Eat More Walnuts for Better Health

You’ve probably heard of the Mediterranean Diet before. This lifestyle-driven eating plan received worldwide attention a few years ago, and it’s been a model for healthy eating every since.

So what happened? After about five years studying the impact of the Mediterranean Diet, researchers found eating this way was so effective at reducing the risk for heart disease, they felt it unethical to allow the control group to continue eating unhealthy foods.

There are no real surprises about what foods to eat if you want to follow the Mediterranean Diet:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Legumes
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Olive oil
• Limited amount of poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt

But there’s one we want to focus on for this article: Nuts and seeds. When was the last time you ate some walnuts? If it was a topping on some ice cream, you can do better. Walnuts work well as a snack. But they’re also great in salads, breads, and other baked goods. And there’s a long list of health reasons to eat more walnuts, like:

• Helps strengthen the heart
• Reduces the risk of certain types of cancer
• Contains antioxidants to prevent cell damage and inflammation
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Supports brain function
• Contains fiber to improve digestion

If you’re trying to improve your diet and eat healthier, replace junk food like a candy bar or bag of chips with a handful of walnuts. And look for foods and recipes that contain walnuts.

You’ll also benefit from eating other healthy foods made from fresh ingredients from our Complete Meal collection like Salmon Caponata with Orzo & Spinach, Spinach Mushroom Lasagna with Garlic Green Beans, and many others. We’ve also recently added 45 new complete-meal entrees to the menu. Pick your favorites. Microwave for just a few minutes, and enjoy.