IF you are craving a crunchy snack, a handful of cashews is a heart healthy choice as they are packed with Omega 9 monounsaturated fats.
Omega 9 helps maintain good cholesterol to keep the body healthy. It is well documented that high cholesterol is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Cashews are a very popular choice when it comes to nut mixes, but they have a bit of a bad reputation due to misleading information coming from the wrong people about their small, saturated fat content.
Too much saturated fat can increase bad cholesterol which is a risk factor for heart disease. This is well documented. But luckily enough the type of saturated fat found in cashew nuts is called stearic acid which doesn’t have a negative effect or increase bad cholesterol.
this should most definitely lower your risk of heart disease by reducing risk factors of this disease, most notably high cholesterol.
All saturated fats aren’t created equally as these different types (palmitic, myristic and lauric acids) that are found in full fat diary, red meats and derivatives as well as palm and coconut oil can increase bad cholesterol. You shouldn’t take any more than 20-30g of these saturated fats (full fat diary, red meats, palm and coconut oil) on a daily basis for females and males.
If taking nuts as a healthy snack and replacing crisps and milk chocolate that can be high in palm oil, this should most definitely lower your risk of heart disease by reducing risk factors of this disease, most notably high cholesterol.
Roasting Almonds and Cashew nuts, for Snacks they are good for ones health instead junk food. 😋😋 pic.twitter.com/5188tdgwos
— M 4 max (@Maqs_ahmed) December 28, 2022
Cashew nuts are also a good source of magnesium, copper, fibre and protein (when combined with vegetables) which play key roles in sleep, collagen production and gut health within our bodies. A portion size of cashew nuts is 30g and can be taken as a snack and/or sauteed with vegetables (onions, peppers and mushrooms) in a nice pasta dish.
Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentivenutrition@gmail.com
