Are Cashews Good for You? Nutrition, Benefits, and Downsides
Cashews are kidney-shaped seeds sourced from the cashew tree, a tropical tree native to Brazil but now cultivated in various warm climates worldwide.
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 the resulting product is sold as 'raw.'
Although people often refer to them as tree nuts, cashews are really seeds. They're rich in nutrients and beneficial plant compounds and make for an easy addition to many dishes.
This article reviews the nutrition, benefits, and downsides of cashews to determine whether they're good for you.
Cashew nutrition
Cashews are rich in a range of nutrients. A 1 ounce (oz), or 28 gram (g), serving of unroasted, unsalted cashews provides the following:
Calories: 157
Protein: 5.16 g
Fat: 12.4 g
Carbs: 8.56 g
Fiber: 0.9 g
Copper: 0.6 milligrams (mg)
Magnesium: 82.8 mg
Manganese: 0.4 mg
Zinc: 1.6 mg
Phosphorus: 168 mg
Iron: 1.8 mg
Selenium: 5.6 micrograms (µg)
Thiamin: 0.1 mg
Vitamin K: 9.6 µg
Vitamin B6: 0.1 mg
Cashews contain unsaturated fats, a category of fats linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
In addition, cashews contain a significant amount of copper, a mineral essential for:
energy production
healthy brain development
strong immune system
Contain beneficial plant compounds
Cashews are a source of antioxidants.
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 also a source of polyphenols and carotenoids, two classes of antioxidants also found in other tree nuts.
Roasted cashews may be particularly beneficial, as they appear to have an increased antioxidant activity compared with their 'raw' counterparts.
That said, the number of cashew-specific studies is limited, and more research is necessary.
May help with weight loss
Some research is starting to link nut-rich diets to greater weight loss and overall lower body weights compared with nut-free diets.
Research from 2018 suggests that the human body may only digest and absorb some of the calories in cashews. 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 nuts may increase your body's ability to fully digest them, thereby increasing the number of calories the body absorbs.
As a result, weight loss benefits may be strongest for whole, 'raw' cashews, though more research is necessary to confirm this.
May improve heart health
Diets rich in nuts, including cashews, have links with fewer cases of cardiovascular disease.
A few studies have focused on the specific heart health benefits of cashews.
A 2019 study found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed 10% of their daily calories from cashews had lower LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratios than those who ate no cashews at all.
However, a 2019 review shows conflicting results. It suggests that regular intake of cashews may lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels, but the review found no effect on total, LDL, or HDL cholesterol levels.
While cashews may benefit heart health as with other nuts, more research is necessary to confirm this.
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 source of fiber, a nutrient that helps prevent blood sugar spikes and which may help protect against type 2 diabetes.
Studies looking at the effects of cashews on blood sugar levels are limited.
However, in a 2019 study, people with type 2 diabetes who ate 10% of their daily calories from cashews had overall lower insulin levels than those who ate no cashews at all.
Speak with a doctor for more information about the possible benefits for people with type 2 diabetes or for protecting against the condition.
Easy to add to your diet
Cashews are very easy to add to your diet.
You can eat them 'raw' or roasted. They make an easy portable snack.
You can incorporate whole or ground cashews 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.
You can also soak cashews and blend them 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.
Potential downsides of cashews
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.
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.
It is also possible to be allergic to one tree nut. This means that you may have a cashew nut allergy but you are not allergic to other nuts.
Seek immediate medical help if signs of an allergic reaction develop. These can include, but are not limited to, the following:
breathing problems
swelling of the tongue, mouth, or throat
rash
coughing
dizziness
confusion
pale or blueish skin
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