Last week I attended the Food for Your Whole Life health symposium held in New York City and sponsored by California Walnuts. The symposium featured five nutrition experts: David Katz, MD, of Yale University; Karen Collins, MS, RD of the American Institute for Cancer Research; Joan Sabate MD, of Loma Linda University, Brian Wansink, PhD of Cornell University; and Michael Roizen, MD of Clevelend Clinic. Cookbook author, Mollie Katzen, and NY Hilton Executive Chef, Richard Brown gave a demonstration on cooking with walnuts.

Each of the speakers shared insights on nutrition, diet and eating patterns. Too much good stuff to share in one blog post, so I'll write about each speaker's views on how to eat healthy, in upcoming days.

So what's so special about walnuts, besides being delicious? Walnuts are a good source of protein, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. They're also rich in healthy fats, both monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids called alpha linolenic acid. Those fats are part of why the Mediterranean diet is so good for you.
