for much less time, so it is best to eat them directly after shelling (when they are also simply tastier) or store them briefly in a glass, tightly sealed container.
Sometimes nuts stored for a long time or improperly are rancid, have mold or worms inside. We can wonder how to refresh walnuts, but unfortunately, it cannot be done. Such nuts can be dangerous to health, and the only reasonable option is simply to throw them away.
Are walnuts healthy for everyone?
Even the healthiest snacks are not suitable for everyone. The same is true for walnuts. The harmful effects of nuts are felt primarily by people with an allergy to them. It manifests itself, among other things, as itching in the mouth, swelling, and abdominal pain. Consuming walnuts by people with a severe allergy can even be life-threatening.
Who else should avoid walnuts? Kidney problems are a contraindication to their consumption, because a large amount of oxalates in nuts can cause kidney stones to form. They can also harm people with digestive problems. Unfortunately, the answer to the question of whether walnuts are hard to digest is yes.
Walnuts in athletes' diets
One group of people for whom walnuts are especially recommended is athletes. High calorie content and high nutritional value are exactly what intensively training people need. The dietary fiber contained in nuts helps athletes training in disciplines where weight is important maintain the right weight. Increasing the amount of nuts consumed from one to one and a half portions per day improves the functioning of the body during intense physical exertion, such as sports.
Experts also emphasize the great role of omega-3 fatty acids in athletes' diets. Walnuts are a valuable source of these acids. Omega-3 supports the immune system, which is weakened by physical exertion, has anti-clotting effects, and reduces oxidative stress, which athletes are exposed to. Walnuts are exceptionally valuable in the nutrition of athletes on a vegetarian diet, because balancing a high-energy diet for them is more difficult than for athletes who eat meat.
Walnuts – advantages and disadvantages
As you can see, walnuts have many advantages, and most of us, by eating them regularly, will feel their beneficial effect on health. Their main disadvantage may be their calorie content – people on a weight-loss diet must control their consumption and, when choosing them, should limit fats from other sources in their diet. Walnuts contain magnesium, iron, potassium, and are a source of many valuable vitamins. Unless we have contraindications, it is worth including them in our daily diet.
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