Ways to Incorporate Walnuts in Your Diet

Walnuts are a personal favorite of mine. I grew up with a huge walnut tree (and a few smaller ones) in my grandparents' garden. That tree was our "home" when my brothers and I were there, we set up camp in the mighty branches on top of it. We played house in there and we played Tarzan in there. But mostly, we enjoyed picking the walnuts off when they were ripe. Well, maybe picking is the wrong term. To get the walnut when it's ripe, you need to wait until it falls, and hopefully the outer protective green layer dries off. But we liked them green, too. Green walnuts are tastier than those ripe (is that really the right term for walnuts?). The only problem with that is that while stripping them from the green layer, our hands got absolutely black and there was nothing that could take that stain off. It was a small price to be paid for the amazing taste of the freshly peeled white flesh of the nut. We wore the black fingers with pride, since all the kids in school recognized the signs of someone who had the privilege to pick fresh walnuts.

Since they was so easily accessible and my mother, who was a dietician, was convinced of their benefits, we grew up eating a lot of walnuts. Snacking on walnuts was a given, but we also incorporated them in meals and desserts. Like a lot of Hungarians, we ate grated walnuts sprinkled on pasta, as a meal. That was one of my all-time favorite meal.

My favorite way to eat them is by incorporating them in baking, as a dessert. I enjoy baking and my favorite recipes include walnuts.

The term "superfood" is usually referred to food that can ward off just about any disease. They lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and even act as mood enhancers.

Walnuts have an unusual form of Vitamin E, called gamma-tocopherol, which is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health and protection from heart problems. They contain ellagic acid, and antioxidant that is thought to fight cancer by protecting healthy cells from harmful free radicals, detoxifying potential cancer-causing substances and preventing cancer cells from multiplying. Walnuts are high in fat, but it is unsaturated fat, that includes protective linoleic and alpha-linoleic fatty acids that lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and it is thought to reduce the severity of psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. Walnuts are also high in iron, selenium and zinc.

Walnuts are not the only superfoods, some others are:

• blueberries
• oranges
• tomatoes
• broccoli
• spinach
• beans
• oats
• salmon
• tea

In recent years, it has been widely known that walnuts, (and nuts in general) are linked to optimal brain function, especially memory performance. Maybe that’s why my grandmother, at 98 years old, still had a perfect memory, still recognizes all of us, even her great-grandchildren, though she only used to see them once every few years. She had been eating walnuts her whole life since she had walnut trees in her garden. Maybe my walnut-eating habits are helping me remember algebra from my 7th-grade years (30+ years and I haven’t used it since).

All joke aside, it really has been proven that walnuts contain choline, that has a major effect on memory function and learning performance by helping us concentrate and retain what we have learned. The way it works, this choline manufactures acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter which sharpens our ability to concentrate, and to retain what we have learned. Because of this, some research suggests that It might prevent Alzheimer's disease, which is linked to a lack of acetylcholine.

Choline is also found in liver, egg yolk, cheese, oatmeal, and soybeans.

• Walnuts are one of the best snacks to have around. Just eat a handful any time.
• Add ground walnuts to your favorite cereal or oatmeal in the morning.
• Top your pasta with ground walnuts. This is a Hungarian tradition, an easy child-pleasing, yet nutrition meal, adding protein to the carbs that they always ask for.
• Use walnuts in baking, substituting all or part of the flour.
• Use walnuts to make granola.
• Use them to make a trail mix, adding them to your favorite dried fruits.

If you look at a Hungarian cookbook, in the desert section there are a lot of pastries, and other deserts that have walnuts as the a main ingredient. Some even replace flour altogether with ground walnuts. We make walnut cakes, walnut filled breads, chocolate-covered walnut balls and other deserts with this basic ingredient.

A variation of the above cake for those who don't really need the chocolate, is to simply bake the cake without adding the cocoa, and instead of the chocolate glaze, top with a lemon glaze:

Mix 30 dkg sugar with the zest of 1/2 lemon and 2 tbsp water. Mix it for about 15 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and has a consistency that makes it possible to pour it on the cake (but make sure it's not too watery).

After pouring either the chocolate or the lemon glaze over the cake, you can sprinkle it with more ground walnuts.

For a healthier version, substitute butter with coconut oil. You need to use 1/3 less coconut oil than butter.

This is just one recipe that uses walnuts as a substitute for flour. I have used the traditional Hungarian recipe here and presented a few variations.

Of course, nothing beats just snacking on walnuts. I always have them handy when we travel, it is a fast and easy snack for adults and kids alike. it comes in handy on trails, when we hike, or even plane rides when the food they serve isn't quite enough or the kids want something else.

• Homemade trail mix: I just fill a snack size zip lock bag with a combination of walnuts, almonds and dried cranberries. Sometimes instead of cranberries or in addition to it, I add raisins, coconut, dried mangoes, dried blueberries, or whatever I have in the house.
• Homemade walnut-based granola bars: I haven't quite written down a recipe for this, so use your own judgement. Ingredients: ground, or chopped walnuts, oats, honey (or agave sweetener), dried cranberries. Mix them until they all stick together. Fill a shallow pan with the mix, and bake on very low setting until slightly browned. Cut into pieces and enjoy.

No matter how you eat them, you can't go wrong with walnuts.