Health Benefits of Cashew Nuts
The cashew is one of the most popular nuts we offer, and its wonderful taste and delightful texture have seduced foodies all over the world.
Cashews are fantastically versatile, and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes, including stir-fries, nut roasts, biscuits, snack bars and even sauces. They’re also pivotal in many vegan diets, due in large part to their wonderful ability to replicate dairy staples such as milk, cheese and ice cream once soaked and processed.
But are these little crescent-shaped nuts actually good for you? What nutrition can you find in a cashew nut? Well, it turns out this is one of the most nutritious nuts you can possibly consume, as we illustrate below…
There’s increasing evidence that consumption of cashew nuts significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a group of 300 adults who supplemented their diet with 30g of raw cashews daily for 12 weeks experienced decreased blood pressure and raised good cholesterol levels, thereby demonstrating that cashew nuts can help improve heart health.
Cashews can help you lose weight
Studies suggest that eating a moderate amount of cashews every day, despite their relatively high calories, is not paralleled by an increase in body weight, body mass index or waist circumference. This is largely due to the fact they contain monounsaturated fats and beneficial Omega-3, which boosts metabolism and helps the body burn fat quicker. For this reason they are recommended by nutritionists, including Carlos Rios, creator of the Real Food movement, who states they may elevate thermogenesis (the process of heat production in the body), making them superb for weight-watchers.
If you’re diabetic, or at risk from diabetes, the cashew should be one of your go-to foods. They have a great amount of fibre, and the monounsaturated fats they contain help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and raise good (HDL) cholesterol. Additionally, the antioxidants in cashews reduce inflammation, which causes insulin resistance and is the main cause of Type 2 diabetes. They’re also low in sugar, so they won’t cause your blood sugar to spike.
Consuming cashews can help guard your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays and damage caused by oxidative stress from the presence of free radicals in the body. Cashew nuts contain the antioxidant pigments zeaxanthin and lutein, which are important in the fight against the effects on the eyes of damaging light, and could also reduce the risks of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts, as well as improving the health of those vulnerable to impaired antioxidant status, as this study found.
Cashews are great for your skin and hair
The pigment melanin gives health and colour to our skin and hair. The element copper is pivotal for the production of melanin, and cashew nuts are full of copper! A healthy amount of melanin has the same effect as a good sunscreen, helping block the sun’s radiation from damaging the skin and potentially causing skin cancer. The large amount of antioxidants found in cashew nuts also help guard against cellular damage, which is partly responsible for the visible signs of ageing.
Absolutely packed with vitamins and minerals
Cashews contain Vitamin C and K, and are an excellent source of B vitamins.
They are also a brilliant way to stock up on several of the trace elements our body needs for maintaining health and vitality, including phosphorous, potassium, selenium, calcium, managanese, sodium, zinc, magnesium, copper and iron.
Cashews are superb for your bones
Cashew nuts are one of the very finest plant sources of copper, with one ounce providing a whopping 67% of the recommended daily intake. Copper deficiency is linked with lower bone mineral density, which puts people at increased risk of osteoporosis. The magnesium found in cashews contributes to the structural development of bone, while the manganese is essential for bone density and guards against fractures.
Here at Healthy Supplies we have a huge array of natural, delicious products showcasing the cashew in all its forms – whole, pieces, roasted, organic, cashew butter, yoghurt-coated, cashew milk, and much, much more! Come and have a look here!