What Are Cashews

Cashews are a dream nut for those on a dairy-free diet. When soaked and blended with water, they add a creamy, velvety texture to soups, pasta sauces, dairy-free ricotta cheese filling and yummy desserts like dairy-free cheesecake, and luckily cashews pack many nutrients and health benefits. 

It is an interesting nut. They grow on trees native to Brazil and thrive in tropical climates. The cashew nut is technically a seed and is found in the kidney-shaped fruit of the tree, which grows out of the “cashew apple”. The cashew apple has 5 times the vitamin C found in an orange and is commonly eaten in tropical regions.

Interestingly, there is only one cashew nut in each fruit. On top of that, the cashew is encased in a toxic shell that will burn your skin if you touch it and can be lethal if you breathe it in while it's roasting. Roasting destroys the toxins, making the cashew safe to eat, but it has to be done outdoors because the toxins are very strong. The main toxin is anacardic acid, which is a powerful skin irritant, similar to the toxin found in poison ivy. Next time you eat a cashew, you will appreciate the long process it took to get to your kitchen!

Health Benefits and Uses of Cashews

Cardiovascular Disease 

It is high in monounsaturated fatty acids that work to lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) while raising HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). This means it helps prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by reducing harmful fat buildup on artery walls. It is also high in magnesium, which helps lower blood pressure and is needed to relax the heart muscle.

Metabolic Syndrome and Weight Loss 

Studies have shown that eating it daily can help improve metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels and excess body fat around the waistline. Those with metabolic syndrome are at high risk for developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Eating nutritious foods like cashews, that contain heart-healthy fats, protein and fibre can benefit your health by helping reduce these risks and promote weight loss. A review of 31 studies found that incorporating nuts into your diet does in fact promote weight loss, especially when eating nuts replaces other foods.

Nutritious Superfood 

Cashews provide nutrient benefits because they are high in minerals like magnesium, manganese, iron and zinc. They are also high in healthy fats and they are high in antioxidants that are known to fight free radicals Adding nutrient-dense foods is a proactive way to improve your diet and using it and other nuts is a simple way to start.

Cashew Based Recipes

You can simply start snacking on it. They make a nutritious snack on their own or are very tasty in trail mixes. You can also add whole it to salads, stir-fries, steamed veggies or your baked goods. Cashew butter is very tasty too! You can use it on toast, cut-up veggies or in smoothies.

It is Mother Nature's gift to living dairy-free! The first time I used it to make a dairy-free rosée pasta sauce, I almost cried with joy at how wonderful it tasted. Raw cashews have very little taste because roasting brings out naturally sweet flavours, so be sure to purchase raw cashews to use in your dairy-free recipes. Check out one of my favorite pasta sauce recipes, it's so easy and it's a great way to see how cashews make a yummy and very easy dairy alternative.

Shopping For Quality Cashews

When purchasing it, look for raw organic cashews because roasted cashews will have some of the healthy fats broken down through the heating process. Organic cashews will be pesticide-free and this is important for cashews because, in some countries, endosulfan is a pesticide that is used on cashew trees but has actually been banned in the U.S.

You may wonder if raw cashews actually exist. This is a good question because cashews need a certain amount of roasting to destroy the natural toxin present in the shell of cashews. In fact, you can not get actual “raw” cashews, but you can purchase cashews that have not been roasted again, and they will be labelled raw.

Alternative Nuts & Seeds

It is considered a tree nut and belongs to the Anacardiaceae plant family which also includes mango, pistachios, sumac and poison ivy. Some people who are allergic to these plants may also have an allergy to cashews.

If you are allergic to it, try seeds like pumpkin, sesame, chia, and sunflower. Raw seeds can also provide essential Omega 3 fatty acids, minerals and antioxidants to benefit your health. For other healthy snacks consider dried legumes like chickpeas or soybeans, which are high in fiber and protein.