Health-conscious eaters may find the seemingly high number of calories in a walnut reason enough to eliminate the food from their menus. However, the benefits of eating this nutritionally dense food far outweigh the calorie count. Glenda’s Farmhouse is a quality source for this high-quality food.
Who We Are at Glenda’s Farmhouse
Glenda’s Farmhouse, an Andersen & Sons Shelling brand, offers high-quality walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, and more for culinary and snacking purposes.
Walnut Calories and Estimated Servings
The calories in these single servings of walnuts equal about 190:
- 1 oz. shelled walnuts
- 28 grams
- 1/4 cup
- 12-14 walnut halves
- 1 small handful
This calorie count may seem high, but the cell walls, which are difficult to digest, hold much of the fat. This structural fact means that the body does not absorb all of the calories in the walnut.
As a high-calorie food, walnut consumption bucks convention by not causing weight gain. In fact, health benefits abound from including walnuts in a healthy diet.
Eating Nuts Helps Burn Calories
Experts suggest that in addition to not absorbing all of the calories found in nuts, walnut consumption also increases how much energy and fat our bodies burn.
Walnuts, and Other Nuts, Provide a Full Feeling That Lasts
The protein and fiber found in walnuts provide the body with a lasting, full feeling. This will help prevent overeating and over-indulgence in convenience foods.
Walnut Consumers Are Often Healthier Eaters
The notion that those who incorporate walnuts into their diets are simply healthier eaters has some merit, but studies have demonstrated that nuts play a role in weight management.
Additional Benefits to Health from Eating Walnuts
Mitigation of Cancer Risk
A range of studies provides evidence that walnut consumption lessens the potential for developing cancers like breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
Healthy microbes change the polyphenol ellagitannins in walnuts to urolithins within the gut. The urolithins, in turn, prevent inflammation and reduce cancer risks, and they can block hormone receptors, a benefit that lessens the risk of breast and prostate cancers.
Type 2 Diabetes – Manage and Reduce Risk of Development
Walnuts influence and control Type 2 diabetes for several reasons, beginning with the basic fact that walnuts help manage weight. However, studies have shown that walnuts can have an additional benefit, providing an 8% decrease in fasting blood sugar and A1C levels.
A Genuine “Brain Food”
Many of the nutrients that walnuts provide fight against oxidative damage and brain inflammation. They include polyunsaturated fat, polyphenols, and vitamin E.
Studies with mice have shown that walnut consumption substantially improved learning, remembering, and reducing anxiety. Observations of the elderly have shown the same outcomes.
Improved Male Fertility
While a diet centered around processed foods and sugar reduces sperm function, a healthy diet that includes walnuts positively affects male fertility and the shape, strength, and mobility of the sperm. Studies suggest that the protection comes by lessening the oxidative damage inflicted on the sperms’ membranes.
Learn more about how adding a portion of walnut to your diet will contribute to healthy calories and other health benefits, or place an order by reaching out to Glenda’s Farmhouse at (530) 839-2236.