Are Cashews good for you?

Spoiler Alert - This can be perceived as a cashew myth buster :-)

I would probably hum the adaptation on the Ricky Martin song 'The best thing about me is casheyou' if the video was launched two decades back. That's how much I loved cashews while growing up. 
I would come up with infinite combinations with cashews beyond my age and sometimes beyond others palate. I liked them roasted with some clarified butter and rock salt,  in curries, in rice pilaf or as a spread over fresh homemade bread.

Recipe tips with cashews
Spread nut butter on the plain morning toast or bagel
Include a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch
Celery stick or apples with cashew sauce for a mid-afternoon snack
Include a handful of nuts on salads, cereal or steam vegetables
Handful of lightly roasted nuts as a snack
Mix a handful of lightly roasted nuts in rice pilaf
Include a tablespoon of cashew butter in a morning green smoothies to get the nutty flavor


Recently, I have been often asked if cashews are good for health or there is too much fat content. So I have summarized some facts and findings below -

On Fat Content and Weight Gain
Eating nuts provide many cardio-vascular benefits yet many people are reluctant to include them in their diet due to the fat content and fear of weight gain. A study published in the journal of Obesity demystifies that people who eat nuts at least twice a week are less likely to gain weight than those who never eat nuts.

Besides, cashews have a lower fat content per serving than most other nuts like almond, peanut, pecan and walnut. 75% of the fat content in cashews is unsaturated plus 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid. Oleic acid is the same heart-healthy monosaturated fat found in olive oil. Oleic acid is great for cardiovascular health even in diabetic patients when added to a low fat diet can help reduce triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are a form in which fats are carried in the blood, and high triglyceride levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disease


Health Benefits

• Nuts including cashew nuts promote a strong heart - They lower risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease due to the high antioxidant content in nuts

• Cashews contain copper for antioxidant defenses, energy production, bones and blood vessels - Tip: Topping your morning cereal with a quarter cup of cashews will supply 38% of DV of copper

•  Cashews contain magnesium also vital for health bones and helps balance calcium in the body and serve as a calcium channel blocker that helps in relaxing our nerve cells - Tip: Quarter cup provides about 22% of DV of magnesium

• Helps prevent gallstones and lowers risk of weight gain - Tip: Don't let your fear of gaining weight by consuming nuts prevent you from enjoying the manifold benefits of cashews and other nuts. 

 Eat in moderation and enjoy the benefits nuts have to offer in our life. Consider including a handful of cashews or other nuts twice a week or a tablespoon of nut butter 4 times a week to the meal. What are some of your thoughts or recipes on cashews? Would love to hear from you.





Nutrition Information
A quarter cup of raw cashews contain copper (35% of DV), magnesium (20% of DV), tryptophan (20% of DV), phosphorus (15% of DV) and 196 calories (5-10% of DV)



Sources: 
1. Retrieved from: The world's healthiest foods - WHFoods - Cashews - http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=98

2. Retrieved from : Are Raw Cashew Nuts Bad for Women? - by Jill Corleone - http://www.livestrong.com/article/479998-are-raw-cashew-nuts-bad-for-women/ - 6/27/2011

3. The nutritional health facts of cashews - by Kate Meyers - http://www.organiccashewnuts.com/cashewbenefits.htm

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