cashew nuts

Cashew Nuts - The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is an average sized, evergreen tree native to Brazil’s Amazon rain forest and introduced around the world by Portuguese explorers. The tree is grown commercially in Brazil, Vietnam, India and African countries and is a close relative of mangos, pistachios, poison ivy and poison oak. The cashew tree bears numerous, edible, pear-shaped accessory fruits or cashew apples. A bean-shaped fruit attaches to the end of these apples and has a hard outer shell enclosing a single cashew nut seed. The cashew nut is packed with nutritious compounds, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, soluble dietary fibre and phytochemicals that protect against disease and cancer. Cashew nuts have relatively high fat content, termed ‘good fat’, due to the nut’s fat ratio 1:2:1 for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated, which is an ideal ratio for optimal health. The nut’s fatty acid profile supports good health through the phytosterols, tocopherols and sqaulene, which lower risk of heart disease. The high magnesium content is heart friendly and the monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic and palmitoleic acids contribute to increasing HDL and decreasing LDL.  Magnesium also protects against migraine headaches, high blood pressure, tension, muscle spasms, soreness, fatigue and works with calcium to support healthy muscles and bones. Cashews are a rich source of minerals -  manganese, potassium, copper, iron, zinc and selenium. Selenium is a micro-nutrient, that functions as co-factor for antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase. Zinc is a co-factor in enzymes regulating development, growth, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis. Copper is an essential component of the enzyme superoxide dismutase and is vital in antioxidant defense, energy production and aids the body in iron utilisation, bone and connective tissue development and elimination of free radicals. The cashew nut’s vitamin content – riboflavin and thiamin (B1), pantothenic acid (B5) and pyridoxine (B6) are essential for the metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrates in the body. The nut’s zeaxanthin content is an important flavonoid antioxidant, absorbed into the eyes’ retinal macula lutea - considered to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions and aid in the prevention of age related macular degeneration. CAUTION: Always ensure you purchase the freshest raw unsalted cashew nuts and even though cashews have a high amount of the stabilizing oleic acid (monounsaturated fatty acid) store them in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. Moderation is key in reaping the health benefits of cashew nuts. Don’t eat too many cashew nuts at once – the oxalates in cashews can become concentrated in body fluids, crystallizing and causing health problems in people with pre-existing kidney or gallbladder health issues.