Walnut inclusions continue to star in health-forward formulations
28 Feb 2023 | California Walnuts
Walnuts are 60% polyunsaturated good fats while being the only tree nut that is a source of plant-based omega 3. Pam Graviet, senior marketing director at California Walnuts, shares insights on their starring role in recipes. Compared to other tree nuts, their soft and meaty texture continues to deliver functionality and appeal in plant-forward formulations such as meatless burgers, taco meat and pizza toppings.
This is Benjamin Ferreira on the show floor of Gulf Food 2023 in Dubai, and I am joined here today by Pam Gravit, and she is the senior marketing director at California Walnuts.
Hi Pam.
Hi, how are you?
Good, thanks.
Good.
So can you tell me how do walnuts fit into the plant-based eating movement that's happening globally right now?
You know, walnuts are.
Kind of one of these unique products that have been around for 7000 years that people have been eating and it's one of those go to items that you want for plant-based eating.
They're crunchy, they're healthy, they have good fats.
They also have a lot of different nutrients, very nutrient dense.
And what are the unique attributes that walnuts deliver in plant foreign foods?
Yeah, so one of the things is fats.
So you know a lot of people here, I shouldn't have fat, but you need good fats for your skin, your hair, your organs, your muscles.
And so walnuts are 60% polyunsaturated fats, which are the fats that you want to eat that are really good for you.
But what's really unique.
They're the only tree nut that is a source of plant-based omega 3, so most people either eat fish or they take supplements for omega 3, but you can get it from walnuts.
And how are walnuts unique compared to other products?
So if you look at all the different nuts that are available, tree nuts in particular, walnuts have this really soft.
Meaty texture that you know when you first bard it, it's crunchy, but then it's very soft and chewy and creamy, so it has this wonderful mouthfeel and you feel really satisfied by how the flavor is, by how the texture is and you've already mentioned that walnuts are nutrient dense.
Do you have any other key nutritional benefits that they bring aside from omegas like you mentioned?
Absolutely.
So you know, generally we look at walnuts, so it's about a handful, which is maybe 7 whole walnuts.
So in that it's a 1 ounce serving.
So you get 4 g of protein, 2 g of fiber.
You also get magnesium, and you also get a lot of antioxidants, and what that's good for is it helps with your immune system.
It helps with sleep.
Helps with digestion.
It also acts as a prebiotic, so a lot of people take probiotics.
It's like after the fact, I want to have a healthy gut.
Walnuts are one of those things that help your natural bacteria, other things in your stomach that you want to stay healthy so that overall you have better health and wellness.
And what are some exciting product innovations that you're showcasing here today?
Oh, so for snacking we see a lot of seasoned walnuts, so it could be sweet with cinnamon or sugar or honey.
We also see it's savory, so you see barbecue, sounds crazy, corn soup, wasabi, so some really exciting different flavors in different countries.
When it comes to plant-based cuisine, we're seeing walnut-based hamburgers.
Based taco meat, walnut-based topping on pizzas.
Also, if you think of samosas in India, they're meat-filled little hand pies.
So you mix walnuts with either mushrooms or lentils or beans, and it's this really satisfying new kind of taste sensation of a familiar food.
So we're seeing that in restaurants.
We're seeing it in takeaway food.
And we're also seeing some frozen meals as.
A lot of dynamic things happening with walnuts.
Oh, absolutely.
Thank you very much, Pam.
You're welcome.
