How Walnuts Can Help to Lower Your Blood Fat
Walnuts have been implicated in the prevention of heart disease. How do walnuts help guard against one of America’s foremost diseases? For one thing, they contain beneficial fats. Walnuts also have a fairly significant amount of fiber.
When most people hear about foods high in fat, they instinctively avoid that food. All fat is not the same, however. There is, in fact, “good” fat, just as there is “good” cholesterol. Here are some of the good fats contained in English walnuts, and their beneficial effects. (The American black walnut does not have as much “good” fat as the English walnut.)
1. Polyunsaturated fat
There is far more polyunsaturated fat in walnuts than monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated fats have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and increase HDL, or “good,” cholesterol.
2. Monounsaturated fat
Also found in olive oil, the cholesterol-lowering effects of monounsaturated fats are essentially the same as those of polyunsaturated fats.
3. Alpha-linolenic acid, one of the Omega-3s
Omega-3 fats reduce inflammation, making them helpful in a variety of conditions. Inflammation of the arterial wall can lead to heart disease, and walnuts can help prevent this inflammation from taking hold. Clinical trials indicate that Omega-3s also reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure, both associated with heart disease.
4. Omega-6s
With similar benefits as Omega-3s, Omega-6s can actually cause inflammation if consumed in an imbalance with Omega-3s. Most Americans consume far more Omega-6s than Omega-3s, but walnuts have these fats in balance. Together in the right proportions, Omega-6s and Omega-3s compliment each other.
Another health benefit of walnuts is their fiber content. Studies have shown that fiber, particularly soluble fiber, reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the gut. Fiber also makes you feel full, which helps prevent overeating.
Walnuts are a safe food; there are no known side effects to eating them in moderation. It is best to consume walnuts raw, as heat may damage the beneficial fats. Look for organic walnuts, too – most toxins are fat-soluble, meaning that high-fat foods are more likely to contain toxins concentrated in their fatty components. And organic nuts are more likely to have the highest nutrient content.
How much do you have to eat to get the heart-healthy benefits? The US FDA recommends a “handful” (1.5 ounces) of walnuts a day as part of a healthy diet.
Another key to getting all the benefits walnuts have to offer is to replace “bad” fats and calories with the nuts. In other words, it does not help to add walnut consumption to a diet already high in trans-fat, saturated fat, and other unhealthy foods. But as a part of a healthy diet, walnuts have their place in disease prevention.
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