I Am Walnuts ... A Great Food For Thought

IN THE 16TH CENTURY, a harebrained health theory circulated widely among physicians in Europe: Foods that resembled body parts, they believed, were especially beneficial for the health of those parts.

- Kate Lowenstein and Daniel Gritzer

A firefly for night vision, red coral to help with your blood, and little old me for the most important organ of all, the powerful human brain.

It’s true that even the most unobservant of humans couldn’t miss the resemblance, with my meaty folded hemispheres tucked into a protective, skull-like shell. And in the end, misguided as their theory proved to be, those scientists got lucky about me. My plentiful poly- and monounsaturated fats, along with my enviably high level of omega-3s (I’m the only nut with significant amounts of them), really are essential for cognitive health.