Health Benefits of Walnut

The health benefits of walnuts include a reduction of bad cholesterol in the body, an improvement in metabolism, and control of diabetes. Other important health benefits of walnuts stem from the fact that these nuts possess anti-inflammatory properties, aid in weight management, and help as a mood booster. They are also believed to slow down the spread of cancer.

What are Walnuts?

Walnuts are edible seeds from the trees of the Juglans genus. They are round, single-seeded fruits of the walnut tree. The fruit and the seed of the walnut are enclosed in a thick, inedible husk. The shell of the fruit that encloses the kernel is hard and two-halved. The seed of the walnut fruits contain significant amounts of nutrients such as proteins, EFAs (essential fatty acids), carbohydrates, vitamins, and essential minerals.

Walnuts have always been considered as ‘Brain Food’, perhaps because the surface structure of the walnut has a crinkly appearance like that of the brain. Due to this reason, they have been considered as a symbol of intelligence, leading to the belief that they actually increase one’s intellect. While this is not exactly true, recent scientific studies have proven that the consumption of walnuts does help in promoting brain function. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, which increase the activity of the brain. Omega-3 fatty acids coupled with iodine and selenium add to ensuring optimum functioning of the brain.

Along with their delicious taste, walnuts have antioxidants and proteins that help in imparting a multitude of health benefits. They are also a delicious supplement and therefore can be easily included in anyone’s diet. Walnuts are also considered as ‘Power food’, since they are believed to improve body stamina.

Walnut Facts

- Walnuts have been known to mankind for a long time. Some interesting facts about walnuts include the following:

- Walnut trees have been known to mankind since 7000 B.C.

- Two-thirds of the world’s walnut production happens in California.

- One can see crinkles in walnuts both inside and outside.

Nutritional Value of Walnuts

- Thomas and Gebhardt (2006) have conducted extensive research on the nutritional facts about walnuts that has been reported by the USDA National Nutrient Database for standard reference. The important nutritional facts from this research are listed below.

- Nutritional value in walnuts includes energy of 190 cal in 1 ounce, or 30 grams, of walnuts.

- Carbohydrate content per 1 ounce is 4 grams.

- Protein found in 1 ounce is 4 grams.

- The total fat content found in 1 ounce is 18 grams, which includes both unsaturated fats and saturated fats.

- Dietary fiber found in walnuts is about 2 grams per ounce.

- The minerals found in them include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.

- Vitamins include vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin K, and vitamin A. Carotenoids found in walnuts includes beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

- Phytosterols in walnuts are about 20 mg per 1 ounce.

Health Benefits of Walnuts

There are several health benefits of walnuts. The important ones established by research over the years are listed below.

Improvement in heart function: Walnuts are rich in omega-3 and are an ample source of monounsaturated fatty acids (72%) like oleic acid. It also contains EFAs like linoleic acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA), and arachidonic acids. Scientific studies prove that the inclusion of walnuts in any diet helps prevent coronary heart diseases by favoring a healthy lipid supply. Consumption of walnuts lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases level of good cholesterol (HDL).  Daily consumption of 25 grams of walnuts would provide 90% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of EFAs, which in turn lowers the risk of high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Improved Bone Health: EFAs from walnuts secure the bone health of the body. These increase calcium absorption and deposition, while reducing urinary calcium excretion.

Improved Metabolism: One of the health benefits of walnuts consumption is that it improves the metabolism in the body. They, along with EFAs, provide minerals to the body. Minerals like manganese, copper, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium are also provided by walnuts. These minerals help contribute to metabolic activities like growth and development, sperm generation, digestion, and nucleic acid synthesis.

Control of Diabetes: People suffering from diabetes can have walnuts on a regular basis without any significant weight gain, since they contain a high amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, as per research conducted by Gillen et al. (2005) at the University of Wollongong, Australia. In an article titled “The impact of nuts on diabetes and diabetes risk”, by Lovejoy (2005) it is mentioned that the intake of nuts is inversely proportional to the risk of developing type-II diabetes.

Fight Against Cancer: Some of the components present in walnuts have the capability of controlling the growth of cancer cells in the body. The phenolic compounds and antioxidants found in them recorded a control on human cancer cells, according to the research conducted by Carvalho et al. (2010) from the University of Portugal.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties: The polyphenolic compounds and phytochemical substances found in walnuts reduce the effects of inflammation in the body. This finding was a result of an experiment conducted in the Mediterranean area by Papoutsi et al. (2008).

Vitamins: Rich in gamma-tocopherol, walnuts are also a good source of vitamin E, which is a strong lipid soluble antioxidant. The vitamin E present in them helps in maintaining and protecting the skin from free radicals that are harmful in nature. They are also an important source of B-complex vitamins such as folate, niacin, riboflavin, panthothenic acid, and vitamin B-6.

Bio-Available Melatonin: Want a good night’s sleep? Eat some walnuts soaked in water before sleeping or eat a salad or any other dish using walnuts as toppings. Melatonin, a hormone that helps induce and regulate sleep, is available in walnuts in a bio-available form. Thus, walnuts help make for a perfect dinner that leads you to a great, restful sleep.

Weight Management: The amount of fat, calories, and carbohydrate content found in walnuts is about 18 grams, 190 cal, and 4 grams, respectively per 1 ounce. Therefore, it is believed that walnut consumption may result in weight gain. However, research conducted by Sabaté et al. (2005) at the Loma Linda University, California, USA have shown that walnut consumption of about 35 grams per day did not result in any significant weight gain among tested individuals over a period of 1 year.

Mood Booster: A scientific study indicates that a lack of omega-3 fatty acids (provided by walnuts) cause hyperactivity, irritability, and tantrums. Supplementing a child’s diet with walnuts compensates the deficit in EFAs and alleviates their mood. It is even applicable to adults who are battling depression and stress.

Astringent Properties: Walnut oils have significant astringent properties. Walnut oil has a rich, nutty flavor that helps bring aroma and flavor to the food. This flavor gives a pleasant taste, but only when the walnut oil is used in moderation. It is used as a carrier/base oil in various therapies like aromatherapy, massage therapy, and aromatherapy, as well as in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Walnut oils are terrific as dressings on chicken, turkey, salads, pasta, fish and steaks. The uses of walnut oils in dessert recipes help bring a nutty flavor to the dish. A 35 gram serving of walnut oil provides the same nutritional benefits as 50 grams of walnuts. They also provide significant levels of Vitamins B-1, B-2, and B-3.

How can you add walnuts into your healthy diet?

- Walnuts can be integrated into your diet to gain from all the associated health benefits. A few ways to add walnuts to your meal are as follows:

- Add shredded walnuts to chicken and fish right before cooking them.

- Ground some walnuts and use the powder on sandwiches, salads, or any other dish.

- Add chopped/shredded walnuts to desserts to add a nutty flavor to it.

- Add chopped/shredded walnuts to yogurt and berries to make a healthy dessert.

To roast walnuts, use a 70-75°c oven for 15-20 minutes. For more details visit https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-walnuts.html

Health Benefits of Celery

There are a wealth of health benefits of celery that many people are not aware of, including the fact that it is rich in vitamin C, it lowers cholesterol, prevents cancer, manages pain from arthritis, helps weight loss attempts, detoxifies the body, reduces high blood pressure, and promotes overall health in a vast number of ways.

Celery is a plant of the Apiaceae family, and is a plant, consumed as a vegetable, that can be found throughout the world, and as an integral part of certain culture’s cuisine. Its origins most likely trace back to the Mediterranean and North African areas, since what is believed to be a rudimentary variety of species of celery was found in King Tut’s tomb, and a plant closely resembling celery is reference multiple times in Mediterranean myth and history. The plant is now cultivated globally and is a part of every cuisine from America and Ireland to Japan and Australia.

For culinary use, it is most commonly found in soups and salads, or as a garnish to certain dishes. Also, it is commonly eaten as a snack, since it is quite filling, but not fattening.

Nutritional Value

Celery contains minerals such as calcium, sodium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium.  It contains fatty acids and vitamins including vitamin A, C, E, D, B6, B12 and vitamin K. It also contains thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid and fiber.

Health Benefits of Celery

Its health benefits include the following:

Reduced blood pressure: Celery contains pthalides, which are organic chemical compounds that can lower the level of stress hormones in your blood. This allows your blood vessels to expand, giving your blood more room to move, thereby reducing pressure. When blood pressure is reduced, it puts less stress on the entire cardiovascular system, and reduces the chances of developing atherosclerosis, or suffering from a heart attack or a stroke.

Reduced cholesterol: Eating celery every day may reduce artery-clogging cholesterol (called LDL or “bad” cholesterol). The phthalides in this herb also stimulates the secretion of bile juices, which works to reduce cholesterol levels. Less cholesterol means less plaque on the artery walls and a general improvement in heart health. The fiber that is found in celery also works to scrape the cholesterol out of the bloodstream and eliminate it from the body with regular bowel movements, further boosting cardiovascular health.

Antiseptic: Celery seeds help in the elimination of uric acid because it is commonly used for its diuretic properties, meaning that it stimulates urination. Therefore, celery is good for people with bladder disorders, kidney problems, cystitis, and other similar conditions. Celery seeds also assist in preventing urinary tract infections in women.

Healthy joints: Celery is great for people suffering from arthritis, rheumatism and gout.  It had anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce swelling and pain around the joints. Celery sticks also act as a diuretic, which helps to remove uric acid crystals that build up around the body’s joints that can add to the pain and discomfort of frequent joint use. It can also increase the regrowth of tissue in inflamed joints.

Prevents cancer: Celery contains phthalides, flavonoids, and polyacetylenes. These cancer-fighting components detoxify carcinogens. Celery also contains coumarins that enhance the activity of certain white blood cells, which can effectively stave off cancer as well.  These antioxidant components seek out free radicals floating in the body and damaging organs and neutralize them before they can result in the development of serious conditions like cancer.

Improved immune system: Celery is rich in vitamin C, which greatly boosts the strength of the immune system. Stimulated by the activity of other antioxidants in celery, it becomes more active and efficient. Because of the high content of vitamin C in celery, eating it regularly can reduce your risk of catching the common cold, as well as protecting you against a variety of other diseases.

Reduces Asthma Symptoms: Vitamin-C prevents free radical damage and it also has anti-inflammatory properties that lessen the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma.

Cardiovascular health: The notable presence of vitamin C, fiber, and other organic chemicals in the roots of celery promotes cardiovascular health.

Diuretic activity: Celery is rich in both sodium and potassium, and both of these minerals help to regulate the fluid balance in the body. Potassium also acts as a vasodilator, reducing blood pressure.

Relief from migraines: The presence of coumarins can provide relief from migraines. The exact mechanism isn’t completely understood, but research points to a suppression of Nitric Oxide release in the brain which can cause headaches and migraines.

Treats rheumatism: Celery extracts, which contain 85% 3nB, are effective for treating arthritis and muscular pains.

Diabetes Health: Celery leaves are also eaten for treating diabetic conditions, particularly because they are high in fiber, which has been shown to help manage diabetic symptoms.

Relief from ophthalmological diseases: Dripping celery tea drops on eyelids is good for certain ophthalmological conditions, and can improve your eye health, reduce your chances of developing cataracts, and protects you against macular degeneration.

Nerve calming properties: Celery contains high calcium and due to this it is commonly used to calm the nerves.

Weight loss: Health benefits of celery include weight management. Regular drinking of celery juice before meals may help you to reduce your weight. This is because celery is very low in calories, but it is very filling because of the fiber content. Therefore, it can help reduce the tendency to overeat and help you keep the weight down without feeling hungry all the time!

How to select and store?

It is easily available in markets all over the world. Choose the celery which is green in color, has no discoloration, has fresh and crisp leaves. Store it in refrigerator and use in 5-7 days. Make sure you do not freeze it.

Quick serving ideas

Salad: Add chopped celery leaves to vegetables or meat of your choice. Add salt and crushed pepper to the salad. For dressing, drizzle lime juice and olive oil.

Fruit salad: Mix a sliced apples, nuts such as peanuts raisins etc with chopped celery leaves in a bowl. Mix orange juice with mayonnaise and drizzle it over the mixture.

Soups: Add celery stalks  and leaves to soups, gravies etc.

Word of caution: The seeds contain volatile oils, flavonoids, coumarins and linoleic acid and are therefore not good for pregnant women because they may cause contractions in the uterus. Other than that, eat as many of those crunchy, green, and healthy stalks as you can!

To know more details visit https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-celery.html

Health Benefits of Bitter Melon

Bitter Melon, also commonly known as bitter gourd or bitter squash in some western , has a wealth of health benefits that can be derived by including it in your diet. Some of the most well-known benefits of bitter melon are its ability to help manage diabetes,  prevent and reduce symptoms of cancer, reduce the effects of hemorrhoids, improve respiratory health, improve skin health, and boost the immune system. It is also proven that bitter melon has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibiotic, anti-allergenic, antiviral, antiparasitic, and expectorant qualities. For these reasons and more, bitter melon is a staple among a number of cultural cuisines across the world.

Bitter melon is actually a member of the same family (Cucurbitaceae) as squashes, melons, and gourds, which is why it has three distinctive names, depending on where in the world you are eating this herbaceous vine. It is most commonly found in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, and its origins have been traced back to the Indian subcontinent and began to spread more than 600 years ago.

The name is well-deserved, and it is considered one of the most bitter fruits available, which does have certain culinary benefits. Ideally, the fruit is harvested before ripening, as it becomes increasingly bitter, and the fruit is long, like a cucumber, with a very warty, ridged exterior. The benefits of the fruit are found in the flesh, which has the consistency of cucumber or green pepper before ripening, when it becomes tough and extremely bitter. If the fruit allowed to ripen, a bright red pith emerges, which is also used in some cultures in their cuisine.

Health Benefits of Bitter Melon

Although the fruit can be difficult to find and the timing of harvest is important, it can be a delicious way to add another nutritious and healthy food into your diet, and the number of health benefits it has is impressive. The main, well-studied benefits are listed below:

Diabetes Treatment: Bitter melon is one of the most potent fruits for managing diabetes mellitus for a few reasons. There are significant levels of charntin, peptides that resemble insulin, and alkaloids within the fleshy fruit of bitter melon. All of these components actively affect the levels of blood sugar, namely in reducing it. It also helps to prevent unpredictable spikes and drops in insulin levels by regulating the metabolism and use of sugar that the body has consumed in food.  As a powerful hypoglycemic agent, bitter melon should not be used in conjunction with other medicines that lower blood sugar, because it can actually cause a dangerous lack of blood sugar in the body!

Hemorrhoid Relief: A number of studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory qualities present in bitter melon make it a very good salve for the uncomfortable condition of piles, also known as hemorrhoids. When you create a paste from the root of the bitter melon plant, you can apply it topically to reduce the inflammation and relieve pain and bleeding. If you drink bitter melon juice, you can also receive similar benefits, if you can handle the taste!

Immune System Health: Bitter melon is a source of many different antioxidants that make it a powerful defense mechanism against illness in the body. Antioxidants scavenge the body for free radicals, dangerous compounds released during cell metabolism that can cause any number of different illnesses. By adding bitter melon to your diet, you can greatly improve your chances of defending against very serious diseases, including heart attack, kidney damage, and liver failure; three of the many places where free radicals like to cause health issues.

Cancer Prevention: The antioxidants present in bitter melon may help to seek out and destroy free radicals that can cause diseases (including numerous forms of cancer), but that is not the only benefit the fruit has in terms of cancer. Bitter melon has been widely studied as an anti-tumor and anti-carcinogenic agent all by itself, along with its natural boost to antioxidant numbers in the body. Primarily, studies have shown positive correlations between eating bitter melon and the prevention or reduction in tumor growth for cervical, prostate, and breast cancer patients. Some of this is due to the fruit’s ability to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancerous cells. However, more studies are being done all the time to find out more about the powerful anti-cancer properties that this unassuming fruit seems to possess, and which other types of cancer patients it could benefit.

Respiratory Conditions: There have been a number of studies that showed bitter melon as a means of getting relief from respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever (rhinitis). It’s anti-histamine, suppressant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and antiviral properties make it an ideal booster for respiratory health. It is recommended to eat some bitter melon before going to bed, so the soothing effects occur while you’re sleeping!

Fungal Infections: The antifungal and antibacterial qualities of bitter melon make it ideal for fighting off various fungal infections, and also helping to rid the bloodstream of those toxins before they can do any more damage. Specifically, in terms of infections and skin health, bitter melon has been useful in treating ringworm and psoriasis. Furthermore, its anti-inflammatory qualities reduce the irritating itching associated with such skin conditions and infections. The juice extracted from the leaves can be the best salve or cure for these conditions, topically applied to the affected areas.

A Few Words of Caution: The chemicals in bitter melons are powerful health tools, but should be respected as well. Pregnant women should not consume bitter melon, because it can stimulate excess menstrual bleeding, and more research must still be done on consuming bitter melon while breast-feeding, so for now, it is best to avoid it. Also, as mentioned earlier, it acts very strongly to reduce blood sugar levels, which can become dangerous, particularly in the time leading up to and after surgical procedures.

Finally, some people are particularly sensitive to dehydrogenase deficiency, which bitter melon can cause. The symptoms of this are similar to anemia, and also include headaches, fevers, and stomach pains. This is a very powerful fruit, and it is highly recommended that you speak with your doctor or physician before adding it to your diet.

To know more details visit https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-bitter-melon.html