Cashew nuts: composition, benefits and harms of nuts for the body

Everyone knows about the benefits of nuts. But usually they eat walnuts, peanut, hazelnut... Little is known about cashews, but many people like the unusual taste of the fruit. The walnut gained fame thanks to the Portuguese sailors who brought it to Europe. Now the evergreen tree, which brings a healthy delicacy, is grown not only in the countries of South America, but also in India and Africa.

During its distribution in countries with warm climates, cashews have received many names. Usually the nut is called Indian or Brazilian, exotic - acaju, anacardium. The beneficial properties of the plant of the Sumakhov family have been used in their homeland for a long time: Mexicans removed their freckles, and Brazilians and Peruvians used the nut in remedies for influenza and indigestion. You need to know about the positive effect of the components of the nut on the human body, using it with health benefits.

Content:

• Walnut description
• The composition of the nut, its beneficial properties
• Calorie content, nutritional value of the fruit
• The use of cashews in medicine, cosmetology, cooking
• Harm, contraindications to the use of nuts
• How to choose the right cashews
• Fruit storage methods

Walnut description

Cashews ripen on an evergreen tree that, in favorable tropical climates, reaches a height of fifteen to thirty meters. Panicles of yellow-pink flowers appear on a wide spreading crown in spring. After three months, fruits ripen, similar to oval apples of red or yellow color.

Their pulp is juicy, fibrous, it is used for food, jam, jams with a sour taste are cooked from it. At the end of the stalk of the pseudo-fruit, a real fruit develops - a nut covered with a double shell. From above, its surface is green, smooth, and inside it is dense, rough. This is the famous cashew, similar in shape to the comma.

A tropical tree is distinguished by its simplicity in cultivation, so it develops well in countries with warm climates.

It grows quickly, bears fruit, and is not afraid of drought. In temperate latitudes, Acazhu is bred in greenhouses and winter gardens. Indian walnut is extracted from the skin, thermally processed and only then can it be used for food. There is a poisonous layer between the kernel and the skin of the cashews, which causes skin burns. After exposure to high temperatures, the walnut becomes completely harmless, and only benefits a person.

The composition of the nut, its beneficial properties

There are many substances in acazhu nuts that have a positive effect on the work of important human organs:

1. The high content of B vitamins is aimed at high-quality assimilation of proteins, fats, carbohydrates by the body. With a normal riboflavin index, the thyroid gland functions perfectly, the work of the reproductive organs is fine-tuned. The presence of pantothenic acid, pyridoxine has a beneficial effect on digestion.
2. Ascorbic acid has functions aimed at protecting the body from viral and bacterial infections.
3. The presence of omega-3 fatty acids in butter nuts helps to regulate sex drive.
4. Eating Indian nuts lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Hence the benefit of the nut for diabetics, hypertensive patients.
5. Cashews have a tonic effect. It is included in the diet of patients who have undergone the most complex operations, suffering from anemia.
6. The increased content of iron and magnesium speaks of the benefits of the nut for the elderly, pregnant women. And vitamin K in fruits will have a positive effect on the proper development of the embryo.
7. For people with a large weight, a few nuts will help to get enough, reduce the desire to eat high-calorie foods.
8. Cashews have a beneficial effect on the skin, nails, making them healthy.

Regular consumption of nuts, a handful a day, will replenish the body with important substances and vitamins.

Calorie content, nutritional value of the fruit

The tropical nut, like its counterparts, is high in calories. If they eat one hundred grams of cashews a day, then they get about six hundred kilocalories. Most of all in nut squiggles fats, they account for more than seventy percent. Although, despite the oiliness of Brazilian fruits, they have less fat than almonds, peanuts, walnuts.

Cashews are an excellent source of plant-based protein, of which they have nearly thirteen percent, slightly less than meat.

The peculiarity of the protein in the nut is that it does not pollute the body with toxins. And proteins are digested much easier than animal versions. Since only some amino acids are missing in the nut, you should not completely switch to nutrition with them. Together with low-fat varieties of meat products, the human body will receive everything it needs for proper growth and development.

It is better to eat cashews lightly toasted, but not excessively, otherwise the benefits from them will be minimal. Sprinkling salt on nuts, do not forget that you can eat a lot of them, more than one hundred grams per day. And this is a load on the liver, and salt causes tissue swelling. Knowing about the high nutritional value of akazhu, you need to consume them in moderation.

The use of cashews in medicine, cosmetology, cooking

Indian walnut has found its application both in folk medicine, cosmetology, and in cooking:

• The oil squeezed from walnut kernels is beneficial in the treatment of sunburn and dermatitis. They are smeared with age spots to lighten.
• Toasted nuts are included in the menu of patients with gastritis, dysentery, bronchitis, asthma. They lower blood pressure, tidy up the nervous system, and normalize sleep. Proanthocyanidins in fruits are helpful in overcoming cancer in the early stages. Cashews should not be considered a panacea for cancer, but they can help prevent the formation of tumors.
• A mixture of crushed nuts is used to lubricate sore gums. Keeping it in your mouth for a while can help soothe a toothache.
• Nutritionists advise to include in the menu acaj for those who are losing weight and those who want to gain weight. The substances in the composition of nuts are quickly absorbed, helping to overcome the feeling of hunger.
• The action of cosmetics based on cashew oil is aimed at whitening the skin, rejuvenating it. The oil is added to masks, massage creams. Rubbing the oil into the hair roots will strengthen them, make them shiny and healthy.
• For pregnant women, cashews are a source of iron and magnesium. After their moderate use, the expectant mother will get rid of anemia, and the fetus will receive elements, vitamins to strengthen the skeleton, and develop the brain.
• Culinary experts use walnuts to prepare desserts. It is added to decorating cakes and pastries. Walnut is an excellent ingredient in salads and vegetable dishes. The taste of akazhu goes well with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Although cashew nut is not an officially recognized medicine, its use is beneficial for different categories of people.

Harm, contraindications to the use of nuts

The harm from exotic fruits is much less than the benefit.Most often, those who are prone to allergic reactions are affected. And oversaturation with cashew nuts will certainly cause rashes, itching, and swelling. If unpleasant symptoms appear, they should be removed with antihistamines. Nuts are contraindicated for persons with stones in the urinary tract. Cashews are useful for children, but it is necessary to limit their intake to three to five kernels.

Pregnant women should also observe moderation in its use.

Fans of fried nuts need to think that they will additionally saturate the kernels with fats, and nutrients will lose their value under the influence of high temperatures.
You can safely include Indian nuts in the menu for everyone, because there is more benefit from it than harm.

How to choose the right cashew nuts?

There are several basic rules for choosing a nut:

1. There should be no cracks, holes on the surface of the fruit, and the color of the fresh kernel is distinguished by saturation, uniformity of light tones.
2. It is better to acquire kernels whole, since ground or chopped, they spoil faster, differing in a rancid taste.
3. Musty smell, excessive wrinkling of the fruit indicates that the product has expired.
4. Be sure to split one when buying a nut to make sure there is no mold inside.
5. It is best to purchase nuts without packaging, because checking their freshness in a sealed bag is much more difficult.

Getting satisfaction and benefits from their use depends on the correct choice of fruits.

Fruit storage methods

It is wrong to say that nuts deteriorate quickly, cannot be stored for a long time. After all, they were found during excavations, and they were quite edible. Of course, ancient burials were arranged taking into account the preservation in them of a certain temperature and humidity. If you put Brazil nuts in modern kitchen cabinets, they go bad quickly. But frozen kernels are stored for years.

Since the cashew is uncoated, it is placed in a closed container by placing the container in the refrigerator.

Six months will pass, and the product will not deteriorate. At room temperature, in a closed container, the nut will last a month. Cashew storage should be reasonable. If it is possible to purchase it fresh, then this is a better option than long-term preservation.

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