Nuts: Benefits, Properties, And Uses

Nuts contain the famous Omega-3s in abundance. They are suitable for the skin and do not make you fat. You can eat at least three a day. The nuts must not waste them. We can have them within our reach all year round, and if we use them regularly, we will receive enormous benefits. Thanks to their richness in Omega-3 and vitamins, the ease with which they can be introduced into different dishes in the kitchen, and even the alternative ways to use them.

Benefits Of Nuts

The nuts are the fruit of the tree nut, native to the Middle East but also very popular in our country. Walnut is typically autumnal, has a high energy value, and many nutritional characteristics. It is rich in polyunsaturated acids, excellent for the human body. Its leaves are considered an essential aromatic ingredient, often used in the kitchen.

For example, for the aging of some cheeses. Nuts also contain proteins and simple carbohydrates. They are also rich in fiber, and mineral salts, which abound calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. Of the vitamins, the most important is thiamine. Useful also to detoxify the liver.

Walnuts: Nutritional Values

Walnuts are essential food for our health, an absolute mine of beneficial properties. Inserted daily in the diet, they can keep cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk under control; they also seem to limit the onset of some cancers and help keep blood pressure low; therefore, they are characterized as an essential natural remedy in hypertension. The important thing is not to overdo the quantities: it is rich in proteins and quite caloric with 650 calories in 100 grams. Three nuts a day are enough to be enjoyed with salads or at breakfast with yogurt to cover our daily needs for essential health nutrients.

Properties And Benefits Of Nuts

1. Furthermore, walnuts contain a high quantity of good fats, especially  Omega 3 and  Omega 6, essential fatty acids essential for the excellent health of our cardiovascular system. These good fats prevent blood clots and significantly improve circulation. It also benefits the heart, thanks to the presence of arginine inside the nuts, excellent for those suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
2. Furthermore, walnuts are an excellent source of protein, vitamin A, vitamin E, B1, B2, folic acid, and fiber and contain a high amount of antioxidants capable of keeping free radicals under control. The consumption of walnuts has been shown to reduce the vulnerability to stress during aging. 
3. Those with type 2 diabetes can include walnuts in their diet, like these, with their healthy fats, regulate metabolic parameters and reduce fasting insulin levels.
4. Nuts contain melatonin, so they are also great for those who want to sleep well all night.
5. Walnuts are a highly energetic food, also perfect for pregnant women (unless you are allergic): polyunsaturated fats favor the correct development of the nervous system and some parts of the fetus’s eyes.
6. Walnuts are also suitable for skin and hair: in particular, an oil with moisturizing and nourishing properties is extracted from walnuts. Walnut oil is, in fact, rich in unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6, which have antibacterial, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. This oil is used as a pre-shampoo pack to make the hair more robust and shinier. It also counteracts dermatitis and dandruff. Walnut oil is rich in vitamin C, and for this reason, it is highly recommended for the skin of the face and body, especially when the skin is oily and does not tolerate other types of oils. It also promotes tanning, stimulating the production of melanin, which protects from the sun’s harmful rays. You can add walnut oil to your day cream or aloe vera cream.
7. They also contain vegetable proteins.

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Variety Of Nuts

The varieties of nuts are so many and all with intrinsic characteristics and valid for the body. Among these are:

1. Pecan’s nuts originate in North America, are rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, and are monounsaturated.
2. The  Brazil nuts contain high amounts of selenium, macadamia nuts, and coconut from the sweet, greasy, and oily composition.
3. Mongongo nuts, originating in Namibia and South Africa’s Western sweets and many nutrients.
4. The nuts Kemiri (or candle) come from Indonesia and are rich in oils. These are widely used in cosmetics and local cuisine.
5. The red nuts are like walnuts but have red kernels and a mild oily taste because they are born from the intersection of a common walnut and a Persian.

Calories Of Walnuts

Walnuts are very caloric because they contain about 610 kcal. Indeed, those on a diet must be careful to consume a not excessive dose. Walnut induces a sense of satiety because it is rich in fiber and therefore can be a panacea for those who need to lose weight or those who are already on a healthy and balanced diet. Small doses are always recommended because walnuts will make you fat if abused.

How Many Nuts Per Day

Precisely because they are very caloric, nutritionists strongly recommend consuming only three nuts a day for a total of 15 grams and 100 calories. Nuts should be eaten in moderation because the weight gain they cause is a risk factor for those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it would be contradictory to consume nuts to help the heart and arterial system gain weight by increasing the risks above even more. Caloric intake was consequently kept under control, avoiding excesses.

Contraindications Of Walnuts

As we have said, they are very caloric, and therefore the first contraindication to underline is certainly weight gain. They can also cause actual inflammation in the mouth or intestinal tract, with the onset of diarrhea. Furthermore, food allergies related to this fruit are not uncommon, like all dried fruits. 

Walnuts contain antibodies that stimulate white blood cells to produce histamine in the body. Histamines promote allergic reactions and cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Anyone who is pregnant and suspects some allergy to nuts and dried fruit should refrain from consuming them.

Nuts And High Pressure

Eating walnuts helps lower high blood pressure and primarily benefits cardiovascular disease by improving heart health. Of course, this happens when the diet is low in fat and exceptionally healthy. Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid ( ALA ), which has enormous benefits on blood pressure. 

Walnuts And Cholesterol

Walnuts are cholesterol-free, so they can be safely consumed by those who keep high cholesterol at bay. Consuming 40/60 g of walnuts a day lowers bad LDL cholesterol and keeps good HDL levels unchanged. Walnuts are rich in unsaturated fats, polyphenols, and polyunsaturated fats. 

In some cases, in addition to reducing bad cholesterol, they can raise the levels of the good one, thanks also to the action of oleic acid. The important thing is not to associate them with fatty or high-calorie foods because nuts are caloric and promote weight gain.

Alternative Uses Of Nuts

Walnuts are not only excellent fruits to eat but have, and have had in the past. Also alternative uses in everyday life:

1. With unripe walnuts, for example, an excellent liqueur called Nocino is produced. You have to break up the walnuts and soak them in white wine and water for about 40 days. The dose of the recipe is 2 kilograms of walnuts for 5 liters of liquid and ½ kilogram of sugar. After 40 days, alcohol for food must be added, which must be filtered. The liqueur must then rest in the dark for a short time and is finally ready to be drunk.
2. The walnut husk, which is the fleshy part of the fruit, rich in tannin, fabrics, and furniture, is dyed, and in the Middle Ages, it was used as ink. The leaves macerated in half a glass of red vinegar are an excellent darkener for hair, while if left in water for ten minutes, they are suitable for foot baths.
3. An excellent decoction is also prepared with the leaves, which helps treat diabetes, obesity, and gout. The oil extracted from the green husk, on the other hand, is protective against sunburn.
4. The juice of the walnut leaves, mixed with angelica, soapwort, and fibrin clover, seems to have been, in the past, a holy hand for the preparation of pills and syrups with anti-venereal action.

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