Walnut Oil (Cold-pressed)

Walnut Oil (Cold-pressed)

Walnut Oil (Cold-pressed)

What is it:

Walnut oil is a flavorful oil made from the nuts of the walnut tree. It’s produced by first removing the outer hull of the nuts, then cracking them open to extract the kernel inside. The kernels are then cold-pressed to extract the oil, which is then filtered to remove any impurities. The resulting oil has a delicate, nutty flavor and a light golden color. Walnut oil is often used as a finishing oil, drizzled over salads, roasted vegetables, or pasta dishes, to add a rich and nutty flavor. It’s also used in baking and cooking to add flavor and moisture to dishes.

Rating:

Walnut oil is rich in healthy fats and antioxidants. However, it is rich in polyunsaturated fats, which can become unstable when heated and form harmful compounds called free radicals, so cold-pressed walnut oil shouldn’t be used for cooking. Walnut oil is specifically a good source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that can help reduce inflammation and improve heart health. Walnuts and walnut oil have been linked to improving cardiometabolic parameters such as triglyceride levels, blood glucose levels, endothelial function, and oxidative stress.

Resources:

  1. Potential health benefits of walnuts (review)
  2. Anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects of dietary ALA (randomized, controlled, crossover study)
  3. High consumption of walnuts may be protective against breast cancer (observational study)
  4. Walnut oil has a beneficial effect on triglyceride levels (randomized, double-blind case-control study)
  5. Walnut consumption has beneficial effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels (systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials)
  6. Walnut oil reduces oxidative stress (in vitro)
  7. Walnut oil consumption improves blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics (randomized controlled trial)
  8. Walnut oil improves parameters of cardiovascular health (randomized, controlled, crossover trial)
  9. Walnut oil has beneficial effect on endothelial function (randomized, controlled, crossover trial)

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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