Nuts and seeds have been proven to be highly beneficial to maintaining heart health and effective for weight loss especially for those who want to choose a diet. Cashew is one of such seeds that are highly nutritional and good for maintaining the overall wellbeing of the body. However, while cashew seeds can be seen as amazing, other flip sides exist also as too much consumption can pose serious health problems to the body.
This article will intimate you with all you need to know about the cashew. Its benefits and the risks it poses to human health are also captured.
Cashews
Cashew seeds are gotten from cashew trees which natively were grown in Brazil. However, they are cultivated across regions of the world with a warm climate. Typically, cashews are kidney-shaped and contain many nutritional properties beneficial to the body.
Cashews are not nuts although they share several similarities with other nuts, they are seeds. As said earlier, they are rich in nutrients and beneficial plant compounds and can be added to one’s diet as an added supplement.
Like most nuts, cashews may also help improve your overall health. They’ve been linked to benefits like weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and a healthier heart.
Here are some of the benefits of cashews.
Cashews are nutritionally endowed
Nutritionally, cashews contain a wide range of nutrients. A single ounce of unsalted and unroasted cashews is loaded with 157 calories; 12 grams of fat; 5 grams of protein; 67% daily value of copper; 1 gram of fiber; 20% daily value of manganese, zinc, and magnesium; 10% daily value of selenium and thiamine; 8% daily value of vitamin K; 7% of vitamin B6; and 11% daily value of Iron.
They also contain unsaturated fat which has been linked lower risk of heart disease premature death. Also, cashews contain low sugar and also is a good source of fiber. It also contains the equivalent amount of protein present in cooked meat.
Also, cashews contain a significant amount of copper, a mineral essential for energy production, healthy brain development, and a strong immune system. They’re also a great source of magnesium and manganese, nutrients important for bone health.
Also contains antioxidants
Nuts and seeds are considered antioxidant powerhouses, and cashews are no exception.
Antioxidants are beneficial plant compounds that keep your body healthy by neutralizing damage-causing molecules known as free radicals. In turn, this helps reduce inflammation and increases your body’s ability to stay healthy and free from disease. Polyphenols and carotenoids can also be found in cashews. These two classes of antioxidants can also be found in tree nuts. Studies link antioxidants in nuts like walnuts, pecans, and almonds to lower levels of oxidative cell damage.
Due to their similar antioxidant profile, cashews may be expected to offer similar oxidation-fighting benefits. This may be particularly true of roasted cashews, which appear to have an increased antioxidant activity compared with their raw counterparts.
That said, the number of cashew-specific studies is limited and more research is needed before strong conclusions can be made.
May help you lose weight
Nuts are rich in calories and fat. Hence, people wishing to lose weight have traditionally been advised to limit the number of nuts in their diet. However, research is starting to link nut-rich diets to greater weight loss and overall lower body weights than nut-free diets. While FoodData Central database of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that cashews provide 157 calories per 1-ounce (28-gram) serving, recent research suggests that the human body may only ingest and absorb around 84 percent of these calories. This is likely because a portion of the fat they contain remains trapped within the cashew’s fibrous wall rather than being 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 to 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
On the flip side, raw cashews are not safe to eat because they contain urushiol. This substance can be found in poison ivy too. It’s a toxic substance and contact with it can trigger an unpleasant skin reaction.
