The cashew nut: a small nut packed with nutritional qualities – happiness and health

This little nut is not only good for an aperitif, it is also of great nutritional richness! Native to Brazil and growing on cashew trees, cashew nut is an oilseed just like almonds or hazelnuts.

Anti-stress, appetite suppressant, packed with anti oxidants and good fats, this nut is good for your heart or your skin. Its health benefits are however many are unknown and we are going to dissect them together!

Small but rich

Cashew is increasingly appreciated for its nutritional qualities as well as for its health benefits. On 100g of nuts we find:

• 21g of protein that is good for your muscles
• 50g of lipids, good fats good for your heart
• 21g of carbohydrates to cut hunger
• 12g of fiber to aid your digestion

In addition to all this, there are many minerals and various vitamins involved in the well-being of your body. Cashew is a bit like a magic pill.

A good appetite suppressant

This little seed is ideal for a snack during small hunger pangs. Indeed, its richness in vegetable proteins, which reaches 20%, gives it an appetite suppressant effect.

Associated with the fibers present in cashew nuts, these vegetable proteins have an even greater effect on satiety. Take a small handful in the middle of the afternoon to calm a craving!

In addition, this nut has a low glycemic index which will therefore have little impact on your blood sugar. The fibers it contains also contributes to this feeling of satiety and will do the greatest good for your digestive system.

Your anti fatigue and anti-stress

Cashew nuts are also very rich in vitamins including those of group B, such as roboflavin (vitamin B2), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), thiamine (vitamin B1) or niacin (vitamin B3).

These vitamins help your immune system and protect you from many diseases such as anemia and pellagra.

It also has a good amount of vitamins E, precious for your skin and which helps protect your cells and vitamins K, essential for blood clotting.

There is also a lot of magnesium known to be anti-fatigue and anti-stress. A cocktail of energy and natural vitamins to give your body a boost!

If you like this nut then you will also like the Brazil nut.

Good for weight loss?

Although it is recommended that you eat cashews as part of a healthy diet, it will not make you lose weight! At least not directly. Rich in dietary fiber, they provide a lot of energy and do not contain cholesterol.

Its consumption will bring you satiety and satisfaction which will help you to escape the excess and snacking responsible for weight gain.

Studies show that adding these nuts as part of a weight loss diet helps stick to it better by making fewer deviations. A slimming ally for all your diets!

Full of antioxidants

Antioxidants are popular!

They protect against the appearance of free radicals, unstable compounds in the body formed mainly of oxygen which, when they are too present, are responsible for premature aging of the skin but also for the appearance of many diseases such as cancer. , cataracts, cardiovascular or joint diseases.

Their appearances are particularly favored by pollution, cigarette smoke or the sun. The composition of these radicals oxidizes the atoms around them. This is where antioxidants come in by keeping these free radicals in check.

Cashew nut contains antioxidants but also selenium, a mineral that works with one of the main antioxidant enzymes making its effect even more effective!

Copper to look good

Cashews are also rich in copper. This element is appreciated by the body because it participates in certain physiological processes such as the development of bones or the production of melanin.

Melanin is the pigment that your body produces that gives skin and hair its color. A little-known beauty boost! But copper also has other virtues.

It boosts your immune system by helping to fight infectious and viral conditions (1). It has antibacterial and antiviral action, promotes the production of antibodies and also plays a role in inflammatory rheumatism such as arthritis.

A source of folate

You probably don’t know what it is yet it is an important part of your body. Both cashews and cashew butter are sources of folate.

It is a vitamin (vitamin B9) whose role is to help make cells in your body (2). This vitamin is a key agent in the production of cells and helps in the healing of wounds and wounds.

The consumption of this vitamin, present in cashew nuts is recommended in all phases of growth of the body, it is especially recommended for pregnant women.

Good against cholesterol

Cholesterol is the evil of the century! Linked to a more sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits.

Paying attention to what you put on your plate is however the best way to fight against this hypercholesterolemia, so why not put some cashews in it?

Oilseed fruits are all recognized for their anti-cholesterol properties (3). Studies have been carried out on cashew nuts and a publication in the British Journal of nutrition claims that consuming cashew nut helps lower cholesterol levels.

Its composition of antioxidants, fibers and phytosterols limits the absorption of bad fat. About three quarters of the total calories in cashews are fat, the majority of which are monounsaturated fatty acids, a type of fat that is beneficial for heart health.

They promote the reduction of total cholesterol and bad cholesterol without reducing the good cholesterol.

To read: 10 health benefits of macadamia nuts

Good for cardiovascular health

100g of cashews contain about 43g of fat, which is less important than other nuts (in comparison the almond contains more than 50g), it is therefore suitable as part of a diet to lose weight.

Two-thirds of this fat are unsaturated fatty acids, almost all of which is oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil.

This acid is appreciated for its beneficial effect on the heart, proven for a long time by the famous Mediterranean diet.

Studies show that the consumption of oleic acid reduces the risk of developing a myocardial infarction by increasing the level of good cholesterol.

PS: Prefer unsalted cashews, salt is not very good for your heart!

Interesting effects against diabetes

You are certainly familiar with Omegas, they are so-called “established” fatty acids that are mainly found in products of plant origin such as cashew nuts (4)!

The unsaturated fatty acids present in cashew nuts contain in particular Omega 3, 6 and 9 which have a beneficial effect on diabetes by participating in the reduction of triglycerides.

Regular consumption of these nuts will prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. More generally, these unsaturated fatty acids are also called “good fat” because they have a positive effect on the amount of lipid in your blood and on cardiovascular function.

Healthy bones and teeth

Cashews are recommended to fill up with magnesium, it contains between 250 and 280mg per 100g. Magnesium, like calcium, is an important building block for healthy bones and teeth.

Also found in cashews, copper also plays an essential role in the development of your bones. While magnesium helps build good, strong bones, copper gives them flexibility.

It’s not just dairy products that take care of your bones, but cashews too!

A natural antidepressant

Cashew is a natural antidepressant, two handfuls would be the equivalent of one dose of prozac. It is considered to be one of the best alternatives to traditional treatments for depression.

Cashews contain a good amount of tryptophan which is an essential amino acid for our body. This amino acid helps, among other things, to regulate our mood, balance our behavior and improve our sleep.

It also regulates our stress level and therefore depression. Two handfuls of these nuts contain between 1000 and 2000mg of tryptophan which will help you fight depression, in a natural way, and without side effects as is often the case with conventional treatments.

A secret well kept by the laboratories! Added to this is the pleasure of eating them!

In short, do not hesitate

The cashew nut has excellent nutritional values. Very rich in vitamins, in particular those of the B group which help the body to produce your cells and to heal.

There is also a good dose of minerals, as well as magnesium and copper, which help build bones and keep your immune system functioning.

The good fats in this nut will help protect your heart from cardiovascular disease and control your cholesterol levels.

Finally, they contain a lot of antioxidants that prevent the appearance of free radicals and therefore protect you from many diseases.

In short, the cashew nut consumed in a reasonable way is a real cocktail of energy and benefits for your body! And best of all, it can save you from having to start a heavy anti-depressant treatment.

Consumed as part of a healthy and balanced diet, cashew nuts will do you the greatest good. Do not hesitate !