If you are looking for a good way to boost your mental health, look no further than the humble walnut.
A recent study found that consuming walnuts improved mental and emotional
health. In addition, sleep quality improved as well as other metabolic indicators. Walnuts are packed with Omega-3 oils in the form of alpha-linolenic acid, as well as vitamins B6, E and minerals. In addition, eating walnuts during stressful times helped to restore the good gut bacteria, especially in women.
Researchers enlisted eighty first-year college students who were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a control group and were then evaluated clinically at the start of a 13-week semester, once at exam time and then once after finals. The treated group got walnuts to eat once a day for 16 weeks across the time periods. At the end of the study, those in the control group reported higher levels of stress and depression in the weeks before examination. The students who were in the treatment group noted a dramatic reduction in symptoms of depression than their control counterparts.
So the next time you reach for a snack, grab a handful of crunchy walnuts and give your brain a boost.
