If you've ever looked at the nutritional values of a packet of walnuts, it's not uncommon to wonder how using these nuts to prevent weight gain in the diet.
In this post we take a closer look at the walnut. We explain why they are suitable for a diet despite their many calories, what health benefits walnuts bring and what they do inside our bodies.
the essentials in brief
- Walnuts are incredibly healthful. Cell division is supported by their abundant, polyunsaturated fatty acids. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect and have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.
- Because nuts generally keep you full for a long time, you unconsciously eat less. And although walnuts are high in calories, studies have not found a significant increase in body weight.
- Walnuts promote calorie consumption and fat burning, which, among other things, goes hand in hand with the high protein content. Because protein is known to promote muscle growth and more muscles consume more energy.
Calories from walnuts: what you should know
The calories of walnuts are very high compared to other natural foods. The question is quickly thrown into the room as to whether walnuts are therefore at all useful in the diet. Doubts can quickly arise, especially when it comes to weight loss or the health aspects of walnuts .
However, scientific studies show that the impressive number of calories should not be given so much importance. Ultimately, weight gain is almost impossible with a daily intake of 20 to 50 g of walnuts. Walnuts ensure fat burning and calorie consumption.
In addition, most of the fat in the walnut is unsaturated and therefore has an anti-inflammatory effect, has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and supports cell division.
How many calories and what nutritional values does a walnut have?
Calorie is the unit used to measure the energy in food. These are usually given in kilocalories. So 1,000 calories would equal one kilocalorie. Since it can be useful to know how many calories and which nutrients the body is supplied with, we have summarized them in a table for you:
| walnut | per 100g | 5 pieces (25 g) |
|---|---|---|
| calorific value: | 696 calories / 2,914 kJ | 174 calories / 729 kJ |
| Protein: | 15.0g | 3.91g |
| Carbohydrates: | 16.0g | 4.08g |
| of which sugars: | 3.0g | 0.85g |
| Fat: | 66.3g | 16.32g |
| hereof: saturated fatty acids: | 6.1g | 1.53g |
| of which monounsaturated fatty acids: | 8.9g | 82.21g |
| of which polyunsaturated fatty acids: | 47.0g | 12.07g |
| Salt: | 0.00g | 0.00g |
| Fiber: | 5.9g | 1.53g |
It should be noted that a walnut has a high fat content. This can be daunting when dieting. However, since these consist mainly of polyunsaturated fatty acids and thus promote fat burning and calorie consumption, this type of fat is not particularly relevant for weight loss.
How many calories are in 10 walnuts?
Using the values from the table above, the calories of any number of walnuts can be determined. You have to know that a walnut weighs about 5 g. That would mean that one walnut contains about 34.8 kcal.
Knowing this, you can determine the calorie count of any number of walnuts. For example, the way to calculate the calorie content of 10 walnuts would be: 34.8 (kcal) x 10 (walnuts) and would give a total calorie count of 348 kcal.
Before ingesting a large number of walnuts, you should check that you are not allergic to walnuts. Walnut allergies are very common around the world. (1) The best thing to do is to contact your family doctor and have yourself tested for an allergy to walnuts with the slgE, a class E antibody. (2)
Are walnuts good for weight loss?
Despite having a fat content of over 60 percent, regular consumption of walnuts during a diet can induce weight loss. However, after a study, it was found that a diet with walnuts neither accelerates nor slows down weight loss. However, a reduced total cholesterol and lipoprotein cholesterol density was noted after 6 months. This improved cardiovascular disease risk factors and resulted in a more beneficial effect on LDL-C and systolic blood pressure. (3.4)
But why can people lose weight with such a high-fat walnut as well as with a normal diet? The wonderful thing about walnuts is not only their health-promoting nutrients , but also the art of tricking the human brain into feeling full.
The walnut is multi-talented: it promotes your brain, helps against stress, makes you feel full quickly, increases fat burning and thus weight loss. (Image source: marijana1 / Pixabay)
Another useful property of walnuts is that they help burn fat. (5,6) Additionally, not all of the calories from nuts are absorbed by the body. This makes it easier for obese people in particular to eat less and thus indirectly promotes weight loss. (7)
Which Nuts Have the Lowest Calories?
The cashew nuts have the fewest calories with 553 kcal per 100 g. This is followed by peanuts with 561 kcal per 100 g and then almonds with 570 calories. In order not to exclude the walnut, this finds its place on the fifth place of the nuts with the lowest number of calories. To give you a better overview, we have summarized the most well-known nuts and their calorie content in the following table:
| nut | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Cashew | 553 calories |
| peanut | 561 calories |
| almonds | 570 calories |
| pistachios | 615 calories |
| walnut | 654 calories |
| brazil nut | 660 calories |
| hazelnut | 664 calories |
| pine nuts | 673 calories |
| macadamia | 703 calories |
| pecan | 705 calories |
As you can see, there is a calorie difference of 101 kcal between cashew nuts and walnuts at 100 g per nut type.
Which Nuts Have the Highest Calories?
As you can see in the table above, pine nuts, macadamia, and pecans are the nuts with the highest calorie content. They each contain around 700 kcal per 100 g and have a fat content of around 70 percent.
Do walnuts make you fat?
It may sound controversial that people don't actually gain weight from eating so many calories when a diet high in walnuts should provide so much more energy. But she doesn't.
The relatively high fat content of the walnut has many positive properties, as it mainly consists of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This type of fat has an anti-inflammatory effect, supports cell division and has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.
In addition, nuts generally promote fat burning and calorie expenditure, which comes with the abundance of protein. Because protein is known to promote muscle growth and more muscles consume more energy and burn it accordingly. All in all, walnuts don't necessarily make you fat. (8) Unless you would go to extremes and eat only nuts.
How many calories are in walnut kernels?
Walnut kernels have an average of 717 kcal / 3002 kJ. In order to give you a better overview of the nutritional values of a walnut kernel, we have prepared the following table for you:
| walnut kernel | per 100g |
|---|---|
| calorific value | 3002kJ |
| calories | 717 calories |
| protein | 16g |
| carbohydrates | 6g |
| Fat | 69g |
| vitamins | |
| vitamin C | 3 mg |
| Vitamin A | 0.01mg |
| minerals | |
| iron | 2.5 mg |
| zinc | 2.7 mg |
As you can see, walnuts not only have a significant number of calories, but they are not lacking in fat either. In addition, they contain healthy vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and zinc.
Conclusion
As you have read, walnuts are extremely high in calories. This can deter and therefore be excluded from a diet. However, it has been shown that walnuts induce a feeling of satiety and promote fat burning and calorie consumption. In addition, walnuts provide you with valuable nutrients.
So if you are planning a weight loss diet, it can make sense to include a handful of walnuts in it, since a diet with or without walnuts makes little difference in calorie content. When used correctly, it brings nothing but benefits.
References
- Lyons SA, Datema MR, Le TM, Asero R, Barreales L, Belohlavkova S, de Blay F, Clausen M, Dubakiene R, Fernández-Perez C, Fritsche P, Gislason D, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Jedrzejczak-Czechowicz M, Jongejan L, Kowalski ML, Kralimarkova TZ, Lidholm J, Papadopoulos NG, Pontoppidan B, Popov TA, Prado ND, Purohit A, Reig I, Seneviratne SL, Sinaniotis A, Vassilopoulou E, Versteeg SA, Vieths S, Zwinderman AH, Welsing PMJ, Mills ENC, Ballmer-Weber BK, Knulst AC, Fernández-Rivas M, Van Ree R. Walnut Allergy Across Europe: Distribution of Allergen Sensitization Patterns and Prediction of Severity. J Allergy Clinic Immunol Pract. 2021 Jan;9(1):225-235.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.08.051. Epub 2020 Sep 8. PMID: 32916320. Source
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- Guasch-Ferré M, Li J, Hu FB, Salas-Salvadó J, Tobias DK. Effects of walnut consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors: an updated meta-analysis and systematic review of controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Jul 1;108(1):174-187. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy091. PMID: 29931130; PMCID: PMC6862936. Source
- Tapsell L, Batterham M, Tan SY, Warensjö E. The effect of a calorie controlled diet containing walnuts on substrate oxidation during 8-hours in a room calorimeter. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Oct;28(5):611-7. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2009.10719793. PMID: 20439557. Source
- Ros E, Izquierdo-Pulido M, Sala-Vila A. Beneficial effects of walnut consumption on human health: role of micronutrients. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2018 Nov;21(6):498-504. doi: 10.1097/MCO.00000000000000508. PMID: 30199393. Source
- Neale EP, Tapsell LC, Martin A, Batterham MJ, Wibisono C, Probst YC. Impact of providing walnut samples in a lifestyle intervention for weight loss: a secondary analysis of the HealthTrack trial. Food Nutr Res. 2017 Jul 3;61(1):1344522. doi: 10.1080/16546628.2017.1344522. PMID: 28747865; PMCID: PMC5510231. Source
- Sabaté J, Cordero-Macintyre Z, Siapco G, Torabian S, Haddad E. Does regular walnut consumption lead to weight gain? Br J Nutr. 2005 Nov;94(5):859-64. doi: 10.1079/bjn20051567. PMID: 16277792. Source
