Black walnuts are packed with essential nutrients and phytochemicals. As part of a balanced diet, they may even help you lower high blood pressure and reduce your risk for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. If you have high blood pressure, or hypertension, ask your doctor about the steps you should take to prevent complications.
As you design a diet to lower your blood pressure, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet can help. Hypertensive individuals who follow this eating pattern may have lower blood pressure within weeks or months, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The plan suggests a certain number of servings per day or week for different food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, reduced-fat dairy products, healthy fats and lean proteins. A 2,000-calorie DASH diet includes at least four to five servings per week of seeds, beans or nuts, such as black walnuts.
Sodium
Black walnuts have only 1 mg sodium, so they can help lower your blood pressure if you eat them instead of higher-sodium foods, such as salty snacks. For example, 1 oz. of salted potato chips have more than 100 mg sodium, and there is nearly 400 mg in 1 oz. of salted pretzels. A high-sodium diet contributes to high blood pressure, and you should not have more than 1,500 mg per day if you have hypertension, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
Beneficial Nutrients
Magnesium deficiency may increase your risk for hypertension, and many Americans are at risk for inadequate intake, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Black walnuts provide 57 mg magnesium, or 14 percent of the daily value, per ounce. A high consumption of dietary fiber and potassium may help lower your blood pressure, and black walnuts have 1.9 g dietary fiber and 148 mg potassium. They also provide 1 g arginine, which is an amino acid that the University of Maryland states may treat hypertension.
Other Information
Some potential benefits of black walnuts for your blood pressure may come from their indirect effects. Individuals who eat more nuts tend to have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Nuts may also help lower your cholesterol levels, possible because of their unsaturated fats and dietary fiber. Diabetes and high cholesterol both increase your risk for hypertension. Black walnuts provide 175 calories per ounce, so eat them only in moderation to avoid unwanted weight gain.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Nuts; Victoria Drake; June 2009
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Nuts and Seed Products
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- University of Maryland; Hypertension; Steven Ehrlich; September 2008
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Magnesium; Victoria Drake; August 2007
