Walnuts

My Dad's BP is nearly like mine (~110/65), and only recently started to have heart problems at 75 with a magnesium deficiency.  He eats tree nuts like candy at times and always has walnuts in everything he makes such as sticky buns or brownies, ect...  I used to hate any nut except peanuts but now I can tolerate them.  My HDL (good) cholesterol is low and the LDL (bad) cholesterol is right where it's supposed to be but because of the low HDL this automatically makes the LDL high.  I asked a similar question about peanuts before and if I remember right, they are good for the omaga3 but the saturated fats outweigh the good they do(?).  So I'm going to ask the same question about the walnuts...  Tree nuts are good but do they have to be eaten in moderation or can they be eaten like candy every day?
Ed34, because of your recent post you might be best to answer(?).

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

Have a bag of walnuts with the dietary numbers on there and it doesn't look good.

California Shelled Walnuts.
Serving size= ~15 nuts
Calories=200
Fat Calories=180
Total Fat= 20g
Saturated Fat=2g
Polyunsaturated=14g
Monounsaturated=2.5g

The Unsaturated fats are up there so I wonder if that counters the bad fats enough to pig-out on these nuts?

[ed34]

peanuts are a fantastic food, but in actual fact, peanuts are not really nuts. I believe they are a member of the pea/bean family. I don't think they contain omega-3 but they contain a high level of omega-6 which is the lower of the omega's in fish but more important for blood vessels. There has been lots of research on peanuts and results have shown that they greatly reduce the risk of cardiac disease. They have other benefits too, it has been shown they reduce the risk of colon cancer. The benefits are numerous because they contain a lot of anti oxidant agents. It is also believed they will greatly reduce the chance of a stroke.
With regards to the fats, studies have shown that people who eat lots of peanuts actually seem to put on less weight than people who never touch them. Recommendations for receiving benefits from peanuts is to each them three or four times a week. The volume is a handful or quarter of a cup each time.
When you buy nuts, dont buy salted peanuts, they must be fresh and still in their casing. The bag should feel heavier than it looks and if you shake the bag, you shouldnt hear the nuts rattling in the casings because it means they have dried out.
Some nutrients....
thiamin - B1,riboflavin - B2,niacin - B3,niacin equiv,vitamin B6,biotin,vitamin E alpha equiv,vitamin E IU,vitamin E mg,folate,pantothenic acid,calcium,chloride,copper,iodine,iron,magnesium,manganese,molybdenum,phosphorus,potassium,selenium,sodium,zinc,oleic,omega 6 fatty acids,lots of different amino acids
and ZERO cholesterol. All that and MORE in such a tiny nut, no wonder monkeys eat them.

[mammo]

It is well founded that the benefits of eating a handful of nuts daily, far outweigh any negative effects.  Unless you do eat them like candy, they are high in saturated fat so like anything else in life, it's about moderation.  It's also been proven that people who do eat nuts everyday tend to maintain better weight control.