Walnuts: The Life Saving Nut!

Nigeria is blessed with crops, ranging from grains, tubers, tree crops which could be both cash (export) and for Domestic use. Funny enough a lot Nigerians don’t really explore these wide varieties of food crops cultivated within the country. Walnuts could sound strange to our hearing, but it’s also cultivated in both the temperate and tropic regions of the country. Research findings shows a lot of health benefits can be derived eating walnuts. Walnut, common name for a small family of flowering plants important for the nuts and timber they produce. The most important nut crop in the world is the walnut. It is important for its wood, used in fine furniture, rather than for its nuts, the meats of which are tasty. Walnut seeds are high density source of nutrients, particularly proteins and essential fatty acids.   HEALTH BENEFITS Food for Better Thought Walnuts have often been thought of as a “brain food,” not only because of the wrinkled brain-like appearance of their shells, but because of their high concentration of omega-3 fats. Your brain is more than 60% structural fat. For your brain cells to function properly, this structural fat needs to be primarily the omega-3 fats found in walnuts, flaxseed and cold-water fish. This is because the membranes of all our cells. And omega-3 fats, which are especially fluid and flexible, make this process a whole lot easier, thus maximizing the cell’s ability to usher in nutrients while eliminating wastes–definitely a good idea, especially when the cell in question is in your brain.   Help Prevent Gallstones Health Study shows that women who eat least 1 ounce of nuts each week have a 25% lower risk of developing gallstones. Since 1 ounce is only 28.6 nuts, preventing gallbladder disease may be as easy as having a handful of walnuts as an afternoon pick me up.   A Source of Bio-Available Melatonin Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and is also a powerful antioxidant, has been discovered in walnuts in bio-available form, making them the perfect evening food for a natural good night’s sleep. Melatonin has been shown to help improve sleep for night shift workers and people suffering from jet lag, but maintaining healthy levels of this hormone is important for everyone over the age of 40 since the amount of melatonin produced by the human body decreases significantly as we age.   Omega-3-rich Walnuts Protect Bone Health Alpha linolenic acid, the omega-3 fat found in walnuts, promotes bone health by helping to prevent excessive bone turnover when consumption of foods rich in this omega-3 fat results in a lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in the diet. Other studies have shown that diets rich in the omega-3s from fish (DHA and EPA), which also naturally result in a lowered ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, reduce bone loss. Researchers think this is most likely because omega-6 fats are converted into pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, while omega-3 fats are metabolized into anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.   Good source of Manganese and Copper Walnuts are a very good source of manganese and a good source of copper, two minerals that are essential cofactors in a number of enzymes important in antioxidant defenses. Walnuts also contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid, which blocks the metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. Ellagic acid not only helps protect healthy cells from free radical damage, but also helps detoxify potential cancer-causing substances and helps prevent cancer cells from replicating.  

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This article was first published on 29th August 2012 and updated on August 30th, 2012 at 1:35 pm

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