Today we will talk about such an interesting fruit as a walnut. We will tell you about what it brings to our body, and if there are any warnings in use. There are millions of excellent recipes known in the modern world. Each country has its own national dishes, its own taste. The most experienced chefs of our time know the secrets of gourmet cuisine, they know that the taste of many seemingly ordinary dishes can be transformed by adding just a few drops of nut butter. Such oil is such a unique product that it can be used in the preparation of vegetable or fruit salads, in fish dishes, the most delicious and sophisticated desserts, as well as sauces and pastas.
Everyone knows well about the walnut, it is grown in estates, in gardens, it can grow in forests or along the side of the road. The height of the plant reaches an average of 25 m, but it can also be undersized - 10 m or very high up to 40 m. Walnut is a fruit and long-term plant with round or elongated fruits. Pollination of this tree occurs with the help of the wind, and not by bees, like most plants. If your walnut tree has grown from seeds, then you should expect fruits from it no earlier than 10 years later.
The fruits of the walnut tree are false drupes, inside of which there is a seed in a thin skin. If the fruit is only plucked from the tree, then at first the seeds will be bitter due to the skin itself, it must be removed before use. But after 3-4 months and keeping the fruits in a dry place, the bitterness disappears, because the peel dries out. When the nuts are dry, so that the bitterness disappears, they give in to the press, and the oil that is obtained from this is a useful, nutritious and vitamin-enriched mineral. It also has a beautiful amber-greenish tint and a very pleasant not only smell, but also taste.
Properties and uses of nut oil
The use of walnut oil in medicine
- Helps lower cholesterol, which is especially helpful in atherosclerosis.
- In the treatment of arthritis, walnut oil acts as an anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent.
- You can also use this oil for burns. It has a wound healing effect on dermatitis, burns and skin ulcers, and even has a regenerating effect on eczema and psoriasis.
- Also, nut oil can act on the body as a laxative or antihelminthic agent.
- Also, the beneficial properties of this oil lie in sugar reduction, which is very important for people who suffer from diabetes or obesity.
- If a person suffers from frequent bronchitis, asthma, or tuberculosis, they can use nut butter. The use of walnuts or, better, their oil, greatly facilitates the liquefaction of phlegm, and, accordingly, accelerates and facilitates its discharge.
- Walnut oil while carrying a baby helps to alleviate toxicosis, and also provides normal conditions for the development of the fetus.
- Also, nut oil strengthens the immune system, helps the body resist various viral diseases.
- Antioxidant effect is another excellent property of this fruit.
- Also, nut oil has aphrodisiac properties. It can significantly improve the processes of metabolism and digestion.
The use of walnut oil in cosmetology
- Excellent effects of walnut oil on the face. First of all, it softens and enriches the skin with moisture, tones and rejuvenates it. It also significantly improves the elasticity and complexion, which is very important for aging and aging skin.
- If you suffer from capillary networks, especially on the face, walnut oil can eliminate it;
- In most cases, this oil is suitable for dry skin, either mixed with other oils or on its own. It just needs to be applied to clean skin, preferably at night;
- Walnut hair and oil. Just a few drops of nut tree oil helps not only strengthen and restore hair, it gives them life, shine and stimulates their growth;
- If you love to sunbathe, then you simply cannot do without this "miracle remedy", which can protect the skin from burning, and make the tan even, natural and very beautiful.
In addition to all of the above, walnut oil is very easily absorbed, does not clog pores, moisturizes and softens the skin anywhere on the skin. It is an ideal remedy for rough skin of the feet and for delamination of nails.
Cooking and walnut oil
This oil is able to give an original taste to almost all salads, including both meat and fruit. The only thing to consider is that this oil is used only as a dressing. It must be remembered that when cooking or frying, nut butter changes its taste properties and not for the better. Because of this, most culinary experts advise using it only in cold sauces or dishes. The simplest and most nutritious salads are those made from fresh vegetables, which must be cut and just add 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter to them. A rather heavy food for our stomach is meat dishes, but the addition of nut oil to them not only improves its taste, but also improves digestion.
This oil is ideal for baking, especially if you want to achieve airiness and better taste. To achieve all this, you need to add a few tablespoons of this oil to the dough before cooking.
Remember a simple rule, all fish and meat dishes are greased with nut butter just before cooking. But you can consider the options for this oil in a "culinary masterpiece" and after the readiness of cooking, but already under the guise of cold sauce or pasta. It is a little known fact that walnut oil is widely used in many Asian and Oriental cuisines. For example, in the preparation of a shish kebab or lula kebab, nut butter is the "secret ingredient."
Walnut oil is recommended not only by cosmetologists, healers, but also by medical workers. After all, such oil is not only perfectly absorbed by the body, but also enriches it:
- Fatty acids. They are essential in the body to maintain the strength of internal structures and cell walls. Also, nut oil contributes to the formation of active substances in the body, various hormones and energy. With him, not only the digestive system, but also the cardiovascular and reproductive systems will work much more efficiently. In addition to the above, nut oil helps to improve the organs of vision, hair, skin, nails.
- Minerals such as calcium, iodine, iron, zinc, cobalt and copper. Minerals in the body improve the condition of muscles, immunity, mucous membranes, thyroid gland and kidneys.
- Antioxidants - substances that not only help to improve the condition of the body as a whole, but also prevent aging and help in the fight against cancerous tumors.
How to make peanut butter at home?
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that you will be able to buy nut butter in a store or the nearest grocery store, since it is quite rare, due to the fact that its price is not cheap. This was the reason why many housewives began to wonder whether it is possible to make butter from nuts at home. Of course, you can, if you try very hard, but it will be a heavy press. And so, we grind the nut grains, the smaller the pieces are, the easier it will be for the press to squeeze oil out of them. The end result should be a smooth, brown paste. We take this paste into cheesecloth, folded several times, put it under a press for several hours so that it squeezes out the maximum amount of oil from it. Pour the finished oil into a clean and dry container, store it in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 months.
Unfortunately, almost all products have not only benefits, but also harm. Our nut butter is no exception.
The harm of nut butter
- Allergic product. If the body has an intolerance to foods such as nuts, you must be extremely careful with them, because allergies can be fatal. Anaphylactic shock is what peanut butter can cause, even just smelling it or shaking hands with someone who has dealt with nuts.
- Walnut oil is contraindicated for people who experience problems with stones in the gallbladder or biliary tract.
- If a person suffers from acid-dependent diseases (peptic ulcer, gastritis, reflex disease), nut oil is also contraindicated for him, since he has the ability to increase stomach acid.
- The presence of amines and salicylates in almond and nut oils can provoke spastic contraction of muscle fibers, for example, in the intestine, which will certainly cause intestinal colic.
- And the fact is very important that all the beneficial substances of nut butter or any other, except peanut butter, are destroyed during roasting. Therefore, consider this when preparing dishes and adding this ingredient to them.
Contraindications to the use of walnut oil
We cannot say that there are very good reasons for giving up nut butter. The main thing is that you should not use it in large volumes for people who have such diseases as:
- Stomach or duodenal ulcer.
- Gastritis, especially if there is low acidity.
- Liver disease.
- While carrying a baby, women are allowed to take walnut oil, but there are times when this cannot be done. It is for this reason that a pregnant girl should always and everywhere consult her doctor.
- The main contraindication concerns people with individual sensitivity and intolerance to walnuts.
Now you know a lot about walnut oil, you can safely start using it, both in the kitchen and in the bathroom, and even in the treatment of some ailments. Just remember a simple rule, always and in everything you need to know when to stop.
You will learn more about the benefits and dangers of walnut oil from this video: