Ok, I will delve into walnuts further, before we go on to another food, tomorrow. I was asked, "What about the fat in walnuts?" and "Should men eat them, too?"
14 whole unadulterated walnuts weigh about 2 ounces or about 56 grams. So let's call it a handful. According to http://nutritiondata.com that would be a whopping 370 calories or 18% of a referenced 2000 calorie diet. Not so bad if your are substituting walnuts for french fries or potato chips or salty pretzels, etc.
The majority of the calories are from fat (83%), but they are the good plant fats: mono- and poly-unsaturated (90% of the total). Fiber (4grams) and protein (8.6 grams) come in as the good, too. Some vitamins are part of the good: thiamin, B6 and folate. More of the good: manganese, copper, magnesium and phosphorus.
And NO salt! And NO cholesterol!
And the good for cancer reduction: omega-3 fatty acids, , phytosterols, and antioxidants. In fact, walnuts have a lot of alpha-linolenic acid (like canola oil), which may be one of the main cancer suppressors.
But walnuts do have a lot of omega-6 fatty acids; not so ugly, if you add a high quality omega-3 supplement. Many researchers believe that our diet is over weighted in omega-6 fatty acids (primarily from processed foods), which are pro-inflammatory and contribute to every thing from joint aches to cancer.
I eat a handful of walnuts every day!
So what do I take to help my omega-3 to 6 ratio? I searched until I found the highest purity omega-3 and the healthiest ratio of EPA to DHA (the two most important omega-3 fatty acids) to decrease inflammation. If you want to learn more about what I take go to http://oewmd.com. I take at least 3 grams a day of WINOmega-3 and have for more than 4 years.
Very good article about walnuts, I enjoyed reading. When searching earlier I also found an interesting guide that answered the question are walnuts good for you. I am going to start eating these every day now.
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