California Walnuts - www.walnuts.org

Today I had the pleasure of attendeding the ‘Food for your Whole Life” conference in Manhattan. Although the esteemed panel of speakers will each be featured in my future blogs, for now, I wanted to share with you a snapshot of the pearls of wisdom that stood out.

Food and health expert Dr. Mehmet Oz gives us five reasons why a handful of walnuts a day is good for you. Plus, we offer up some of our favorite walnut-friendly recipes.

We all know that tension can wreak havoc on our eating patterns. But the right (healthy!) foods can often help tame mindless munching and cravings and, better yet, actually lower overall anxiety and its symptoms.

Scientists say walnuts reduce the size and growth rate of prostate cancer in test animals. Scientists in California are reporting that walnuts reduce the size and growth rate of prostate cancer in test animals.

A box of chocolates may be the iconic Valentine's Day gift, but if you want to let your sweetheart know how much you really care, consider a nice bag of walnuts.

I know fats can be confusing; which ones are bad and how bad are they? And which ones are good? One of the good fats is called omega-3 fat, and you're probably not getting enough of it in your diet.

Every holiday season, people ask me for healthy gift ideas. Sounds simple, but it's not. You want your healthy gifts to be perceived as thoughtful — not thoughtless. (I mean who wants to get a diet book and be reminded that you're carrying around extra pounds?)

Inflammation, normally part of a healthy immune response, is increasingly thought to play a leading role in encouraging a number of major killers, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's. Dangerous chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system stays turned on and starts attacking healthy cells and tissues—triggering, say, cancer-causing genetic mutations or the bursting of artery plaque. What you eat, though, helps determine how much inflammation you produce. Certain foods promote it, while others are inflammation-fighting superstars, says nutritionist and family physician Ann Kulze, author of Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet. Some recommendations:

The walnut is a surprisingly underrated health food. Studies show regular walnut consumption is associated with lowering bad cholesterol, raising good cholesterol and lowering risk for heart disease. In animal studies, walnuts have even been associated with slowing breast cancer growth.