Go (wal)nuts this Autumn

This study of 13 studies, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that walnuts, given for 4 to 24 weeks on a daily basis do both lower cholesterol and ‘LDL’ cholesterol, which is the one you don’t want too much of. Often slated by dieticians due to their high calorieCalories are a measure of the amount of energy in food. Knowing how many calories are in the food we eat allows us to balance… and fatThere are many different types of fats; polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, hydrogenated, saturated and trans fat. The body requires good fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) in order to… content all nuts are good sources of phytosterols which lower cholesterol.

Walnuts and Antioxidants

They also contain vitamin EWhat it does: Acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage, including against cancer. Helps body use oxygen, preventing blood clots, thrombosis, atherosclerosis. Improves wound… (alpha tocopherol) and other tocopherols. Almonds are a particularly good source of calciumWhat it does: Promotes a healthy heart, clots blood, promotes healthy nerves, contracts muscles, improves skin, bone and dental health, relieves aching muscles and bones,… and magnesiumWhat it does: Strengthens bones and teeth, promotes healthy muscles by helping them to relax, also important for PMS, important for heart muscles and nervous…. They also contain something called squalene which is cancer preventive, great for your skin, immune boosting and helps lower cholesterol.

The richest source of squalene is shark liver oil. Published in an issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers Deirdre Banel and Frank Hu conducted the meta-analysis to, “estimate the effect of walnuts on blood lipids”. The 13 studies selected represented some 365 participants, with diets lasting between four and 24 weeks and walnuts providing between 10 and 24 per cent of total calories. According to the researchers from Harvard Medical School “When compared with control diets, diets supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol and in LDL-cholesterol concentrations,” They also found other health benefits for eating nuts.”

Other results reported in the trials indicated that walnuts provided significant benefits for certain antioxidant capacity and inflammatory markers and had no adverse effects on body weight.”

My Recommendations

I recommend eating a small handful of raw nuts or seeds every day. After all, if a tree is going to grow from it it’s got to be a concentrated source of nutrients, including proteinProteins are large molecules consisting of chains of amino acids. Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body – they are a building block of…. Whenever you eat fruit be sure to have a few nuts or seeds – the carbohydrateCarbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body as they can be broken down into glucose (sugar) more readily than either protein or…/protein combination helps stabilise your blood sugar and hence makes you feel fuller for longer. You could sprinkle on my nutrient-packed breakfast formula Get Up & Go with Carboslow.

You’ll find more breakfast recipe ideas, in the Recipe section of the Holford Health Club which is free to join on a one month trial.