Cashews are one of the most delicious nuts on the planet, which is why they are a popular ingredient in sweets, desserts, sauces, salads, and other exquisite cuisines. However, a lot of people eat raw cashews as a snack, especially in the winter afternoons when a cup of coffee with a dozen of cashews is enough to make your day.
Despite the numerous recipes of cashew-involved dishes on the internet, the reason why cashews are insanely popular as a raw snack is because of their amazing health benefits. People don’t want to miss out on its original flavor and taste, and they additionally gain so many nutrients. That is why a lot of people even buy bulk cashews.
Cashews can be significantly beneficial for your overall health, and let this article be a reminder of that for you. Below are 6 amazing health benefits of cashew nuts. Let’s get into it.
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Good for Heart
Apart from being incredibly tasteful, cashew nuts also happen to be very good for your heart. They are free of cholesterol. The good-for-heart properties of cashews can even reduce cholesterol levels when they are unnecessarily high. In other words, cashews can make up for bad cholesterol.
Moreover, the nutrients in cashew nuts, including potassium, folic acid, and vitamin E & B6, are very important for the protection of heart diseases due to bad cholesterol or blood pressure. The antioxidants in cashews keep your heart overall healthy.
Cashews are also a good source of copper, which is really advantageous in reducing the risk of heart diseases.
Useful for Weight Loss
Cashews can be very helpful to you if you are planning to lose weight. Although cashews are high in calories, regular use of them can in fact help you lose weight.
Cashews are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential for the improvement of the metabolism of your body. The improvement of metabolism results helps burn more calories, which further helps you reduce extra fat and lose weight.
Moreover, one of the most important nutrients in cashew nuts is magnesium. Magnesium is useful for regulating the carbs’ and fats’ metabolism, which can fast-track your weight loss procedure. Additionally, cashew nuts are also a very good source of protein – a key to weight loss.
Considering the highly beneficial nutrients of cashews regarding weight loss, it is recommended that you include them in your regular diet, and you will hopefully start seeing positive results.
Prevents Cancer
This might sound like a stretch, but we assure you: studies have shown that cashews do contain some properties which can help prevent different types of cancer.
First, cashews have good fats that keep your body healthy and reduce the risk of tumor development. These fats are also responsible to prevent high blood pressure, which is linked to the risk of cancer.
Secondly, it is stated above that cashews help you manage your weight and lose extra weight. This additional weight, if not lost, can cause obesity, which makes a person twice as likely as a normal-weight person to develop liver cancer.
Several studies have also shown that cashews can also be responsible for the reduction in the risk of colon cancer because of their high copper content.
Glows Your Skin
Cashew nuts are also good for your skin. They are filled with copper and antioxidants, which are responsible for radiant-looking and glowing skin.
Antioxidants are known for their properties to reduce the aging signs, while copper (combined with other enzymes) produces collagen that helps increasing skin elasticity. The protein in cashews also helps your skin stay free of wrinkles for a long time.
Additionally, oil extracted from cashews can be really beneficial for the skin. This oil is rich in iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and phosphorus. These elements are known for helping your skin look better.
The consumption of cashews or the application of cashew oil produces a skin pigment called melanin, which results in smooth, wrinkle-free skin.
Healthy for Diabetes Patients
Cashews aren’t only good for blood pressure and cholesterol, they are also very beneficial for diabetes. Along with peanuts, walnuts, and almonds, cashew nuts are very rich in protein and beneficial monounsaturated fats, which help keep the blood sugar level in control.
The majority of health experts recommend diabetic people to add protein- and fiber-rich nuts in their diets, something you can find in cashews. The research in Louisiana State University showed that people who eat tree nuts (like cashews, walnuts, almonds) regularly are at low risk of developing type-2 diabetes and heart diseases.
However, if you have already got diabetes, cashews can still help you. Cashew nuts have a low glycemic index of 25, which means they are not going to unnecessarily boost your insulin level and will keep you healthy. Moreover, as we know, cashews are rich in magnesium. In diabetic people, magnesium improves the insulin response by lowering insulin resistance. If your body doesn’t have enough magnesium, the pancreas will not be able to secrete enough insulin to keep the blood sugar level in control.
So, keep it in mind: cashews are diabetic people’s very good friends, and generally a very beneficial and harmless snack for them. Diabetic people are recommended to keep a dozen or two cashews with them whenever they are traveling.
Grows Strong and Shiny Hair
Who doesn’t want good hair? And one of the ways to get strong and shiny hair (for men and women) is to consume a healthy amount of cashews or apply its oil regularly.
Health experts say that people who consume cashews and apply the oil extracted from cashews regularly are likely to have a good scalp that ensures a healthy hairpiece.
In an expert opinion, cashews and cashew oil are rich in copper, which helps produce melanin, skin, and hair pigment. This pigment is the source of enhancement of hair color and the improvement of its texture. Oleic and linoleic acids in cashew nuts and cashew oil result in your hair becoming silky-smooth and shiny.
Author Bio:
Aida. S is a foodie Content writer. She is passionate about traveling, Photography, Adventurism, personal growth, writing, and of course food.
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