Walnuts are mostly seen as dessert ingredients and hence used sparingly. However, according to nutritionists, they can be a perfect snack or a topping for soups, salads, and veggies, apart from munching them daily for amazing health benefits, which include regulated heart and mental health, weight loss, and even lower blood pressure. Read on to know what happens when you eat these flavourful nuts every day.

Packed with antioxidants, walnuts have always been regarded as the best nuts with numerous health benefits. From gut health to boosting memory, taking care of your mood swings, regulating blood sugar levels, and even cognition – walnuts take care of it all.

According to dietary guidelines, tree nuts like walnuts should be included in the diets of adults and kids alike due to their stellar nutrient profile.

Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats, nutritionists advise eating walnuts every day to reduce inflammation and support heart and mental health.

And so, you would notice various changes in your body when you take a handful of these every day, a few of which are:

Regulates heart

Even though most nuts are considered heart-healthy, walnuts have been certified by experts like the American Heart Association which says they meet the perfect criteria for being a “heart-healthy food.”

Walnuts are low in sodium, saturated fat, and trans-fat and contain at least 10 per cent of the Daily Value for vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, protein, or dietary fibre.

According to studies, this amount of nutrition is perfect for impacting the lipid panel and so, it decreases LDL or bad cholesterol levels.

High LDL levels can cause heart diseases like atherosclerosis – plaque buildup in your blood vessels that may cause a heart attack or stroke.

Improve gut health

Walnuts are rich in bioactive compounds that play an important role in altering the gut environment in ways that impact disease outcomes.

According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, the addition of walnuts to the diet of overweight and obese adults enhanced beneficial gut bacteria that helped reduce blood pressure levels significantly.

Benefits your brain

Eating walnuts regularly can slow cognitive decline, especially in high-risk older age groups.

According to studies, polyphenolic compounds in walnuts reduce oxidants and inflammation in brain cells and form new cells while increasing signaling between brain cells.

Manages blood sugar levels

Eating walnuts every day can also help elevate your energy levels, since it balances blood sugar levels, especially in those suffering from type-2 diabetes.

Experts say a combination of protein, fibre, and healthy fats in walnuts stabilizes sugar levels which goes a long way in diabetes management.

How to include walnuts in a healthy diet?

For many people, eating a handful of walnuts daily is not possible, so there are many other tasty and nutritious ways to add them to your meals:

• Toss a handful of walnuts into your daily salad or stir-fried vegetables
• Fold chopped walnuts into pancakes, muffins, or even bread
• Mix chopped walnuts into unsweetened yogurt or oatmeal
• You can add walnuts to your soups as well
• Crush walnuts and swap them for traditional breadcrumbs in many recipes

How many walnuts should you eat in a day?

According to experts, the right serving of walnuts is roughly about ¼ cup, which includes eating 50-60gm every day to reap the health benefits walnuts offer.

With this in mind, and considering walnuts are calorically dense, nutritionists also recommended aiming just for a handful daily.