Benefits of Walnuts
The health benefits of walnuts are plentiful so most people should be including them as snacks in their diet. To fully appreciate them however, it helps to understand a little about this. You can find some interesting facts about them below.
What are Walnuts
Walnuts are the edible fruits from a walnut tree. When they are harvested they are protected by a hard shell and a leathery skin which are sometimes removed as part of the harvesting process. There are three main types of walnut trees which have varying degree's of nutrients in them. The English walnut is the most commonly found one across North America and Europe, although it originated from India.
History of Walnuts
Walnut tree's have been grown for thousands of years and it is beleived that the Romans were responsible for introducing them to mainland Europe in the 4th Century AD. After this, English merchant ships are thought to have continued the spread across to North America. They have many uses aside from being eaten which includes Oils, Dye and Medicines.
Walnut production
Walnuts are produced in various countries worldwide. At the moment, China is the largest producer with approximately 360,000 tonnes per year. The United States is second with just under 300,000 although most of these are grown in California. The 3rd and 4th largest producers do not come near to this and combined produce less than the U.S does annually.
Nutritional value, per 25g;- Calories: 163
- Protein: 3.81g
- Carbs: 3.43g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.68g
- Total Fat (*): 16.3g
- Saturated fat:1.53g
You can find out more about the health benefits of walnuts on the next pages
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