Let’s talk about the health benefits, Nutrition, And Effect of Cashew.
Cashews a commonly grown trees in various warm climates of the world, such as parts of African, Indian, and other countries. Been seasonal fruits, originated from Brazil.
What’s more, hanging from the branches is large juicy apples at the base of which are attached to the cashew nut. The nut has a great shelf life if stored well. The fruit and nut both have various uses.
In my legion, the nut or fruit is often referred to as poor man’s food not until the nutritional value was revealed; it then turns out to be an expensive nut and fruit that lower-class people can’t afford again.
The nutrients in cashews may also aid improve your overall health. They’ve been associated with benefits like weight loss; a healthier heart improved blood sugar control.
Health Benefit, Nutrition, And Effect of Cashew.
1.Rich in nutrients
Cashews are rich in a variety of nutrients. One ounce (28 grams) of unroasted, unsalted cashews provides you with around:
- Carbs:Â 9 grams
- Fiber:Â 1 gram
- Fat:Â 12 grams
- Calories:Â 157
- Protein:Â 5 grams
- Copper: 67%Â
- Magnesium:Â 20%Â
- Manganese: 20%Â
- Zinc:Â 15%Â
- Phosphorus: 13%Â
- Iron: 11%Â
- Selenium:Â 10%Â
- Thiamine: 10%Â
- Vitamin K: 8%Â
- Vitamin B6: 7%Â
Cashews are exceptionally rich in unsaturated fats, a category of fats connected to a lower risk of premature death and heart disease.
More so, they’re low in sugar, a source of fiber, and hold almost the same volume of protein as an equal quantity of cooked meat.
Finally, cashews contain a meaningful amount of copper, a mineral required for a strong immune system, energy production, and healthy brain development. They’re also an excellent source of magnesium and manganese, nutrients necessary for bone health.
2. May help you lose weight
Nuts are wealthy in calories and fat. Therefore, people wishing to lose weight have traditionally been advised to limit the number of nuts in their diet.
Research is starting to combine nut-rich diets to greater weight loss and overall lower body weights than nut-free diets. This may in part be explained by the fact that cashews appear to provide the body with fewer calories than once thought.
According to the Food Data Central database of the United States Department of Agriculture, cashews provide 157 calories per 1-ounce (28-gram) serving.
Nevertheless, recent research recommends that the human body only digest and absorb around 84% of these calories. This is likely because a portion of the fat they contain remains trapped within the cashew’s fibrous wall rather than absorbed during digestion.
On the other hand, roasting or grinding nuts may increase your body’s ability to fully digest them, thereby increasing the number of calories absorbed.
As a result, weight loss benefits may be strongest for whole, raw cashews, although more research is needed to confirm this. And you may be sacrificing the antioxidant benefit that comes with roasting cashews.
In addition, providing fewer calories than expected, nuts are also rich in protein and fiber, which are known to reduce hunger and promote feelings of fullness, both of which can further promote weight loss.
Contains Beneficial Plant Compound
Antioxidants are useful to plant compounds that keep your body healthy by neutralizing damage-causing molecules known as free radicals. In turn, this helps decrease inflammation and improves your body’s ability to stay healthy and free from disease.
Cashews are a delicious source of polyphenols and carotenoids, two classes of antioxidants found in other tree nuts.
Due to their related antioxidant profile, cashews may be required to offer similar oxidation-fighting benefits. This may be expressly true of roasted cashews, which appear to increase antioxidant activity compared with their raw counterparts. The number of cashew-specific studies is limited and more research is needed before strong conclusions can be made.
It May be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes may benefit from adding cashews to their diet.
That’s in part because cashews are a good source of fiber, a nutrient that helps prevent blood sugar spikes and is believed to offer protection against type 2 diabetes.
Studies looking at the effects of cashews on blood sugar levels are limited.
However, in one study, people with type 2 diabetes who ate 10% of their daily calories from cashews had overall lower insulin levels, a marker of blood sugar control, than those who ate no cashews at all.
Moreover, cashews only contain 8 grams of net carbs per portion, of which less than 2 grams come from sugars.
Net carbs refer to the total amount of carbs in a food, minus the amount of fiber it contains — providing a value for the net amount of carbs that your body can absorb.
Substituting foods higher in net carbs and sugar with cashews is likely to help reduce blood sugar levels. That said, more research is needed to examine the effects of cashew-rich diets in people with type 2 diabetes.
May improve heart health.
Diets rich in nuts, including cashews, have been consistently linked to a lower risk of diseases, such as stroke and heart disease.
According to HealthLine, a few studies have focused on the specific heart health benefits of cashews.
One found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed 10% of their daily calories from cashews had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol ratios than those who ate no cashews at all.
A low LDL to HDL ratio is typically viewed as a marker of good heart health.
Two other studies link cashew nut consumption to higher HDL cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower total and LDL cholesterol levels.
However, a recent review shows conflicting results. One of the included studies suggests that regular intake of cashews may lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels. However, it finds no effect on total LDL or HDL cholesterol levels.
Similarly, another review failed to find any significant changes in cholesterol or triglyceride levels following the consumption of 1–3.8 ounces (28–108 grams) of cashews per day for 4–12 weeks.
Researchers suggest that these inconsistent results may be due to the limited number of studies and their small participant sizes. They conclude that although cashews are just as likely to benefit heart health as other nuts, more research is needed to confirm this.
There also may be differences based on whether participants in these studies replaced more unhealthy snacks with cashews or just added cashews to their current eating patterns.
Cashews are very easy to add to your diet. They can be eaten raw or roasted and make for an easy portable snack.
Whole or ground cashews can also be combined into various dishes, ranging from scrambled tofu and stir-fries to soup, salads, and stews.
Cashew butter is another way to add cashews to your diet. Spread it on toast or stir it into yogurt or oatmeal. You can also process cashew butter together with oats and your favorite dried fruit to make it yourself, bake-free energy balls.
Cashews can also be soaked and blended with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to make your dairy-free sour cream or cream cheese. Use these to add flavor to meals or make dairy-free versions of your favorite desserts.
Potential Effect
Cashews are generally a safe addition to most people’s diets. Keep in mind that roasted or salted cashews can contain high levels of added oils or salt. For this reason, it may be best to opt for unsalted dry roasted or raw varieties instead.
Some research suggests that roasted cashews may contain higher levels of health-promoting antioxidants than raw cashews. Consider roasting raw cashews yourself at home without extra oils.
To do so, spread your raw cashews in one layer on a baking tray. Then, dry roast them at 350°F (188°C) on the middle rack of your oven for 8–15 minutes. Remember to stir the cashews in 3–5-minute intervals to avoid burning.
Alternatively, toss your cashews in a skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes or until the cashews become slightly brown.
Moreover, cashews contain phytates, making it more difficult for your body to absorb the vitamins and minerals they contain. Soaking your nuts overnight before adding them to dishes will help reduce their phytate content and improve their digestibility.
Finally, cashews are classified as tree nuts. Therefore, people allergic to tree nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, or hazelnuts, may have a higher risk of also being allergic to cashews.
