9 health benefits of cashews
Key takeaways
Cashews are the seeds of a tropical tree. They are packed with important nutrients like protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, magnesium, and manganese.
Cashews have many health benefits, including improved heart health, increased energy and satiety, healthier muscles, better sleep, stronger bones, a more powerful immune system, balanced blood sugar, sharper eyesight, and reduced inflammation.
Cashews can be enjoyed as a snack, in stir fry, blended into cashew butter, or as the base for a dairy-free sauce or ice cream
Though often referred to as cashew nuts, this crunchy treat is actually the kidney-shaped seed of a cashew apple, a tropical fruit cultivated in Brazil and India. Rich in nutrients, healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals, cashews are linked to health benefits such as reduced inflammation, increased energy, and more. Read on to learn all of the ways eating cashews can improve your overall wellness, plus some tasty and creative ways to add them to your daily diet.
What are the health benefits of cashews?
“Cashews are a nutrient-dense, easy grab-and-go snack,” says Erica Armstrong, MD, founder of Root Functional Medicine, an online functional medicine practice. Here are nine ways they can enhance your health.
Improve heart health
The cardiovascular benefits of cashews come from their high concentration of healthy unsaturated fats. “When we speak about heart-healthy fats, we’re often referring to monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats,” explains registered dietitian Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RDN, the owner and founder of McDaniel Nutrition Therapy in St. Louis. “These fats can reduce inflammation in the body, lower bad cholesterol levels, and raise good cholesterol.”
One study published in Current Developments in Nutrition found that eating cashews can improve triglyceride levels and lower blood pressure. A separate study in the International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism found that cashews help lower the ratio of bad to good cholesterol. More studies need to be performed to see if these effects help lower the risk of heart disease
: Boost energy and satiety
“One ounce of dry roasted cashews contains about 5 grams of protein. While this is a small amount, it still contributes to one’s total daily needs,” McDaniel says. “The combination of protein and fat in cashews makes for a solid snack option that keeps you feeling full and satisfied between meals.”
Indeed, cashews are a healthier alternative to crunchy snack foods such as chips or pretzels. However, they are also high in fat and calories, so it is important to pay attention to portion sizes. Substituting cashews for processed foods could result in weight loss, along with other healthy diet choices and exercise.
- Support muscle function
Cashews provide about 20% of your recommended daily magnesium intake from just one ounce of nuts
“Magnesium is a mineral that is part of over 500 chemical reactions in the body,” explains Dr. Armstrong. Magnesium maintains muscle health through several mechanisms, including ensuring healthy muscle contraction and relaxation. Magnesium, in combination with calcium, is responsible for allowing you to move around easily and smoothly without getting muscle cramps. - Improve sleep
You may enjoy better, more restful sleep thanks to the high magnesium content of cashews. This nutrient plays a key role in helping you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. In a study in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, people with insomnia who added magnesium improved numerous measures of sleep quality. - Build strong bones
. Build strong bones
“One ounce of cashews contains 22%-25% of the recommended daily intake of manganese, which plays a vital role in bone formation,” says McDaniel. “It’s a trace mineral, meaning you only need a small amount, but it’s crucial for overall health.” According to a review in Natural Product Communications, low levels of manganese are associated with lower bone density and more bone loss than is experienced by folks who are getting enough of the mineral. - Power up the immune system
“Cashews are a good source of copper, which is important for red blood cell formation and immune function,” says McDaniel. “They also offer small amounts of zinc, important to immune health.” Add to those the slew of phytonutrients and antioxidants in cashews, including polyphenols and carotenoids, and you get a snack that will help your body fight off germy invaders.
7. Regulate blood sugar
The combination of fat content and protein in cashews helps balance blood sugar levels, notes Dr. Amstrong. That’s thanks to the way they slow down digestion and the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, not to mention the fact that cashews themselves are very low in sugar. Numerous studies have found that regular nut consumption is associated with lower fasting blood sugar levels, lower plasma insulin levels, and a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes. - Sharpen eyesight
Cashews contain multiple nutrients critical to eye health, including zinc, vitamin C, healthy fats, and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, these vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are associated with a lower risk of developing age-related eye conditions. In the case of lutein and zeaxanthin, - : In the case of lutein and zeaxanthin, these nutrients are found naturally in the retina and help keep it in tip-top shape. So, maintaining adequate levels of these antioxidants in your diet ensures that there is enough to keep your vision healthy.
- Reduce inflammation
This perk comes from the antioxidants cashews contain. These plant compounds fight oxidative damage in your cells to reduce body-wide inflammation. A study published in Nutrients explains that cashews reduce oxidative damage and lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other markers of inflammation.
Cashew nutrition facts
There are no official guidelines for how many cashews you should eat in a day. However, the general advice is to stick to about one ounce (approximately 18 cashews) because they are calorie-dense.
[1 Nutritionally speaking, cashews are on par with most other nuts,” notes McDaniel. They are relatively high in protein—beating out walnuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts—but contain less protein than almonds, pistachios, and peanuts.
“Cashews have more magnesium than many other nuts, a milder and subtly sweet flavor, and are softer so can be easier to chew,” adds Dr. Armstrong. Here are the nutrition facts for a one-ounce serving of cashews, according to the USDA FoodData Central.
Calories: 157
Total fat: 12.4 grams
Total carbohydrates: 8.6 grams
Fiber: 0.9 grams
Sugar: 1.68 grams
Protein: 5.2 grams
Sodium: 3.4 grams
Calcium: 10.5 milligrams
: Iron: 1.9 milligrams
Magnesium: 82.8 milligrams
Phosphorus: 168 milligrams
Potassium: 187 milligrams
Zinc: 1.64 milligrams
Copper: 0.6 milligrams
Manganese: 0.5 milligrams
Vitamin C: 0.1 milligrams
Thiamin: 0.1 milligrams
Niacin: 0.3 milligrams
Vitamin B6: 0.1 milligrams
Vitamin K: 9.67 micrograms
Selenium: 5.64 micrograms
How to integrate cashews into your diet
Ready to start enjoying cashews regularly? “Cashews are a nutritious and versatile nut that can be incorporated into a healthy diet in many ways,” says Dr. Armstrong. Try one of these suggestions from our experts.
[1 Enjoy cashews as a healthy snack (avoid salted cashews if you have high blood pressure or heart failure}
Sprinkle cashews on a vegetable stir-fry
Add them to homemade granola or homemade trail mix along with dried fruit
Blend roasted or raw cashews (they are both good for you!) into cashew butter to use as a spread or add to recipes that call for other nut butter, such as smoothies or energy balls
Use raw, soaked cashews as a base for cashew milk, vegan sauces, or desserts
“Cashews can be great to make healthier dairy-free, whole food versions of many sauces and desserts,” Dr. Armstrong says.
[1While there are plenty of options on supermarket shelves these days for dairy-free milk, yogurt, ice cream, and other products, those made with cashews tend to offer a silky smooth texture and mild flavor that comes close to replicating the dairy-based version.
The bottom line
All told, cashews are a delicious and good-for-you addition to any diet. They have numerous health benefits, such as decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, curbing appetite, and balancing blood sugar to help with weight management. Plus, they are easy to enjoy as part of a balanced diet.
Looking for a satisfying snack? Cashews or a cashew-based trail mix fit the bill. Want to add mouthwatering flavor and crunch to a meal? Cook up a cashew stir fry. Trying to limit your dairy intake? Consider blending up cashews into a dairy-free sauce or ice cream. Experiment with the uses that you enjoy most or that work best for you
Are Cashews Good for You? Nutrition, Benefits, and Downsides
Cashews are rich in nutrients and may offer several health benefits. Selecting the right varieties and cooking or preparing them properly can help maximize their potential effects on health.
Cashews are a kidney-shaped seed sourced from the cashew tree — a tropical tree native to Brazil but now cultivated in various warm climates across the world.
While “raw” cashews are widely sold, truly raw cashews are not safe to eat, as they contain a substance known as urushiol, found in poison ivy. Urushiol is toxic, and contact with it can trigger a skin reaction in some people.
Cashew kernels are cooked in processing to remove this toxic liquid, and this resulting product is sold as “raw”.
Although commonly referred to as tree nuts, and nutritionally comparable to them, cashews are really seeds. They’re rich in nutrients and beneficial plant compounds and make for an easy addition to many dishes.
Like most nuts, cashews may also help improve your overall health. They’ve been linked to benefits like weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and a healthier heart.
This article reviews the nutrition, benefits, and downsides of cashews to determine whether they’re good for you.
[: Rich in nutrients
Cashews are rich in a range of nutrients. One ounce (28 grams) of unroasted, unsalted cashews provides you with around (1Trusted Source):
Calories: 157
Protein: 5 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Carbs: 9 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Copper: 69% of the Daily Value (DV)
Magnesium: 20% of the DV
Manganese: 20% of the DV
Zinc: 15% of the DV
Phosphorus: 13% of the DV
Iron: 11% of the DV
[16/12, 06:34] Deepa Maheria: Selenium: 10% of the DV
Thiamine: 10% of the DV
Vitamin K: 8% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 7% of the DV
Cashews are especially rich in unsaturated fats — a category of fats linked to a lower risk of premature death and heart disease (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
They’re also low in sugar, a source of fiber, and contain almost the same amount of protein as an equivalent quantity of cooked meat (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source,
In addition, cashews contain a significant amount of copper, a mineral essential for energy production, healthy brain development, and a strong immun
[1 system. They’re also a great source of magnesium and manganese, nutrients important for bone health (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
: Contain beneficial plant compounds
Nuts and seeds are considered antioxidant powerhouses, and cashews are no exception
Antioxidants are beneficial plant compounds that keep your body healthy by neutralizing damage-causing molecules known as free radicals. In turn, this helps reduce inflammation and increases your body’s ability to stay healthy and free from disease.
Cashews are a rich source of polyphenols and carotenoids — two classes of antioxidants also found in other tree nuts
[1: Studies link antioxidants in nuts like walnuts, pecans, and almonds to lower levels of oxidative cell damage .
Due to their similar antioxidant profile, cashews may be expected to offer similar oxidation-fighting benefits. This may be particularly true of roasted cashews, which appear to have an increased antioxidant activity compared with their “raw” counterparts (17Trusted Source).
That said, the number of cashew-specific studies are limited and more research is needed before strong conclusions can be made
May help you lose weight
Nuts are rich in calories and fat. Hence, people wishing to lose weight have traditionally been advised to limit the amount of nuts in their diet.
However, research is starting to link nut-rich diets to greater weight loss and overall lower body weights than nut-free diets (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
This may in part be explained by the fact that cashews appear to provide the body with fewer calories than once thought.
According to the FoodData Central database of the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA), cashews provide 157 calories per 1-ounce (28-gram) serving
However, recent research suggests that the human body may only digest and absorb around 84% of these calories. This is likely because a portion of the fat they contain remains trapped within the cashew’s fibrous wall rather than being absorbed during digestion.
On the other hand, roasting or grinding nuts may increase your body’s ability to fully digest them, thereby increasing the number of calories absorbed
As a result, weight loss benefits may be strongest for whole, “raw” cashews, although more research is needed to confirm this. And you may be sacrificing the antioxidant benefit that comes with roasting cashews.
In addition to providing fewer calories than expected, nuts are also rich in protein and fiber, which are known to reduce hunger and promote feelings of fullness, both of which can further promote weight loss
May improve heart health
Diets rich in nuts, including cashews, have been consistently linked to a lower risk of disease, such as stroke and heart disease
A few studies have focused on the specific heart health benefits of cashews.
One found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed 10% of their daily calories from cashews had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol ratios than those who ate no cashews at all
A low LDL to HDL ratio is typically viewed as a marker of good heart health (2
Two other studies link cashew nut consumption to higher HDL cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, as well as lowering total and LDL cholesterol levels
However, a recent review shows conflicting results. This systematic review of five studies suggests that regular intake of cashews may lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels. However, it finds no effect on total, LDL, or HDL cholesterol levels
Similarly, another review failed to find any significant changes in cholesterol or triglyceride levels following the consumption of 1–3.8 ounces (28–108 grams) of cashews per day for 4–12 weeks
Researchers suggest that these inconsistent results may be due to the limited number of studies and their small participant sizes. They conclude that although cashews are just as likely to benefit heart health as other nuts, more research is needed to confirm this.
There also may be differences based on whether participants in these studies replaced more unhealthy snacks with cashews or just added cashews to their current eating patterns.: May be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes may benefit from adding cashews to their diet.
That’s in part because cashews are a good source of fiber, a nutrient that helps prevent blood sugar spikes and which is believed to offer protection against type 2 diabetes
Studies looking at the effects of cashews on blood sugar levels are limited.
However, in one study, people with type 2 diabetes who ate 10% of their daily calories from cashews had overall lower insulin levels — a marker of blood sugar control — than those who ate no cashews at all (
: Moreover, cashews only contain 8 grams of net carbs per portion, of which less than 2 grams come from sugars.
Net carbs refer to the total amount of carbs in a food, minus the amount of fiber it contains — providing a value for the net amount of carbs that your body can actually absorb.
Substituting foods higher in refined carbs and sugar with cashews is likely to help reduce blood sugar levels (11Trusted Source, 36).
That said, more research is needed to examine the effects of cashew-rich diets in people with type 2 diabetes
Easy to add to your diet
Cashews are very easy to add to your diet.
They can be eaten “raw” or roasted, and make for an easy portable snack.
Whole or ground cashews can also be incorporated into a variety of dishes, ranging from scrambled tofu and stir fries, to soup, salads, and stews.
Cashew butter is another way to add cashews to your diet. Spread it on toast or stir it into yogurt or oatmeal. You can also process cashew butter together with oats and your favorite dried fruit to make homemade, bake-free energy balls.
Cashews can also be soaked and blended together with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to make your own dairy-free sour
: cream or cream cheese. Use these to add flavor to meals or make dairy-free versions of your favorite desserts.
Just keep in mind that some roasted and salted cashews can contain significant amounts of added oils and salt. If your goal is to limit excess salt or added fats, consider choosing dry roasted or “raw” unsalted cashew varieties whenever possible
: Potential downsides
Cashews are generally a safe addition to most people’s diets.
Keep in mind that roasted or salted cashews can contain high levels of added oils or salt. For this reason, it may be best to opt for unsalted dry roasted or “raw” (unroasted) varieties instead.
Some research suggests that roasted cashews may contain higher levels of health-promoting antioxidants than unroasted cashews. Consider roasting unroasted cashews yourself at home without extra oils (17Trusted Source).
To do so, simply spread
: your unroasted cashews in one layer on a baking tray. Then, dry roast them at 350°F (188°C) on the middle rack of your oven for 8–15 minutes. Remember to stir the cashews in 3–5-minute intervals to avoid burning.
Alternatively, toss your cashews in a skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, or until the cashews become slightly brown.
While you may have heard that soaking phytate-rich foods like grains and legumes overnight can help reduce phytate content and improve digestibility, there is no evidence to support this practice with nuts.
A recent study found that soaking nuts did not have a significant affect on phytate levels and actually lowered the mineral
: content of the nuts .
Another recent study also debunked the claim that soaking nuts can improve digestibility or gastrointestinal tolerance
Finally, cashews are classified as tree nuts. Therefore, people allergic to tree nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, or hazelnuts, may have a higher risk of also being allergic to cashews.
Summary
The bottom line
Cashews are rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats. They also contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, and health-protective beneficial plant compounds.
Similarly to nuts, cashews may promote weight loss, blood sugar control, and heart health. However, there’s less research on cashews than on other nuts. Therefore, more cashew-specific studies are needed to confirm these benefits.
That said, there are little downsides to adding more cashews to your diet. Just remember to pick unsalted dry roasted or unroasted varieties whenever possible.
