In the search for heart-healthy foods that taste good and contribute versatility to the kitchen, walnuts are your ultimate solution. Walnuts offer a wide breadth of benefits that contribute to cardiovascular health. Glenda’s Farmhouse provides an affordable and straightforward avenue to keep your family well supplied with this delicious snack and a useful ingredient.
Walnuts and Cardiovascular Health
Heart health depends on a variety of factors. Weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol are three factors you can influence with a healthy diet that includes walnuts. In addition, you can take additional steps to manage stress, prioritize activity and exercise, and avoid smoking. So live your best life with a healthy heart and a stash of Glenda’s Farmhouse walnuts!
Contribution to Weight Management
Walnut consumption also leads to a greater and longer-lasting sense of fullness. For example, studies have shown that drinking a smoothie made with ½ cup of walnuts each day leads to less intense feelings of hunger and cravings for junk foods than consuming a daily smoothie with an equal number of calories and nutrients but made without walnuts.
Contribution to Blood Pressure Management
Another factor contributing to cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure; yet again, eating walnuts can help manage this problem. In addition, studies demonstrate that the Mediterranean diet promotes healthier blood pressure than other dietary habits.
The fats in walnuts are mostly unsaturated and monounsaturated, including plant-based Omega-3s. Not only do these fats avoid causing harm to health, but they’re essential to brain and heart health. The form contained within walnuts can only be acquired through diet, making walnuts an excellent choice. Studies have presented a link between walnut consumption and lower blood pressure at rest and under stress.
Even slight improvements to blood pressure numbers manifest exponentially in the effect on heart health.
Contribution to Cholesterol Management
Cholesterol is the overarching term for three values: triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and HDL (good) cholesterol. Ideally, the first two types of cholesterol should be kept low while the third needs to be higher. High triglycerides and high LDL cholesterol indicate a problem. This type of cholesterol promotes the development of blocked arteries, a condition that can lead directly to stroke and poor cardiovascular function. Walnut consumption has proven to result in decreased triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels. The Omega-3s in walnuts also point toward elevated HDL cholesterol numbers.
In Summary
Walnuts offer a substantial bank of nutrients and vitamins that enhance the cardiovascular health of those who incorporate them into their diets. Prioritize unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, multi-grains, and vegetables in your diet to keep your ticker ticking.
Remember the importance of moving in conjunction with this embrace of healthy eating. Some activity – a swim, brisk walk, or aerobics – for 30 minutes daily will get the blood pumping and keep your heart operating well for as long as possible.
Have you been hearing conflicting information about whether walnuts are good for your heart? Rest assured that they are and that Glenda’s Farmhouse is an affordable, quality source of wholesome walnuts.