Cashews are rich in nutrients and may offer several health benefits, such as promoting heart health, preventing blood sugar spikes, and more. 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. 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 yoghurt or oatmeal. You can also process cashew butter together with oats and your favourite 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 flavour to meals or make dairy-free versions of your favourite desserts. 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.
