CASHEW SEEDS ADVANTAGES

 Cashew nuts are rich in essential fatty acids, potassium, and antioxidants that are beneficial for heart health. It contains phytosterols, phenolic compounds, and oleic acid for heart health and makes blood vessels stronger. Cashew nuts help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and improve good cholesterol (HDL) in the body


Its nut, also known as cashew, is commonly eaten as food. People also use the nut to make medicine. Cashew is used for
diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, stomach and intestinal (gastrointestinal) ailments, skin problems, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.


Cashew nuts nutritional profile:

Cashew nut is one of the nutritious nuts out of other nuts. However, you cannot consume it daily due to the presence of high-calorie content. That is the reason why there is a big NO for cashew nuts in diet-conscious people. Apart from calories, cashews are rich in –

  • Essential fatty acids 
  • Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and Vitamin K
  • Minerals – calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and folate 
  • Antioxidants
  • Fibres 
  • Proteins and carbs 

Advantages of cashew nuts are listed below:

1: Lower the blood pressure 

Cashew nuts are rich in healthy unsaturated fats and minerals like magnesium, potassium, and L-arginine. It helps reduce blood pressure drastically by dilating your blood vessels. 

2:Prevent and control diabetes

For people with type 2 diabetes, adding cashew to their diet can essentially control the blood sugar level. It is a good source of fibre, a nutrient that helps prevent blood sugar spikes. However, due to high-calorie content, it is recommended to have only 3-4 cashews per day. 

3: It May help strengthen bones

For healthy bones, we need a lot of minerals, and cashew nuts have them all. Cashew nuts are rich in copper and calcium that gives strength to our bones and make them stronger. Copper helps in keeping your joints flexible by synthesizing collagen.

4: Boost brain functions 

The brain is the most active organ of our body that requires a steady supply of fatty acids through diet to stay active. Cashew nuts contain brain booster nutrients that may help boost brain functions and keep your memory sharp. To improve brain function, you can eat overnight soaked cashews. 

5: Good for health 

Cashew nuts contain a natural oil that is rich in selenium, zinc, iron, and antioxidants. It keeps your skin young and fresh. Copper improves the production of elastin and collagen. Collagen is an integral structural protein that is responsible for the elasticity of your skin. 


6: Beneficial for hair 

Copper present in cashew helps produce hair pigment-melanin that enhances hair colour. The essential fatty acids also keep your hair shiny and healthy. 

7: Good for eye health 

Cashews contain zeaxanthin and lutein which are antioxidants that protect from UV rays. The antioxidant pigments naturally occur in the eyes and are an essential defence against damaging light and may reduce the risks of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.

8: May increase male fertility

Cashew nuts are rich in zinc which is essential to improve sperm count in males and fertility chances. Also, regular intake of cashew may help control weight and diabetes which increases male fertility drastically. 

Some side effects of consuming cashew nuts

There are side effects to everything in life and so it is with having too many cashews. Some potential health factors you need to keep in mind are:

  • Roasted or salted cashews often contain high amounts of oil or salt which may be damaging to your health. For optimal benefits, best advised to consume cashews in their raw form may be dry roasted without any oil or salt. Roasting cashews without oil has been scientifically proven to release antioxidants which is great for your health. 
  • If you are considering adding cashews to any dishes it is advised by experts to soak them overnight. This is because cashews contain phytates that make it challenging for your body to extract minerals and vitamins. Soaking the cashews lowers the phytates content and improves digestibility. 

These are some of the health benefits of cashew nuts as well as some of the drawbacks to consider.

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