Why You Should Eat Walnuts Everyday

I won’t lie. I prefer other nuts like almonds and pecans over walnuts, but after I learned walnuts have several health benefits that other nuts don’t, I started using walnuts in place of pecans in many baked goods. Walnuts are cheaper, too. I also make a practice of popping a few walnuts into my mouth and putting a handful into my mother’s oatmeal each morning. 

As it turns out, medical evidence suggests a daily dose of 1 - 2 ounces (i.e., a handful) of walnuts supports heart health, cuts bad cholesterol, supports gut health, and sharpens brain function, plus they may improve sleep with a natural infusion of melatonin.

Walnuts contain essential omega-3 fatty acids (ALA), magnesium, and antioxidants. They reduce inflammation and lower bad LDL cholesterol. Studies show that people who eat walnuts have faster brain reaction times and delayed age-related cognitive decline. Walnuts act as a prebiotic to improve the gut microbiome by increasing good bacteria. Although walnuts are energy-dense, they don’t tend to cause weight gain because they help to manage our appetites.

Here are tips for eating  a healthy dose of walnuts every day:

1) Stick with a serving (1 oz to 2 oz) to control calories. 1 oz = 14 halves. Easy enough, as we don’t tend to gorge on walnuts. 

2) Eat them raw, roasted, soaked in water, or added to cereals, salads, smoothies, or yogurt.

3) Walnuts are beneficial at any time of the day, yet studies show they improve cognitive performance if eaten in the morning.

4) I find Diamond of California to be the better-tasting walnuts without any bitterness. Walmart sells this brand at a cheaper cost then its own store brand, also. I always have a 32-oz bag in my refrigerator or freezer (as well as a big bag of lightly salted almonds as snack staples)

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Here’s a once-in-a-while treat (due to the sugar), perhaps for Sundays or holidays like Easter, to bake using walnuts. If you’re ambitious, you could toast the walnuts for added flavor before using. It’s a scaled-down, less sweet Hummingbird cake:

Pinnapple and Walnut Sheet Cake

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup of finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Photo: Indiana Connection

2) Beat in the eggs, then add the vanilla extract and pineapple with juice, and fold in the walnuts. Do not overmix, just enough to incorporate all the ingredients, so the batter doesn’t produce a tough cake.

3) Pour the batter into a well-buttered square baking pan.

4) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 - 35 minutes.

Cream Cheese and Nut Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese (I use low-fat)

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of powdered sugar or more

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (These I don’t chop as finely as the walnuts in the batter.)

Mix together except the walnuts. Spread the frosting on a cooled cake and top the frosting with the chopped nuts.

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What Are Brisling Sardines?

Summer Eats continued: What are brisling sardines? They are an impulse buy on a trip to the health food store a while ago. Ten cans, I must have been out of my mind that day! I know they are packed with protein and omega 3, 6, and 9 oils. They have a mild flavor and, in fact, are less fishy tasting than tuna. So why do I and others have such an aversion to eating them?

Just to get them down my throat I've been mixing a can of brisling sardines with a can of solid white tuna to make a salad. It's the easiest way of not having to look at them. Nutritionally, it's an excellent idea. Here's why ...

Brisling sardines are caught in the clear, clean, cool waters of Northern Europe. Europeans call the tiny silver fish sprats. They are under 4" long, half the size of other sardines. They have a mild taste and a tender delicate texture with no notable scales. Often packed in extra virgin olive oil, foodies claim they have a buttery texture.

Brislings are not only delicious but they’re also packed with a ton of nutrients including the omega-3 fatty acids, I mentioned. A serving also has 17% of our recommended calcium requirement and a whopping 17 grams of protein. These nutrients are best derived from natural sources rather than supplements. As a small fish, you need not worry about consuming mercury. Tuna has a moderate amount of mercury because it's a bigger fish, but sardines are one of the healthiest fish to eat!

Due to its mercury content, you should eat tuna not more than twice a week, but if mixed with sardines, you're cutting the mercury contained in tuna by half.

Frankly, I've never had a problem with the taste of sardines, it's the idea of eating sardines. So I disguise them as a tuna-sardines salad on 2 slices of multigrain toast. I'll post the ingredients for the salad below, plus you can make the salad into a grilled melt if you wish:

Tuna Sardines Melt

Ingredients:

1 can of brisling sardines in extra virgin olive oil

1 can of solid white tuna (I buy tuna in water.)

1/4 of an onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery (I use the leaves too), finely chopped

2 baby carrots, finely chopped

2 - 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Salt, pepper, garlic, parsley to taste

Optional: Add 2 hard boiled eggs to make a creamier salad.

Directions:

1) Mix the ingredients thoroughly.

2) To make a sandwich toast 2 slices of bread.

3) If making a melt, spread a little of the mayonnaise on one slice of bread. Layer with some of the tuna-sardines salad, and top with cheese. Lay a 2nd slice of bread on your baking sheet if you desire a topper.

4) Broil in the oven at 450 degrees F to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven. If you wish you top it with your 2nd slice of toast.

Since I eat tuna, salmon, catfish, cod, and sushi without flinching, I can't explain why I, as well as, many others have an issue with eating sardines, a tiny fish, as opposed to a big one! It makes no sense. Do you know?

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