What is the healthiest nut?

Walnuts

When it comes to nuts, the walnut is the king. It’s a great source of the healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids, which have been found to protect the heart, promote better cognitive function, and provide anti-inflammatory benefits for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis.

Walnuts also contain the antioxidant compound ellagic acid, which is known to fight cancer and support the immune system. But that’s not all—in a study in the August 2003 issue of Phytochemistry, researchers identified 16 polyphenols in walnuts, including three new tannins, with antioxidant activity so powerful they described it as “remarkable.”

Walnuts are incredibly healthy for the heart. A study in the April 2004 issue of Circulation found that when walnuts were substituted for about one-third of the calories supplied by olives and other monounsaturated fats in the Mediterranean diet:

* Total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol were reduced
* The elasticity of the arteries increased by 64 percent
* Levels of vascular cell adhesion molecules, which play a major role in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), were reduced

Left, I think. No wait, right.

Here is a link to the first posters comment, http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/29/if-you-are-nuts-about-health-try-the-top-6-healthiest-nuts.htm

@casheroo Hey, I was trying to sound smart!

That’s what the amazing powers of Google can do.

Jack LaLanne

@Dr_C Good god, that guy is 95?! That’s one healthy nut!

I believe that there is a “top 5” list floating around somewhere consisting of Walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and… sunflower seeds. I suppose most seeds/nuts are very healthy for you in general, just try to stay away from eating tons of fatty ones like cashews, peanuts etc. You could make your own trail mix if eating a handful of walnuts doesn’t sound apealing!

@erichw1504 I think it’s etiquette to give credit to a website when cutting and pasting from it.

Richard Simmons.

@Judi I know, I felt bad after posting it. @casheroo Was kind enough to show us all. Sorry.

the one that creates life!

I used to think it was Euell Gibbons, but he died. So the title goes either to Jack LaLanne or to the walnut.

Walnuts are the only nut to contain large amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, one of the two major types of omega-3 fatty acids. (Other sources of alpha-linolenic acid are soybean, canola and flaxseed oil as well as some green vegetables like brussels sprouts and kale.)

I’m not sure that Richard Simmons is all that healthy. He has really bad taste in workout clothing.

Richard Simmons might be the nuttiest health nut.

No more flabby thighs if you ” sweat to the oldies ” with Richard Simmons.

I put crushed walnuts in my oatmeal everyday. I once heard that described as a Franken-food, because it combines the benefits of so many other foods in one place.

I personally don’t like the taste of walnuts, but I can put crushed walnuts in many things without a problem.

@drdoombot: I am the same way. I recently started to eat about a ¼ cup of walnuts a day, but I don’t crush them up. I’ll have to start doing that. They are great in oatmeal.

I would have to agree that the walnut is the best nut for you. Almonds in my opinion are a near second.

@all I eat walnuts daily in veggie/fruit bread (Zucchini, pumpkin, or banana bread). I also am not fond of them by themselves, but in something, they’re great!

I was gonna say almonds or cashews, but I guess the walnut is the healthiest. Really I like cashews the best, and eat almonds from time to time. I’ll have to see how I like walnuts on their own, I remember trying to eat them at my grandparents’ house (they always had a big bowl of whole nuts out with a nutcracker nearby) and not enjoying it too much.

@Shuttle128 Both almonds & cashews are healthy snacks. Walnuts just happen to be a bit more beneficial in the long run. No matter what, in small amounts nuts are a wise choice to add to your diet.

They are all high in fat though. I’m a volume eater and I have to avoid all nuts because once I start I can’t stop. I can eat a lot of apples for the calories in a bag of nuts!

@Judi So true. If you’re looking for a snack, an apple can’t be beat for fiber or for “filling up”