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.
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.
Rich in nutrients
Cashews are rich in a range of nutrients. One ounce (28 grams) of unroasted, unsalted cashews provides you with around:
- Calories: 157
- Protein: 5 grams
- Fat: 12 grams
- Carbs: 9 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Copper: 67% 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
- 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.
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.
In addition, cashews contain a significant amount of copper, a mineral essential for energy production, healthy brain development, and a strong immune system. They’re also a great source of magnesium and manganese, nutrients important for bone health.
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.
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.
That said, the number of cashew-specific studies are limited and more research is needed before strong conclusions can be made.
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 net carbs and sugar with cashews is likely to help reduce blood sugar levels.
That said, more research is needed to examine the effects of cashew-rich diets in people with type 2 diabetes.
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.
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. One of the included 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.
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 varieties instead.
Some research suggests that roasted cashews may contain higher levels of health-promoting antioxidants than raw cashews. Consider roasting raw cashews yourself at home without extra oils.
To do so, simply spread your raw 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.
Moreover, cashews contain phytates which can make it more difficult for your body to absorb the vitamins and minerals they contain. Soaking your nuts overnight before adding them to dishes will help reduce their phytate content and improve their digestibility.
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.