As a child during the Christmas holiday, our family had whole nuts in the shell in a large bowl on the counter. There was a nutcracker and small metal picks that we used to pry the nuts from the shells. This was a tradition in our home and to this day I miss it.

Little did I know then that whole, raw walnuts would have such wonderful health benefits! Yep, walnuts! A recent study (partially funded by the California walnut industry in collaboration with Penn State) shows that eating 2-3 ounces of walnuts a day can lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and assist in weight loss. Additionally, walnuts increase good “gut” bacteria which we have been learning more about in the past few years. So grab a handful of walnuts and click the link above!