The cashew nut, a popular treat found on grocery and health food store shelves across the world, is jam-packed with nutritional content and can readily be found year round. It has a delicate flavor, and makes wonderful nut butter or special addition to salads and stir-fry dishes. Cashew nuts are actually the kidney-shaped seeds that adhere to the bottom of the cashew apple, the fruit of the cashew tree, which is native to the coastal areas of northeastern Brazil. It packs 5 grams of protein per ounce and high levels of the essential minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese, all of which are necessary for a healthy body.
Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 75% of that fat is unsaturated fatty acids, with 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid content being oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. Studies show that oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health, even in individuals with diabetes. To lower your risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, enjoy a handful of cashews or other nuts, or a tablespoon of nut butter, at least 4 times a week.
Topping your morning cereal with a quarter-cup of cashews will supply you with 38% of the daily value for copper. An essential component of many enzymes, copper plays a role in a wide range of physiological processes including iron utilization, elimination of free radicals, development of bone and connective tissue, and the production of the skin and hair pigment called melanin.
A quarter-cup of cashews also provides you with 22.3% of the daily value for magnesium. Everyone knows that calcium is necessary for strong bones, but magnesium is also vital for healthy bones. About two-thirds of the magnesium in the human body is found in our bones. Some help give bones their physical structure, while the rest is found on the surface of the bone where it is stored for the body to draw upon as needed.
Cashews do have a relatively high fat content (12 grams per ounce, 2 grams saturated fat), but it is considered "good fat." This is due to the agreeable fat ratio in the nut, 1:2:1 for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated, respectively, which scientists say is the ideal ratio for optimal health. Even with the relatively high fat content, cashew nuts are considered to be a "low-fat" nut. In fact, cashew nuts contain less fat per serving than many other popular nuts commonly found in grocery and health food stores, including almonds, walnuts, peanuts and pecans.
Because cashews are high in protein, monounsaturated fats and fiber, they're both filling and satisfying. But, although nuts are shown to provide such a wide variety of benefits, many avoid them for fear of weight gain. Studies show such fears are groundless. People who eat nuts on a daily basis are less likely to gain weight and have a tendency to be thinner, on average, than those who don't. It may be that eating nuts like cashews is so filling that it reduces overall calorie consumption.