Walnuts, the tiny brain-shaped nuts, with wonderful sweet and nutty taste, can add just the right crunch, flavour and texture to your favourite cookie, cake, salad, breakfast cereal or any other delicacy they are added to. A storehouse of micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, walnuts are known to improve memory and enhance brain function. Eating just a handful of walnuts can amp up the nutritional value of your meal and also keep you satiated for long hours curbing the mid-meal munchies and helping you maintain a healthy weight. Excellent for heart health, they help lower bad cholesterol. If you have diabetes, walnuts can be your go to snack, as they have the required protein, fibre that could help manage your blood sugar levels. (Also read: World Heart Day 2022: Why walnuts may be the top nut for a healthy heart)
Walnut: A superfood
“Walnuts are indeed a superfood as they are loaded with carbohydrates, protein, good fat, fibre, vitamins, calcium, iron and potassium. Apart from improving good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) levels and keeping the heart healthy, walnuts are also beneficial for people with diabetes. Walnuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and help prevent stress and anxiety. Due to fibre, it prevents hunger pangs. Walnuts can also be added, to protein shakes and smoothies to improve crunch and add good calories,” says Dr Jinal Patel, Dietitian, Apollo Spectra Hospital, Mumbai.
Walnuts are also good for skin and eating them regularly can help make your skin glow and keep it soft.
“Walnuts have Vitamin E and Vitamin B5 that helps in tightening the pores and brightening the skin. The Vitamin B5 present in walnuts works to get rid of tan and dark spots, improving skin complexion and making the skin glow. Vitamin E repairs skin, keeping it healthy and soft,” says Dr Patel.
Benefits of soaking walnuts
Many people soak their walnuts before eating instead of having them as it is. So, are soaked walnuts better? How does the process of soaking helps absorb more nutrients?
Shruti Bharadwaj, Senior Clinical Dietician, Narayana Hrudayalaya says soaking walnuts helps improve their digestibility and also remove phytic acid and tannin.
“Soaking can also help prevent indigestion as it helps reduce gas forming compounds. It also reduces polyphenols and increase nutrient availability. Besides, soaking walnuts also improves their texture,” says Bharadwaj.
How many walnuts should we eat; what is the right way to soak walnuts
“Just soak 2-4 walnut pieces overnight in a cup of water and have them. You can have it at bed time with a glass of milk,” says Dr Patel.
Ideal duration of soaking walnuts
Dr Bharadwaj says 5-6 hours of soaking is best.
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