Cashews are not just tasty nuts with a sweet flavor and enjoyable crunch. They are packed with health benefits that you might find surprising!
Let’s explore 10 wonderful ways that eating cashews right after you wake up can boost your health and happiness:
Table of Contents
1. Better Heart Health
Heart disease is a major problem worldwide. But eating cashews can help protect your heart.
These nuts are full of good monounsaturated fats. Research shows that these fats can keep your cholesterol healthy and lower the “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Cashews also have lots of magnesium, which helps control blood pressure and lower your risk of heart disease. Just one ounce of cashews gives you 76% of the magnesium you need every day!
2. Helps With Weight Loss
If you’re trying to lose weight, cashews are a great snack to eat in the morning.
They are full of fiber and protein, which means they can make you feel full and stop you from overeating or craving unhealthy snacks.
Studies also suggest that cashews can help you burn more fat. Diets with more magnesium in them are linked to losing more weight and fat.
Eating a good amount of cashews in the morning can help you work towards your weight loss goals.
3. Boosts Brain Power
Starting your day with cashews is also great for your brain.
The copper in cashews helps make brain cells and protects them. It also helps make neurotransmitters, like serotonin, that make you feel happy.
Cashews have zinc, too, which helps with memory and thought processes. Not getting enough zinc can make your mind feel cloudy.
Eating cashews every day gives your brain a steady supply of copper and zinc to stay sharp.
4. Strengthens Bones
As you get older, your bones can get weaker, raising the risk of osteoporosis. Cashews can help fight this.
They have important nutrients for bones, like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus.
Ounce for ounce, cashews even have more calcium than milk! They also have vitamin K, which helps calcium go to your bones.
Eating cashews when you wake up is a great way to get these bone-strengthening nutrients early in the day.
5. Improves Immunity
Stopping colds, the flu, and other infections gets tougher as you age. But cashews can boost your immune system.
Zinc in cashews helps make white blood cells that fight infection. Selenium and vitamin E are antioxidants that destroy bad free radicals and viruses.
These nutrients in cashews work together to protect you from bacteria and disease.
6. Reduces Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is linked to several diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. Cashews can help control this inflammation.
The nuts are full of antioxidants that clean up free radicals that can damage cells. They also have anti-inflammatory fats, magnesium, and copper.
One research study even found that people who ate cashews had lower levels of inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).
Having cashews first thing in the morning can help you lower pain and the risk of diseases.
7. Lowers Blood Sugar
When your blood sugar levels are not stable, it can lead to weight gain, fatigue, and type 2 diabetes. Cashews help keep your blood sugar even.
The healthy fats and fiber in cashews cause sugar to be released into your blood slowly. This keeps your energy levels stable and helps you avoid cravings and overeating.
Cashews are also good for people with diabetes because of their low glycemic index. Some studies have shown that cashews can improve how your body responds to insulin and help control your blood sugar levels.
8. Supports Digestive Health
Your gut contains many bacteria that affect everything from your immune system to your brain health. Feeding your gut the right foods, like cashews, is important.
Cashews have prebiotics that help good bacteria grow in your gut. This stops bad bacteria and helps the good ones.
With better gut flora, you can enjoy smoother digestion, less bloating, and protection against leaky gut syndrome.
9. May Help Prevent Cancer
Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. While more studies are needed, eating cashews might lower your risk of cancer.
Cashews have proanthocyanidins, strong antioxidants that stop tumor growth and kill cancer cells.
The copper in cashews also fights cancer by reducing the damage to DNA caused by free radicals.
Eating cashews full of antioxidants and copper every day could possibly reduce your risk of cancer.
10. Lifts Mood and Mental Health
Having cashews in the morning can also improve your mood and mental wellbeing.
Magnesium in cashews boosts levels of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that make you feel good. This helps reduce anxiety and makes you feel calm.
Omega-3s in cashews are linked with mood improvement too. A study showed that people with depression had much lower levels of omega-3s.
Plus, the B vitamins in cashews keep your brain’s chemicals balanced, which can help fight stress and tiredness.
All these elements make cashews a wonderful way to start your day feeling happy and mentally strong.
Conclusion
Having some cashews first thing in the morning can bring a bunch of amazing benefits for your health, from helping with weight, improving brain function, making bones stronger, giving your immune system a boost, balancing blood sugar, to supporting digestive health, and more.
With a special mix of healthy fats, proteins, magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium, and important antioxidants, cashews help guard against chronic diseases, inflammation, mental health problems, and cancer.
When you compare them to other typical breakfast foods, cashews really stand out. They leave you feeling full, energetic, and ready for the day in a healthy way.
Make sure to keep a stash of raw, unsalted whole cashews and make it a habit to enjoy them on an empty stomach every morning. Your body will surely be grateful!
