Food Item of the Week: Walnuts

Walnuts can decrease heart disease and diabetes risk photo: BrokenSphere

Sometimes it’s easiest to modify your diet by trying one new thing.  This week, add some walnuts to your menu.  Why?  A Yale University study, published in Diabetes Care, found that daily walnut consumption improves blood vessel function.  It decreases risk of heart disease and diabetes.

These findings, of course, are in addition to the benefits we already know about: walnuts are a good source of fiber, protein, antioxidants, vitamins and omega 3’s.

Here’s some easy inspiration (Ladies, it doesn’t get any easier than this):

1. Chop and add to a salad, or soup
2. Heap on top of your morning oatmeal
3. Make brown rice interesting: add chopped walnuts, blue cheese, and chopped sun dried tomatoes
4. Saute green beans and add chopped walnuts
5. Top on chicken breasts, with grated pecorino romano, herbs de provence, salt and pepper.  Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
6. Use as a topping for ice cream
7. Make a banana boat: split banana and dot with dark chocolate and walnuts.  Bake until chocolate melts.  Spoon vanilla yogurt over it.
8. Mix with your favorite yogurt
9. Enjoy the nutty flavor walnuts bring to fall baking.  Add them to your apple pie.  Mix in with your apple crisp.  Add them to banana bread and pumpkin bread.  Mix in with your favorite cookie recipe.
10. Make a trail mix.  Mix walnuts, dried cherries, craisins, dark chocolate chips in a bowl.  Make easy “on the go” bags filled with the mix that you can grab for a snack.