Cashew – what is it
Cashews are a Brazilian nut with a distinctive, delicate flavor. Many describe them as having a creamy, sweet texture that pairs well with savory and salty dishes. We owe the cashew to the Portuguese, who brought cashew trees from Brazil to India and Portuguese colonies in Africa, such as Mozambique, in the 16th century. From India, cashew trees spread throughout Southeast Asia and then to Europe.
The word “cashew” comes from the Portuguese caju or acaju. These words are borrowed from the language of the Tupi, the indigenous people of Brazil, and translate as “nut that produces itself.” The Tupi named the tree after observing how the cashew tree grows: the nut does not form inside the fruit, but hangs below it.
Technically, cashews are not nuts, but the seed of a fruit. They look like an apple or a sweet pepper, with a shell growing at the bottom containing the cherished nut. But the cashew’s flavor and its ability to grow in a shell make it a relative of nuts.
Despite the fact that, thanks to the Portuguese, cashew tree plantations have increased, these nuts remain one of the most expensive products. There are several explanations for this:
- There are not many places in the world where cashews are grown.
- The harvest occurs only once a year;
- The tree begins to bear fruit only eight years after planting.
- Collecting and processing cashews is long and unsafe work.
What are the benefits of cashews?
Nuts are part of the Mediterranean diet, which the World Health Organization recommends for the prevention of many diseases. Of course, initially it was about walnuts, because the Mediterranean diet comes from Greece. But different nuts are very similar in composition and useful components, so cashews can also be included in a healthy diet.
The calorie content of cashews is distributed between proteins, fats and carbohydrates as follows: 12% are proteins, 21% are carbohydrates and 67% are fats.
Let’s look at the main beneficial properties of cashews.
Helps control weight
Absolutely all nuts (and seeds, which we consider nuts) are useful for those who want to maintain their weight category or get rid of a few extra pounds. There is no special secret here, cashews help to quickly and for a long time to get full, as they contain a lot of protein, healthy fats and fiber necessary for the body. The body spends a lot of energy on digesting proteins, and fats are absorbed more slowly due to fiber. There are no peaks in blood sugar, after which you want to eat something else.
American scientists have found that even if you replace only half of a portion of a less healthy snack with nuts, the risk of obesity decreases. That is, if you have a choice between dessert, chips or cashews, choose nuts.
Protects cells from aging and destruction
Cashew nuts are rich in polyphenols , plant components known for their antioxidant properties. They stop excessive oxidation, which means aging and cell destruction. Antioxidants act in different ways: some “catch” free radicals that oxidize and damage everything within range, while others restore already spent antioxidant molecules.
Improves vision and the functioning of the “internal clock”
Cashews contain a type of antioxidant called carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, with sufficient levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, you can:
- Maintain visual acuity – avoid or significantly delay age-related changes in the macula of the retina. Lutein and zeaxanthin are concentrated in the area of the retina called the macula and provide central vision. It is lutein and zeaxanthin that protect the macula from free radicals that are formed under the influence of ultraviolet rays and blue light.
- Reduce the impact of blue light on our biorhythms, which is especially important for those who constantly work in front of a computer screen. If we spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen in the evening, blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, the “sleep hormone,” disrupting sleep and throwing off our biological clock. “Lutein and zeaxanthin help mitigate this impact by filtering blue light,” explains Susan Summerton, a certified nutritionist with the Society of Ophthalmic Nutrition.
Supports heart health
Weight control, which nuts help with, is in itself an excellent preventative for heart disease. But in addition to this, cashews are a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
PUFAs normalize cholesterol and triglyceride levels – these substances, moving through the blood, can get stuck in the vascular wall and, in the future, narrow the lumen of the vessels that feed the heart. This condition is known as atherosclerosis, and its complication is myocardial infarction, in which part of the heart muscle dies due to poor blood flow.
One serving of cashews contains 12 grams of fat: about 9.8 grams are saturated, about 2.2 grams are unsaturated, which usually raises cholesterol levels. But most of the unsaturated fat in cashews is stearic acid, which has little effect on blood cholesterol levels.
Helps with gluten free diet
A gluten-free diet is necessary for people with celiac disease, a disorder in which the cereal protein gluten triggers an immune response in the intestines. The disease causes diarrhea and disrupts the absorption of nutrients, so deficiency states can occur over time. For example, specialists from Chile found that 15% of adults and children with celiac disease have a copper deficiency. The situation is approximately the same with zinc and iron.
But copper levels can be normalized within a month if you get enough copper from your diet and follow a gluten-free diet. One serving of dry-roasted cashews contains almost 70% of the recommended daily value of copper and 15% of the daily value of zinc.
Strengthens bones
The vitamins and minerals in cashews are combined as an ideal complex for strengthening bones:
- Vitamin K is involved in the activation of osteocalcin, a protein that helps “integrate” calcium into bone tissue.
- Phosphorus builds strong bone tissue in tandem with calcium, forming the mineral tissue that bones are made of.
- Magnesium regulates the balance of calcium and vitamin D in the body. Without this vitamin, calcium cannot be absorbed from food.
Who is harmed by eating cashews?
There are no strict contraindications to eating cashews. But every organism is different. And even a superfood rich in vitamins and minerals can be harmful.
Cashews should be avoided by those who:
- Takes blood thinners. Cashews are rich in vitamin K, which, in addition to strengthening bones, increases blood clotting. This means that the product may reduce the effectiveness of drugs that suppress the activity of the blood clotting system.
- Prone to allergies. Nuts are one of the most allergenic foods. If a child or adult develops a rash after eating a handful of hazelnuts, they may have the same reaction to cashews.
- Exceeds the calorie norm. If you eat a lot of cashews and do not limit yourself to other calorie products, you can gain weight. And quite quickly.
Rarely, cashews may increase the risk of kidney stones. Like many plant foods, nuts contain oxalates, which are responsible for the formation of stones in the urinary tract. Cashews do not contain many oxalates, but due to their high fat content, they are absorbed in the intestines more actively than those from other foods. However, Margarita Bernardino and Malvinder Parmar, researchers from the University of Ontario (Canada), note that cashews can provoke kidney stones if the recommended daily intake is exceeded.
How to Eat Cashews: 6 Ways
Cashews are one of the most delicious nuts. You can enjoy them in different ways, use your imagination or follow the recipe of famous chefs.
Cashews are:
- Breakfast supplement – crushed nuts are added to cereal, oatmeal, salad, Greek yogurt.
- Baking ingredient – Nuts add a delicious flavor to cookies, muffins and cakes.
- Seasoning – in international cuisine, cashews are added to fried meat or chicken.
- Cashew butter is a butter made from ground cashews that has the consistency of a spread that can be spread on bread.
- Milk alternative – a plant-based drink that resembles milk and contains almost no lactose.
- Just a tasty snack , whole cashews are great for when you really want something crunchy.
Is it true that cashews contain toxins?
Yes, that’s why they shouldn’t be eaten raw. It is easy to distinguish raw nuts from processed ones: raw cashews are green. They become light beige or cream after steaming. We’re talking about cashews that are still in their shells and haven’t been processed. They contain a toxic substance called urushiol. When ingested or on the skin, urushiol causes irritation, rashes, and even burns. To remove potentially harmful components, cashews are pre-roasted or heated with steam. Even the nuts that are sold as “raw” are not actually raw; they’re just not roasted and don’t contain salt. But there’s no doubt that they’ve been heat-treated and are free of toxins.
Can you eat cashews every day
Yes, because cashews are not considered a food that causes serious problems in healthy people. If there is no digestive disorder, allergy, or special instructions from a doctor, you can eat nuts, including cashews, every day.
However, you need to eat cashews correctly:
- Choose cashews without salt, oil, or other additives.
- Give nuts the right place in your diet – eat them instead of snacking on chips or popcorn, and not with other high-calorie foods.
- Limit yourself to one serving per day – that’s 28-30 grams, or about 18 nuts, or a handful. That’s how much will fit in the palm of your hand. Children should be given as much as they can fit in their palms. Usually, that’s no more than five nuts.
It is better to store cashews in an airtight bag in a cool, dark, and dry place, for example, in the freezer. Then they will remain useful even if they lie like this for a year. Although usually such a tasty product does not last long.