Walnuts: A Super-Naturally Brain Food
Did you know that walnuts are your brain’s best friend?
As we age, our mind’s sharpness declines, and the truth is… we hoped there was a magic pill that could prevent it from happening, but there isn’t. Healthcare professionals highlight that the key is to have a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating nutritious foods like fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, seeds, and nuts.
One of Naturally Chicago’s favorite brain-boosting foods is WALNUTS!
Walnuts, besides providing nutrients and energy, are full of healthy fats, antioxidants, and minerals, and are one of the healthiest nuts around.
These Mediterranean nuts, known as a “brain food”, have a positive impact on our brain’s health due to their rich content of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals (fancy name for compounds found in plants that contribute to their color, taste, smell, and have potential health benefits). Some of these benefits include improving the communication between neurons and the production of new ones. A study made in young college students shows that eating a half cup of walnuts daily for 8 weeks improved their cognitive function, especially in their inferential reasoning.
It isn’t a coincidence that this nut is shaped like a human brain!
Walnuts are also rich in other nutrients such as vitamin E, folate, melatonin, and omega-3 linolenic acid, which result in more health benefits like supporting our immune system, improving our skin, and sleep, increasing our blood vessel function, which allows more oxygen in our cells, and promoting our gut health.
So you don’t want to miss out on all these health benefits, we recommend you include walnuts as part of your diet. You can either eat them as a snack with your favorite fruit, toss them in your lunch salad, or add them to your favorite banana bread recipe. If you don’t have one, no worries at all, the one we are sharing will become your to-go dessert!
CHOCO-BANANA WALNUT BREAD
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup of old fashioned rolled oats (trimmed)
2-3 medium bananas (ripe and mashed)
1/3 cup of honey
½ cup of coconut oil (melted)
¼ cup of Lifeway’s Organic Natural Skyr
2 eggs
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup of walnuts
½ cup of unsweetened dark chocolate chips
(recipe development and photograph by me)
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix all the dry products; Crave Calm Oats, trimmed oats, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
3. In a larger bowl, beat eggs, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and yogurt. Add bananas, dry ingredients mixture, walnuts and chocolate chips.
4. Pour the batter into a 9x5 inch greased pan, sprinkle some cinnamon.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Enjoy a slice of this delicious choco-banana walnut bread with your morning coffee or as an afternoon snack while improving your health overall.
Let us know in the comments below if you liked our banana bread version.
And don’t forget to check out one of our partner’s products used in our recipe.
