The healthiest nut we should eat as we get older

If you're looking for a healthy snack, a handful of nuts is the perfect choice. After all, they're full of healthy fats.

And while we may enjoy cashews or almonds, new research is coming to light that shows that the healthiest choice as we age is walnuts.

During the study «Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults,» published in the scientific journal Nutrition, Metabolism, & Cardiovascular Diseases,« 3,023 participants, aged 18 to 30, were initially asked about their eating habits, then again after seven years, and then again after twenty years.

What was assumed was that they ate an average of about 20 grams of nuts every day. Participants who had completed a 30-year course underwent tests that recorded both their physical and clinical measurements.

The results showed that those who regularly ate nuts from a young age had a better diet, participated in more physical activity, and were less likely to develop heart disease as they grew older.

«Those who eat nuts appear to have a unique physical phenotype that brings with it other positive health effects, such as better diet quality, especially when it starts at an early age and continues into middle age, when the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes,» explains Lynn Steffen, professor of epidemiology and health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and lead researcher in this new study, via EurekAlert.

He adds that «the remarkable, healthy changes in overall diet suggest that nuts help people form healthy eating and lifestyle habits throughout their lives.’.

Nutritionist Selena Devries notes that, «The healthy habits we learn early in life tend to stay with us as we grow older. If we are accustomed to consuming a handful of nuts as a snack, we are likely to continue this pattern into adulthood and reap the nutritional benefits.».

He points out that «walnuts contain omega-3s, which are anti-inflammatory fats associated with better heart health outcomes.» In addition, «they provide a healthy dose of fiber, close to 2 grams, which will lead to more stable blood sugar levels, leaving us feeling full for longer.».