experiencelifemag.com Print › | Back › Walnuts These crunchy, earthy treats boost brainpower and help keep your heart healthy. By Cary Neff December 2008 Food Basics Nutritional Know-How Eat Up! Kitchen Tricks Walnuts have long been thought of as “brain food” because of their crinkly, brainlike appearance. These delicious nuts also have been used to heal emotions because of their resemblance to the heart. Today, research tells us that both of these beliefs are true! Food Basics Grown in temperate climates since 7,000 BC, walnuts come from the world’s oldest food trees. Their wrinkled kernels are off-white with a thin brown skin. The skin is completely edible, but it does have a slightly bitter flavor. The common walnut (also called English or Persian) is the most widely available and has a pleasant, savory flavor and smooth, buttery consistency. Black walnuts, which have a stronger, more distinctive taste, primarily come from wild trees in Missouri. When purchasing shelled walnuts, select those that are firm, plump and crisp, and without cracks and holes.     Nutritional Know-How Walnuts contain 15 percent protein and 64 percent fat, all of it healthy. Unlike the oil of most other nuts, walnut oil is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential for good functioning of the brain and the immune and cardiovascular systems. Omega-3s have also proven effective at warding off depression, protecting bone health and serving as an anti-inflammatory, helping those with conditions like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis. One quarter-cup serving of walnuts provides about 90 percent of your body’s daily requirement for omega-3s. Walnuts also offer a powerful dose of other nutrients that help support heart health: antioxidant-rich phenolic compounds like vitamin E, folic acid and healthful monounsaturated fat. Eat Up! Whole, raw walnuts are healthiest, but they can also be toasted, pressed for oil, crushed for sauces or pastes, or used to create nut milk.   Add walnut pieces to smoothies to create a tasty, nutty treat that’s great for breakfast, lunch or snacks. Use whole or chopped on salads, pastas or breakfast cereals. Substitute walnuts in pesto recipes calling for pine nuts. Chop walnuts finely for crusting poultry or fish before sautéing or baking. Kitchen Tricks Shelled walnuts should be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated or frozen. In the fridge, they’ll last for two to three months; in the freezer, up to one year. Store walnuts in the shell in a cool, dry place for up to three months. Toasting walnuts intensifies their nutty flavor. To toast shelled walnuts, lay them flat on a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 160 to 170 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes (at higher temperatures, walnuts lose antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids). Unfortunately, toasting walnuts also increases the bitterness of the skin. So, after toasting, it’s best to remove the skin so you can enjoy the walnut’s clean, rich flavor without any trace of bitterness. Place warm walnuts in a towel and gently rub for about two minutes. Then put the nuts in a colander or sieve and shake away the loose skin. Crush walnuts by placing them between parchment or wax paper and putting pressure on them with a heavy object, like the bottom of a small sauté pan. Chef Cary Neff is the president of the consulting firm Culinary Innovations and the author of the New York Times bestseller Conscious Cuisine (Sourcebooks, 2002). For details on how to prepare Walnut Pesto, Pear Salad With Pear Walnut Vinaigrette, and Bulgur Wheat, Walnut and Raspberry Salad, see Web Extras! at the top right of this page..

Walnuts

These crunchy, earthy treats boost brainpower and help keep your heart healthy.

Food Basics
Nutritional Know-How
Eat Up!
Kitchen Tricks

Walnuts have long been thought of as “brain food” because of their crinkly, brainlike appearance. These delicious nuts also have been used to heal emotions because of their resemblance to the heart. Today, research tells us that both of these beliefs are true!

Food Basics (Back to Top)
Grown in temperate climates since 7,000 BC, walnuts come from the world’s oldest food trees. Their wrinkled kernels are off-white with a thin brown skin. The skin is completely edible, but it does have a slightly bitter flavor. The common walnut (also called English or Persian) is the most widely available and has a pleasant, savory flavor and smooth, buttery consistency. Black walnuts, which have a stronger, more distinctive taste, primarily come from wild trees in Missouri. When purchasing shelled walnuts, select those that are firm, plump and crisp, and without cracks and holes.    

Nutritional Know-How (Back to Top)
Walnuts contain 15 percent protein and 64 percent fat, all of it healthy. Unlike the oil of most other nuts, walnut oil is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential for good functioning of the brain and the immune and cardiovascular systems. Omega-3s have also proven effective at warding off depression, protecting bone health and serving as an anti-inflammatory, helping those with conditions like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis. One quarter-cup serving of walnuts provides about 90 percent of your body’s daily requirement for omega-3s. Walnuts also offer a powerful dose of other nutrients that help support heart health: antioxidant-rich phenolic compounds like vitamin E, folic acid and healthful monounsaturated fat.

Eat Up! (Back to Top)
Whole, raw walnuts are healthiest, but they can also be toasted, pressed for oil, crushed for sauces or pastes, or used to create nut milk.  

• Add walnut pieces to smoothies to create a tasty, nutty treat that’s great for breakfast, lunch or snacks. Use whole or chopped on salads, pastas or breakfast cereals.
• Substitute walnuts in pesto recipes calling for pine nuts. Chop walnuts finely for crusting poultry or fish before sautéing or baking.

Kitchen Tricks (Back to Top)

• Shelled walnuts should be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated or frozen. In the fridge, they’ll last for two to three months; in the freezer, up to one year. Store walnuts in the shell in a cool, dry place for up to three months.
• Toasting walnuts intensifies their nutty flavor. To toast shelled walnuts, lay them flat on a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 160 to 170 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes (at higher temperatures, walnuts lose antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids). Unfortunately, toasting walnuts also increases the bitterness of the skin. So, after toasting, it’s best to remove the skin so you can enjoy the walnut’s clean, rich flavor without any trace of bitterness. Place warm walnuts in a towel and gently rub for about two minutes. Then put the nuts in a colander or sieve and shake away the loose skin.
• Crush walnuts by placing them between parchment or wax paper and putting pressure on them with a heavy object, like the bottom of a small sauté pan.

Chef Cary Neff is the president of the consulting firm Culinary Innovations and the author of the New York Times bestseller Conscious Cuisine (Sourcebooks, 2002).

For details on how to prepare Walnut Pesto, Pear Salad With Pear Walnut Vinaigrette, and Bulgur Wheat, Walnut and Raspberry Salad, see Web Extras! at the top right of this page..

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