Yes! It’s that time of the year again when the African walnuts are seen everywhere in the market. For those who love this nut, I’ve got something interesting to let you know about it and for those who don’t like it, maybe this article would give you a reason to try it out tonight!
The African walnut (king of nuts) is mostly found in Nigeria and some other parts of Africa. In the Western part of Nigeria, it is known as “ASALA” while in the Southern part, it is called “UKPA”. It is one of the well packaged nuts that Mother Nature has blessed us with! But guess what? Most people consume it without knowing why and exactly how much they need per serving!
Let’s See Why You Need This Special Nut!
The African walnut has been noted for its remarkable benefits to human health and proven to be an excellent source of essential minerals, vitamins, fiber and phytonutrients needed for healthy functioning of the human body. Let’s see some examples.
Heart Diseases Such As Hypertension And Heart Attack: Have you heard of L-arginine before? It’s very vital for those suffering from hypertension and other heart diseases! And guess what? African walnuts have loads of it!
Sperm Production And Infertility In Men: This special nut is also known to boost sperm production, sperm health, sperm development and sperm count. For instance, taking a serving of this nut for over 8 weeks has been shown to boost men’s fertility. This is mind-blowing!!!
Weight Loss Crew: To shed off that excess body weight, belly fat and reduce body cholesterol, the African walnut is a top choice snack for you. But know that you must stick to the serving size because they are quite high in calories.
Sleep Disorders: For those having disturbed sleep especially at night, taking this special nut before bedtime might be that magic pill you need because it increases your melatonin which acts on your brain and signal your body to give you a sound sleep.
Irregular Menstrual Flow And Ovulation Problems: African walnuts are rich in omega 3 Fatty acids which aid to regulate hormone levels and manage menstrual cramps (pains). Its high iron content (14%DV per serving) is vital to replenish blood and energy supplies while menstruating.
Diabetes: African walnut is a healthy snack to help reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes.
Cognitive (Brain) Functioning: the healthy fats and pyridoxine in African walnuts are key facilitators to improving cognitive function. Growing kids should tap from this benefit as well!
Anaemia And Immune System: With the high antioxidant and iron content of African walnut, you are sure to ward off infections, anaemia and even eye related problems by just consuming a serving of this nut daily!
Cancer: African walnuts have been shown to play a vital role in reducing the risks of prostate and breast cancer in humans.
Now How Much Should You Eat? What Is A Serving Of This Nut?
To obtain maximum benefit from African walnuts, you must learn to stick to the serving size as overdoing it might not bring desired results especially for the watch watchers…yeah!
A serving size is about 30g = 7 whole piece or 14 halves of shelled African walnuts!
Nutrient breakdown of a serving size (7 shelled walnuts) is:
Calories 189.9kcal
Total fat 18g
Carbohydrate 3g
Protein 7g
Fiber 2g (9% DV for a 2000kcal/day)
Sodium 0mg (now you see why it’s perfect for hypertension)
Iron 1.1mg (14%DV; good for anaemia )
Now you see all you stand to gain by taking just 7 walnuts! As long as you stick to this serving per day, you need not worry about the “Forgivable fats” in this walnut…yes they are forgivable fats because they are good fats that help reduce cholesterol levels!
How Can I Take My Walnuts?
Yes, I know most people are used to the boiled walnut as a snack, but other super ways of enjoying this nut include;
• Chopping it into your salad dishes
• Blending it into your fruit smoothies
• Have you tried taking it with soaked garri (like you do with groundnuts)?
• It can be roasted too just like we have roasted groundnut…yeah!
• Using it in soups. Just boil, shell and mill it into a paste then use for cooking (just like the recipe you use for your yummy egusi soup)
