According to the Us Food and Drug Administration, Walnuts Are a Healthy Food

FOLSOM, CA  — According to the much-anticipated announcement from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detailing a new definition for foods that can be identified or labeled as “healthy,” walnuts meet the updated definition for a “healthy” food because of the important role they play in recommended dietary patterns.1

This announcement, made in 2022 following the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, is a significant step toward ensuring that food labeling is consistent with the most recent nutrition scientific evidence and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations to assist individuals and families in developing healthy eating habits.

“The inclusion of walnuts in the new “healthy” definition confirms consumers’ opinion that walnuts are a nutritious food.* It also coincides with decades of nutrition studies demonstrating the crucial role walnuts may play in a healthy lifestyle,” said Robert Verloop, CEO of the California Walnut Commission. “It is simple. Simply adding walnuts to Americans’ regular diets could have far-reaching benefits.

The 2020-2025 DGA encourages consumers to eat nutrient-dense foods, such as nuts, including walnuts. Nearly two-thirds of Americans do not consume the recommended amount of nuts and seeds.2,3

Encouraging walnuts as a substitute for high-fat foods can assist support recommendations to replace saturated fat with unsaturated fats. is strongly advocated by the recently published 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report.4 Walnuts’ total fat content (18g) is primarily composed of polyunsaturated fats (13g/oz), including omega-3 ALA (2.5g/oz), an important fatty acid that may benefit heart health and memory.5-7 Walnuts are the only tree nut that contains an abundant supply of omega-3 ALA.8

“In my 20-plus years of practicing nutrition at a large medical school, I’ve seen fads come and go for what the public thinks is healthy. But what has always been fundamental is the importance of plant-based foods like walnuts in promoting health. Walnuts are one nut that consistently satisfies the diverse needs of patients in my clinic,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, author. “In practice, I focus on evidence-based approaches to reducing chronic disease risk, weight management, and improvements in metabolic health.”

The designation of walnuts as a “healthy” food is just one of several significant milestones in a long line of comparable recognitions. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued a regulation earlier in 2024 titled ‘Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,’ which will make it easier for schools to serve plant-protein-rich meals and snacks containing walnuts. Using components like walnuts can assist in reformulating meal favorites, making them healthier while also supporting vegetarian diets and other eating preferences. Furthermore, for the first time, states can now include walnut butter in the most recent WIC program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) package revisions.

The California Walnut Commission has financed more than 30 years of evidence-based global health and nutrition research, which has resulted in these new inclusions and acknowledgments of walnuts’ involvement in healthy eating patterns. This growing body of research has uncovered many potential benefits of incorporating walnuts into healthy dietary patterns at all ages and stages of life to maximize health and well-being, including promising studies on heart health, cognition, cancer, gut health, body weight, and reproductive health.

Walnuts are incredibly adaptable and convenient, giving nourishment to all meals and simple snacks. Please visit walnuts.org for more information on the nutritional value of California walnuts, as well as wonderful cooking ideas.

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