Walnuts Power Functional Snacks for GLP-1 Eating Patterns

According to KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), a leading U.S. health policy organization, an estimated one in eight adults is currently taking a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist drug to manage type 2 diabetes or support weight loss. With oral formulations of these drugs now on the market, and emerging research suggesting they offer additional health benefits, the number of users is only expected to grow. Keith Seiz, who works in Food Manufacturing and Innovation at the California Walnut Board, says the continued rise in GLP-1 use is driving significant changes in how people snack.

“When it comes to snacking, there’s a demand for smaller portion sizes that are loaded with macronutrients like protein and fiber, but also micronutrients such as omega-3s and magnesium,” he explains.

Changing Hunger Cues

Thanks to GLP-1 use reducing or even eliminating so-called “food noise,” the intrusive internal chatter about food, as well as significantly reducing appetite, many users indicate their normal hunger cues are less reliable than before. They may forget to eat, depriving their bodies of vital nutrients, and that translates into a big challenge for today’s product developers.

“[Small-portioned snacks] have to taste great, possess a dynamic texture, and be clean label due to the current backlash against ultra-processed foods,” says Seiz. “It’s a big ask for product developers, and one that has them asking each of their ingredients to work harder in formulas.”

“Walnuts are exactly the type of ingredient that can do that type of hard work in snacks—when formulated properly,” says Seiz.

“[Walnuts] are delicious, provide a dynamic texture, and are healthy,” he says. “They are a perfect ingredient for the time, as noted by their inclusion on the new inverted food pyramid graphic.”

While many might think of walnuts as simply a nice-to-have addition for treats like brownies and cookies, they have much greater reach as an ingredient. Today, they can play a starring role in a variety of snacks—from functional snack mixes to food bars to high-protein, single-serve baked goods. In fact, the food industry is already seeing significant use in snack mixes with the goal of delivering specific nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, according to Seiz.

“Walnuts are the only nut that is an excellent source of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). In fact, walnuts’ complete fat composition is unique compared to other nuts,” he says. “A one-ounce serving provides 18 grams of total fat, including ‘good’ fats like 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat—of which 2.5 grams are those plant-based omega-3s—and 1.5 grams of saturated fat.”

Seiz says that walnuts are the “Goldilocks nut”—not too hard, not too soft. They can provide perfect bite that changes from crispy to crunchy as they are consumed. They have a good mouthfeel. And that’s great news for snack manufacturers as texture is becoming just as important as flavor for people who are taking GLP-1 medications and are looking for snacks to enjoy.

Meeting Formulation Challenges

While walnuts offer great promise for snack innovation, Seiz cautions that product developers do need to come up with formulations that protect walnut texture and flavor over the shelf life of a product.

“In snack products, walnuts can often soften as they pick up moisture, develop off-notes as their oils oxidize, and become harder to manage when piece size or seasoning adhesion is not well matched to the product format,” he explains.

That said, all those challenges have been overcome in a countless number of snack products already on the market. Product developers should keep shelf life squarely in mind as they work on formulating new snacks made with walnuts, Seiz says.

“This starts with selecting the right walnut format, protecting it from moisture and oxygen, and then packing the product so texture, flavor, and crunch survive from production to consumption,” he continues.

From there, there are many ways to leverage the benefits walnuts offer, Seiz says. Product developers can select the exact size of walnut they need—halves for snack mixes or small pieces for bars. Walnut butter can be used as a binder, and walnut meal works well when a formulation needs the fats or oils found in walnuts to moisten a product. Today, you can see several successful product formulations that use inclusions inside of a snack bar or praline-style systems instead of exposed raw walnuts. In snack mixes, the combination of larger pieces of walnut with fats or with sugar coatings can protect flavor and texture when the nuts are adjacent to higher-moisture ingredients.

“When those factors are managed well, walnuts bring premium texture, flavor, and visual appeal to snack products,” he emphasizes.

Seiz also notes two current flavor trends that are using walnuts to great effect. The first, the “newstalgia” concept in snack bars, transforms dessert concepts like carrot cake and apple pie into clean label formats with high nutrient density and grab-and-go convenience. Secondly, snacks with global flavors are gaining ground, offering new opportunities for walnut use—either in walnut-only seasoned snacks or as part of a snack mix.

Learn More

For more insights into formulating with walnuts, visit the California Walnuts website.  

California Walnuts

“Walnuts play a starring role in these products,” says Seiz. “They add flavor, texture, and familiarity. They are highly beneficial and versatile in snacks, but they perform best when the format is matched to the application.”

Thanks to diminished appetite and altered hunger cues, many GLP-1 users rely on routine-based eating, or a structured approach to consuming meals and snacks at predictable times, to ensure they are getting the nutrition they need to stay healthy. Walnuts, as an ingredient, can offer additional benefits to this kind of strategic eating even beyond snack bars and mixes.

“Walnuts have the opportunity to excel in products designed for sleep and cognition, based on a growing body of health research,” says Seiz.

Two recent studies stand out, he adds. A 2025 randomized, crossover study found that eating a daily handful of walnuts (about 40 grams) over four weeks improved reported sleep quality, reduced daytime sleepiness, and even boosted levels of melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycles (Zerón-Rugerio et al. 2025). This was a relatively small and short-term study of 76 healthy young adults, ages 20–28 (85% female), so it is unclear whether the observed effects of consuming walnuts would persist over a longer period of time or in a larger population.

“Eating walnuts may play a role in supporting sleep and [the study] offers preliminary insights into their potential effects,” says Seiz.

Another interventional study, conducted at the University of Reading, suggests that healthy young adults who eat 50 grams of walnuts each morning see enhanced memory performance later in the day (Bell et al. 2025). This was a small, short-term randomized crossover study of 32 healthy young adults (ages 18–30) who ate a generous handful of walnuts (50 grams/1.5 ounce) mixed with muesli and yogurt and experienced cognitive benefits when compared to a calorie-matched breakfast without nuts.

While these results are preliminary and both findings require larger and longer-term studies to determine how walnut-containing diets may affect sleep and cognitive performance, Seiz says they are very encouraging. They position walnuts as a winning ingredient for snacks, functional breakfast foods, and more.

“Walnuts deliver what consumers are looking for,” says Seiz. “In snacks and other products, they can be used in a variety of different applications to meet consumers, whether they are taking a GLP-1 medication or not, where they are. They have the power to provide the nutrition, flavor, and crunch consumers need and want.”