What happens to your body when you eat walnuts every day?

Walnuts come with many health benefits and are fit for consumption on a daily basis. Eating walnuts everyday poses little to no harm unless you have a food sensitivity, intolerance or allergy. If that is not the case, adding walnuts to your daily diet can be very beneficial, more so if you choose them as a replacement for other less nutrient-dense foods in your diet.

Eating a handful of walnuts daily can help you achieve the many benefits of this nut. You can also soak them overnight with other nuts like almonds, and break your fast in the morning with these healthy nuts. Here are some health benefits associated with regular consumption of walnuts:

Walnuts are Heart-Check Certified by the American Heart Association, meaning they meet the organization's criteria for being a "heart-healthy food." They are low in sodium, saturated fat and trans fat and contain at least 10% of the Daily Value for vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber. So, ready to keep walnuts handy?

Since walnuts are heart-healthy, they can positively impact your lipid panel, meaning they often decrease the "bad cholesterol", like LDL cholesterol in your body. A 2021 study published in Circulation found that older adults who consumed about two servings of walnuts in a day for a period of two years lowered their LDL cholesterol levels.

Research in both animal and human, reported in a 2020 study published in Nutrients showed that consuming walnuts had positive effects on memory as well as brain functioning. Eating walnuts daily may help to reduce inflammation and keep free radicals at bay, which can otherwise damage cells and may lead to Alzheimer's disease and dementia over time.

Want to feel more calm? Eat walnuts. A 2022 study published in Nutrients revealed that eating about two servings of walnuts a day for 16 weeks improved self-reported levels of stress and depression. Further, walnut consumption in this study also aided in a longer period of sleep and improved the subjects' overall mental health. Walnuts are beneficial for your mental health as these are rich in neuro-supportive compounds including melatonin, folate, vitamin E and polyphenols.

A 2023 review published in Antioxidants found that walnuts have the potential to act as a prebiotic which can improve your gut health. They do so by serving as a source of "food" for the beneficial microbes in your gastrointestinal system.

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