Health Alert! Find Out What Walnuts Can Do for You
By Sandy Schroeder
If you follow healthy food tips, you know nuts are good for you, but now there's new information.
Researchers say walnuts are head and shoulders above the rest, when it comes to our future health. According to the well-known Nurses' Health Study, walnuts are the best choice for healthy aging. The data reports walnuts were the only nut linked with a greater change of healthy aging.
As you move through your 30s or 40s and consider your future health, walnuts should definitely be in your snacks and on your plate.
Data from the four-year study looked at women in their late 50s and early 60s and evaluated their nut consumption. About 16 percent of the group were considered to be doing healthy aging with no chronic disease or memory issues. Within their diet, eating two servings of walnuts a week linked them to the healthy group.
Other researchers supported this research, finding walnuts were good for gut and heart health too.
How to Serve Up Your Walnuts
Salad accents - Add chopped walnuts to your favorite tossed salads. One of my favorites is a wilted lettuce mixed with chopped green onions, peppers and walnut halves. The dressing is a mix of hot vinegar and oil and bacon bits.
Bite-sized canapes - Top tarts with goat cheese and candied walnuts or serve crostini with prosciutto, brie and toasted walnuts.
Cookies - Use your favorite cookie mix and top each cookie with dark chocolate frosting and walnut halves.
Homemade breads - Mix in chopped walnuts for a loaf of sandwich bread or banana or pumpkin dessert bread.
Snacks at home or away - Ditch the chips and set out bowls of candied or spicy walnuts.
Breakfast - Add chopped walnuts and fruits to your favorite cereals.
Special desserts - My favorite treat from childhood was a chocolate toffee pudding topped with finely chopped walnuts; Heaven by the spoonful!
Oven toasted walnuts - Mix walnuts with oil and salt. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake 7-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool, chop and store for up to a week.
Stove top toasting - Mix walnuts with oil and salt and heat until browned, 2 to 5 minutes. Cool, chop and store for up to a week.
Wherever you and your family are with healthy eating, walnuts, along with many of the other popular nuts such as peanuts, almonds, pistachios, and pecans are a smart choice for your menus.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in.Atlanta, Ga.