The walnut (Juglans regia) not only looks similar to the human brain, but is also extremely healthy for your brain, your heart and its performance. Just like other nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts, the walnut is rich in important nutrients and healthy fatty acids. Therefore, nuts should be an integral part of a healthy diet.
The scientific name Juglans regia means ‘real walnut’ or ‘walnut tree’. The name walnut comes from the Old German ‘welsche’ because the nut came to Germany via France and Italy.
In this blog post you will learn where the walnut (Juglas) comes from and how it grows and is harvested. We will also explain which nutrients are contained in walnuts and why they can even increase the performance of your brain. Furthermore, we will give you tips on how you can easily integrate walnuts into your diet.
Organic walnuts from Verival – discover them here
Where do walnuts come from?
Walnuts are a very old food that has been around for about 9000 years. It is thought that the walnut originally comes from Syria. Today, walnuts are grown almost everywhere in the world, including Europe. This is why the walnut is also a native nut.
How do walnuts grow?
Walnuts grow on walnut trees, which can reach up to 30 metres in height. However, it can take several years before a walnut tree bears fruit for the first time, and the walnut harvest can also vary from year to year. Walnuts do not grow on the tree in their familiar shell, but are surrounded by a green shell.
Walnuts are at their ripe stage in September. As soon as the nut is ripe, the husk bursts open and the nuts gradually fall from the husk to the ground. When harvesting larger quantities of walnuts, blowers are usually used to suck up the nuts and also remove any remaining husk.
How are walnuts actually processed?
Once the walnuts have been harvested, they must then be washed and dried. Walnuts should be dried in a dry, airy place at around 20 to 25 degrees. It is also important that the walnuts are regularly mixed during the drying process. Walnuts can be stored in a fruit box, in fine nets or in jute sacks and will keep for up to 8 months. The nuts should be stored at 10 to 15 degrees in a place with low humidity. When the walnuts are dried, they can be processed in a wide variety of products.
What nutrients do walnuts contain?
Walnuts are a real superfood because they contain many healthy nutrients. In particular, they have a very high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids, lecithin and antioxidants, which makes them particularly healthy.
Walnuts for heart and brain?
The walnut (Juglas regia) is particularly known for its high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids. Find out how fatty acids such as omega-3 help your heart and brain. In particular, walnuts contain a particularly large amount of a certain fatty acid: alpha-linolenic acid (a form of fatty acid). This fatty acid is a triple unsaturated fatty acid that the body cannot produce itself and must therefore be supplied through food. The fatty acid in walnuts protects our body from free radicals and can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Walnuts are good for you and your brain
Walnuts also contain a high amount of lecithin. The body then converts this ingredient into the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which means that walnuts can also increase the performance and concentration of your brain. They are also good for your heart.
Full of antioxidants
Walnuts also contain large amounts of antioxidants. These protect our body from free radicals and can therefore also protect you from a variety of diseases. Not only is the number of antioxidants in walnuts particularly high, but the quality of the antioxidants in walnuts is also extraordinary.
One nut – many healthy fats
Even though the walnut may not seem particularly healthy at first glance with a high fat content of 62g fat per 100g, it is, however, rich in healthy fatty acids and can even help you lose weight. If you don't get enough fat in your diet, it can lead to a weak immune system and reduced learning ability. Just a handful of walnuts a day provides you with important healthy fatty acids.
Walnuts contain these micronutrients
Not only are the macronutrients that a food contains essential and healthy, but micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins are also an important part of a healthy diet. Walnuts not only score points for their healthy fats, but also contain various important micronutrients. Magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron are particularly abundant in walnuts.
Breakfast with walnuts
It's easy to incorporate walnuts into your healthy eating plan because there are so many different options. You can use whole walnuts as a topping for your muesli, granola or porridge or simply eat them as a snack.
On the other hand, you can simply add chopped or grated walnuts to cakes, muffins, etc. when baking.
Discover Verival's organic porridges here.
Walnuts are also great in savoury dishes. They go very well with cheese, for example. They are also good as a salad topping.
Walnuts are also almost always included in nut mixes. Simply have a handful of nuts as a snack each day and you can easily benefit from the advantages of walnuts and other nuts.
As you can see, it is not difficult to incorporate walnuts into your daily diet. Simply combine walnuts with oat flakes in your porridge or muesli for a really healthy breakfast from Verival. If you need some inspiration on how to better incorporate walnuts into your diet, you can find a recipe here:
