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Walnuts – Little Antioxidant Grenades

When the largest ever study of foods with the highest antioxidant concentration was published not long ago, it was interesting to see which foods were at the top. The top ten of the list of 1113 foods available in the US was basically a list of herbs and spices, foods that most people are unlikely to consume in great quantities – ground clover, oregano leaves, ground ginger, and so on. Fine spices, no question, but how much curry powder and turmeric can you eat in one go, their great antioxidants contents notwithstanding? These are strong spices that are at most used by the teaspoons or pinches.

For nut-lovers, however, it was nice to see that there were two gatecrashers in the top ten – walnuts and pecans. Walnuts were high up, at a proud 6th place, while pecans barely made the top ten at 10th place. Remember that this is the top ten of over 1100 foods, so tenth place is a pretty good showing.
And it gets better.









If we consider typical serving sizes, walnuts are typically eaten as snacks by the handful, or used in baking, while spices like ground clover are basically just lightly drizzled over a dish. So there was no surprise to see walnuts in second place of the foods with the highest content of antioxidants per serving, just behind blackberries (cue fantasies of healthy and delicious dessert with both ingredients). Pecans were at number eight.

The antioxidants that walnuts are so richly blessed with are called polyphenols. They are the same antioxidants that are present in red wine, but in walnuts, the concentration is much greater.

So, what's so great about this? Well, for one thing, walnuts are my favorite nuts – they taste great, the nuts are easily cracked, they're big and easy to eat, they're widely stocked in supermarkets, and they don't cost much. But there's one more thing that propels walnuts from «great» to «outstanding». They contain polyunsaturated fat, and much more than other nuts. Most other nuts are lower in antioxidants and contain saturated fats that are not as good for your health as the unsaturated fats.

To put it simply, walnuts are good for the heart, especially if you eat some after a meal containing more unhealthy fats, like red meat.

Studies have shown that a small, frequent intake of walnuts will lower the risk of having a coronary heart disease. How much of that is beacuse of the unsaturated fats and how much is due to the antioxidants is still unknown, but is doesn't really mattter. About two ounces (a couple of handfuls) of walnuts a day gives you both a rich variety of antioxidants and beneficial fats – talk about packing a punch!

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