8 Walnut Recipes Full of Heart-Healthy Benefits | Well+Good (2024)

FAQs

Is there a downside to eating walnuts? ›

Excessive consumption of walnuts may cause diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain or kidney stones. Due to the phytic acid they contain, too many walnuts may also inhibit the absorption of dietary iron, calcium and zinc. Recommendation: One ounce (10-14) English walnut halves per day.

A 2022 study published in Nutrients revealed that eating about two servings of walnuts a day for 16 weeks improved self-reported levels of stress and depression, aided in a longer period of sleep, and improved overall mental health.

As for how much walnuts should be consumed to reap the benefits, Rajaram says about 1 to 1.5 ounces or a small handful a day would be beneficial. As for other nuts, prior studies show that most tree nuts and peanuts can aid in lowering cholesterol.

A 2021 article on the effect of walnut consumption found that consuming 30–60 grams of walnuts daily is beneficial for heart health. 30–60 grams is the same as 1–2 ounces or a 1/4–1/2 cup of walnuts.

Walnuts are an incredibly nutritious addition to our daily diet because they are high in fibre, vitamins, carbs, protein, and iron. Walnuts have various health advantages when eaten properly. One of the best ways to eat walnuts is to soak them overnight and then eat them in the morning.

1. Almonds. Relatively low in calories, almonds are an excellent food for health due to their protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

The calorie counts for almonds and walnuts are pretty similar and both have the better unsaturated (mono- and polyunsaturated) fats. Almonds, however, are higher in Dietary Fiber, Magnesium and antioxidant Vitamin E, than walnuts.

Eating walnuts everyday poses little to no harm unless you have a food sensitivity, intolerance or allergy. If that is not the case, adding walnuts to your daily diet can be very beneficial, more so if you choose them as a replacement for other less nutrient-dense foods in your diet.

In traditional Chinese medicine, walnuts are used to: Detox the kidneys. Nourish the blood. Promote digestive health.

Nuts are beneficial to heart health because they tend to lower the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), otherwise known as "bad" cholesterol. LDL plays a major role in the development of the plaque that can build up in the blood vessels. Eating more nuts has also been linked to lower levels of inflammation.

How do you eat walnuts for your heart? ›

It's best to choose unsalted or unsweetened nuts. Adding salt or sugar to nuts may cancel out their heart-healthy benefits. Here's some nutrition information on common types of nuts. All calorie and fat content measurements are for 1 ounce, or 28.4 grams (g), of unsalted nuts.

SOURCES: FDA approved claim: Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart diseas.

You can drink water after that but keep a gap of 10 minutes at least. This is because if you drink a glass of water immediately after, it won't let the stomach acids act upon the nuts and therefore extract the nutrients it provides. So it is advisable that you keep a gap of 10 minutes before drinking water.

Soaking the walnuts overnight and then consuming them in the morning is one of the best ways to consume walnuts. To do this, take 2-4 pieces of walnuts and soak them in a cup of water overnight. Have them the first thing next morning. Having soaked walnuts helps in reducing the bad cholesterol in the body.

The appropriate dose of walnuts is 4-6 pcs per day. Ideally, you should eat walnuts early in the morning on an empty stomach to get the best benefits for your body.

BHF dietitian Victoria Taylor says:

Brazil nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts are higher in saturated fat. Too much of this can contribute to raised cholesterol levels, so only eat them occasionally. Chestnuts are an exception – they're lower in all types of fats and higher in starchy carbohydrate than other nuts.

"Soaked almonds and walnuts are healthier than having them raw, because the process of soaking makes them more digestible and more easily absorbed in the body. So, all the nutrients and vitamins that they have, almost doubled up in the bio availability of those vitamins, when they are consumed soaked.

Walnuts are rich in heart-healthy fats and high in antioxidants. What's more, regularly eating walnuts may improve brain health and reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. These nuts are easily incorporated into your diet, as they can be eaten on their own or added to many different foods.

Walnuts. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for lung health, and walnuts are a rich source for these healthy fats. Omega-3 helps to quiet inflammation in the lungs and support respiratory health at the cellular level.