Healthy eating recipes guide

The nut is a dry fruit that comes from the seed that harbors the mature fruit of the walnut tree, the original tree of the old Persia, of which its existence is known from the year 7000 aCEn the market you can find Spanish, French and American varieties. Among them, the best known are the common (J.Regia), Mallet and Franquette among the French varieties, Eureka, Payne and Chandler, among the Californian varieties, and the walnut of the black walnut (J. Nigra), originally from the United States, of hard shell and bigger size than the common one.

Composition and properties:

High levels of polyphenols, antioxidant chemical compounds that help prevent cellular damage.

A high consumption of foods rich in polyphenols of the culture and the Mediterranean diet is associated with a better score in memory tests and overall cognitive function in elderly people with cardiovascular risk factors according to the results of a Predimed research (Prevention with Mediterranean Diet), the largest trial of nutritional intervention with a Mediterranean diet for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and other frequent pathologies in people at high risk. These foods rich in antioxidants typical of the Mediterranean diet could counteract the cognitive decline associated with aging.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 type with an anti-inflammatory function that our body does not manufacture:

The action of these fatty acids focuses on decreasing the level of total cholesterol in the blood and reduces the viscosity of the blood, thus reducing the risk of thrombosis. The nut is the dried fruit that has the highest amount of omega 3 fat on the market, similar to bluefish. More than 3/5 of its weight correspond to grace and this makes its caloric content is very high. Almost 180 calories are those that provide 30 grams of nuts. If for any reason the consumption of nuts is excessive on a specific day, you can compensate that amount in the following days.

Vitamins B1, B2, B6, vitamin E and niacin.

The nut is a good source in this whole set of vitamins. Only the wheat germ and certain fish such as sardines or salmon equal or surpass the nut in vitamin B6. Highlights its content in vitamin E, an important antioxidant that prevents aging and certain types of cancers and cardiovascular diseases. However, it is relatively poor in vitamins A and C.

 Integrative Nutritional Supplementation Antiaging

Minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Walnuts are rich in phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, and also in other minerals that the body needs in a small amount, but they perform very important functions, such as zinc, copper, and manganese.

What is good for?

Protection against prostate and breast cancer.

Nuts can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and breast cancer. A study conducted by scientists at the University of California showed that the times they ate the equivalent for a 2.4-ounce human of whole nuts for 18 weeks had significantly smaller and slower prostate tumors in growth compared to the control group that consumed the same amount of fats but from different sources. A diet of whole nuts reduced the growth of prostate cancer by 30 to 40 percent. Another study in mice showed that the equivalent for a human of only two handfuls of nuts a day cut the risk of breast cancer by half, and caused the tumor growth to be slowed by 50 percent.

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases by reducing the level of cholesterol and triglycerides.

High cholesterol levels can cause narrowing of the arteries and increase the risk of cerebral infarction and heart. An investigation by the University of Loma Linda (United States) reviewed 25 studies in which more than 500 people distributed in seven countries participated. Those who consumed 67 grams of nuts a day reduced their levels of bad cholesterol (LDL: low-density lipoproteins) by 7.4%. In addition, in people with a blood triglyceride concentration higher than normal (more than 150 milligrams per deciliter), the consumption of walnuts reduces the levels of these by 10.2%. Walnuts contain the amino acid l-arginine, which provides multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease,

  The importance of iodine for health

They counteract the cognitive decline associated with age, protecting against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

 After research by the Department of Neurochemistry of the Institute of Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities of the State of New York, the protective effects of walnut extract with induced cell death of beta-amyloid peptide and cellular oxidative stress were verified. This peptide is the main component of senile plaques and cerebrovascular amyloid deposits in people with Alzheimer's disease. The diet with nuts can reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly population. This can be attributed to a unique combination of anti-amyloidogenic, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of nuts. Nuts are a source of vitamin E,

Improves mood and increases serotonin levels.

Serotonin improves the transmission of nerve signals, reduces the sensation of hunger, decreases the concentration of substances related to inflammation, fights abdominal obesity and hypertension, improves cardiac health and puts us in a good mood. A study by the University of Barcelona published in the Journal of Proteome Research notes that people with metabolic syndrome who incorporate nuts and almonds into their diet experience, within 12 weeks, a significant increase in serotonin levels.

How to take them?

30 grams daily approximately, between 4 and 7 units.

It is advisable and healthy to take between 4 and 7 servings of nuts per week. It can be nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios ... It is considered a portion of nuts about 30 grams, which is equivalent to between 4 and 7 units, depending on their size. Raw nuts should be chewed very well to facilitate their digestion and, for the elderly, children and people with deficient teeth, can be crushed to get a porridge. To better preserve the nuts should be in tightly closed bottles because, because of their richness in unsaturated fatty acids, they run out faster than other nuts.