What Happens to Your Body When You Eat a Handful of Walnuts Every Day

If you’ve seen the hype about eating two dates a day for better health, consider adding walnuts to your routine for an extra boost.

Eating a handful of walnuts every day may support brain health, protect your heart, help you sleep, and may even prevent cancer. Some experts go so far as to say that walnuts are the most nutrient-dense nut. Here are all the reasons you should eat walnuts every day.

1. You’ll Protect Your Heart Health

“Walnuts are actually the one nut that is really high in omega-3s, so they are good for cardiovascular health,” Fotini Dimopoulos, RD, a dietitian at Mount Sinai Hospital, told Verywell.

It’s also worth noting that walnuts are part of the Mediterranean Diet, which is optimized for heart health.

Omega-3s help protect your heart and prevent stroke, and they’re especially beneficial for people living with heart disease. Your body doesn’t make omega-3s on its own, so you have to get enough through your diet.

2. You’ll Get Protein and Fiber

Your body needs protein and fiber to function optimally, and walnuts are a great source of both, Dimopoulos said. Just one ounce of walnuts contains 4.32 grams of protein and 1.9 grams of fiber.

A recent study in the journal Nutrients found that if Americans who don’t usually consume nuts add just one ounce of walnuts to their diet each day, they’ll likely see improved “diet quality and adequacy of some under-consumed nutrients.”

3. You’ll Get Brain Health Support

Though walnuts are a good choice at any time of the day, adding them to your breakfast may promote better cognition.

A small study recently published in Food & Function found that people who ate walnuts in the morning reacted quicker to executive function tasks throughout the day than those who didn’t eat walnuts in the morning.

They also had better memory recall performance six hours after eating the walnuts, compared to those who didn’t eat them. Dimopoulos said antioxidants in walnuts are thought to promote brain health.

4. You Might Sleep Better

Walnuts contain natural melatonin, which helps your body recognize that it’s time to wind down and go to bed, Julia Zumpano, RD, a dietitian at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition, told Verywell.

A 2017 paper in Nutrients found that eating foods rich in melatonin could help reduce insomnia.

5. You May Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Walnuts are often recommended as a way to lower the risk of chronic diseases, and experts said they may play a role in reducing cancer risk in some people.

Research has shown that walnuts are associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer, reduced risk of colorectal cancer, and reduced growth of breast cancer tumors.

That said, including walnuts in your diet won’t eliminate cancer risk, and specific foods shouldn’t be used instead of approved medications to treat cancer.

How to Get More Walnuts Into Your Diet

If eating a handful of raw walnuts is unappetizing, there are countless ways to add walnuts to your diet—from topping salads and oatmeal, blending them in a smoothie, or sprinkling a bit of garlic and roasting them for a healthy snack, said Zumpano.

Rather than a miracle food, think of walnuts as one way to help your body get the nutrients it needs. Snacking on them throughout the day can help you stay full and keep your digestion on track. Other potential health benefits are just a bonus.