Food Worship #7: The Cashew

For some reason, nuts get a bad rap.  People stay away from all sorts of nuts just because of their caloric density and high fat content.  While I'm sure I've gone over this in previous articles, I might as well say it again.

NUTS ARE ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST FOODS YOU CAN EAT!

Why is this?  Well first of all, sure they're high in calories, but nearly every single one of those calories is derived from some of the greatest stuff around: Heart healthy unsaturated fat, and protein.  In their raw form, nuts are extremely low sodium, low carb, and therefore also very low in sugar.  And it'd do you well to remember this mantra:  Fat doesn't make you fat.  The unsaturated fat in nuts is actually shown to reduce the risk of obesity.  Many people eat handfulls of nuts, hundreds of calories, and continue to shed weight.  So let's get over our fear, shall we?

Now, let's discuss my favorite nut of all time:  The cashew.  I love almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, and just about any other nut you can think of, but for some reason I always come back to the cashew for its rich, powerful flavor and chewy, yet somehow creamy texture.  Even the smell of cashews is enough to drive me bonkers.  They're just so good!

Here's the nutritional information for cashews:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 oz (28.3 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 156 Calories from Fat 112

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12.4g 19%

Saturated Fat 2.2g 11%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 6.7g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 3mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates 8.5g 3%

Dietary Fiber 0.9g 4%

Sugars 1.7g

Protein 5.2g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 1% • Iron 11%

But obviously, being a health food and fitness blog, let's explore a little further as to why exactly the cashew is so good for you, and why you should definitely make some room in your diet for a few of these little pieces of heaven:

Healthy Fat Content:  All right, we just went over this.  Cashews, like most nuts, have an extremely desirable composition of healthy fats.  In fact, cashews have one of the greatest "fat ratios" of all nuts in existence.  This means the ratio of the different types of fats that exist in cashews is the most optimal for health and weight loss. Read here:

Diet and Weight Management

Cashew nuts do have a relatively high fat content (12 grams per ounce, 2 grams saturated fat), but it is considered “good fat.” This is due to the agreeable fat ratio in the nut, 1:2:1 for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated, respectively, which scientists say is the ideal ratio for optimal health.

In fact, people who eat more cashews (and other nuts in general) are actually at a lower risk of weight gain/obesity because they maintain a better dietary fat ratio, and in turn crave less of the nasty processed stuff.  In fact, good, healthy, unsaturated fats can keep you full for longer, and subdue those cravings for the food you really shouldn't be eating.

Zero Cholesterol:  That's right, this little nut is as heart healthy as can be!  It tastes so good it's amazing that it has zero cholesterol, and that the unsaturated fats it contains actually help support HDL cholesterol (commonly referred to as "good" cholesterol.)  Have a few cashews and keep that heart beating strong!

Protein Content:  I won't lie, nuts aren't the greatest protein source.  But they're definitely not bad!  Especially cashews.  As you can see by the nutritional facts, cashews have about 5 grams of dense protein per ounce, which can definitely help support muscle mass.  On a side note, not only will the protein in cashews help to rebuild those muscles after a hard workout, but the fat content in the nut will slow the digestion of ingested protein in order to feed your muscles for a longer period of time.  This means a handful of cashews is a great pre-bedtime snack, especially for those looking to pack on some serious lean muscle mass.

Vitamins/Minerals/Antioxidants:  Cashews are absolutely PACKED with all the other little good things your body needs, like magnesium and manganese for bone strength, copper for your immune system.  Cashews are also rich in phosphorus, biotin, and vitamin K.  These things are power packed for such a small little package.

Low Sodium:  That's right, when you don't get salted nuts, they're actually one of the lowest sodium snacks you could ever munch on.  Only 3 mg of sodium per ounce!  That's insanely low!  And believe me, you don't need that added salt to love cashews, their flavor is perfectly delicious when eaten just roasted.  Try a few!

So there you have it.  You can decrease your risk of obesity, increase your vitamin intake, help your heart to beat nice and strong, and rebuild those tired muscles all with one little EXTREMELY tasty snack.  Instead of those Tostitos, try a handful of cashews.  Your body and taste buds will thank you; that I can guarantee.

Embrace the nut, love the cashew, and as always, good luck!


References:


http://organiccashewnuts.com/health/


http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=98

Vegetables: To Cook or not to Cook?

I've always been intrigued by the debate about which is healthier:  Cooked vegetables or raw vegetables.  The claim by many is that cooking vegetables removes significant levels of the nutrients in them, therefore they become less beneficial to the human body.  The other side of the argument (which I tend to lean toward) is the fact that we as humans have weak digestive systems, and are unable to process much of the raw, fibrous plant matter contained in uncooked vegetables, so while even though more nutrients may be present in raw veggies, we can't actually absorb them.  There's good data for both sides of this argument, and many reasons to mix it up and have both cooked and raw veggies in your diet.

Reasons to cook vegetables:

1.  Easily accessible nutrients:  Across the board, all the vitamins present in vegetables (A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, etc.) tend to be more easily absorbed because the vegetables are softer, and easier to digest.  This means theoretically that while cooked vegetables have a tad less of each vitamin compared to their raw counterpart, you end up getting MORE of those leftover nutrients than you would have gotten originally if you'd just eaten the vegetable raw.

(Here's a chart displaying the amount of each main vitamin in various vegetables when they're both raw and cooked:  http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-2f.shtml)

2.  Beta Carotene- This extremely powerful nutrient present in many vegetables (especially carrots) is absorbed much more readily when the vegetables are lightly steamed.  Beta Carotene converts to Vitamin A in the body, which will aid in eyesight (ever heard the myth that if you eat enough carrots you can see in the dark?)

3.  Antioxidants- Same deal here.  Useful antioxidants like carotenoids and ferulic acid are utilized by the body much more effectively if vegetables are steamed or boiled.   

4.  They taste better!  At least this is what the majority of people agree upon.  I am partial to cooked vegetables myself, they're quite delicious, warm, easy to chew, and the flavors are much more palatable.  My friends would be a little stunned to see this because I'm usually munching on a pack of raw baby carrots or a stick of celery.  However if given the choice, I'll choose cooked every time.

5.  You can eat more of them!  Cooked veggies aren't as fibrous as raw veggies, and therefore won't fill you up as fast.  That means you can cram more of those useful nutrients down your gullet before your body tells you to stop.  On a muscle building diet, this is a must.  

6.  Anti nutrients are destroyed:  These things won't kill you, but they definitely won't help you.  But what exactly is an anti nutrient?  A good analogy is an apple seed.  The seeds are the valuable part of the apple, and the apple tree doesn't want you to eat its future offspring, therefore apple seeds have evolved to contain traces of cyanide.  Raw grains contain many anti nutrients, and the amount you absorb can be reduced by cooking them before consumption.  This destroys a good portion of those pesky little devils, and the analogy holds true with vegetables (mostly beans) as well.  

Reasons to leave them raw:

1.  They fill you up!  Raw vegetables are extremely fibrous, especially greens like lettuce, broccoli, celery, and spinach.  These foods all are extremely low calorie, healthy snacks that can fill your belly in a heartbeat if you're having one of those hungry hungry hippo moments.  Try a cup of raw broccoli sometime.  No, it may not taste great, but you'll definitely feel like you've eaten a significant meal.  

2.  Easy to snack on:  Raw veggies are easy to pack up.  Try packing a bag full of carrots, celery, pepper slices, and broccoli and I guarantee you'll end up with a filling snack that didn't take more than two minutes to make.  Raw vegetables are firm and robust, and won't be easily crushed.  They're relatively dry as well, so you won't soak the rest of your lunch by accident.  Plus, raw vegetables give that satisfying crunch, and if you can get used to the natural taste, you're golden.  

3.  More Vitamin C:  This vitamin tends to be the one that gets the bad end of the stick when veggies are cooked.  Much of the vitamin C is destroyed by steaming, boiling, or frying, so if you're looking for a little more in your diet (and you should be) then crunch on a few raw veggies today.  

4.  They make your body work!  Have you ever heard of negative calorie foods?  Well stop thinking about them right now, because there are huge debates on whether they exist or not, and the evidence is leaning toward a big fat NO.  However that doesn't mean your body isn't expending large amounts of energy to digest raw foods such as celery and broccoli, and the few calories that are in those foods make them great choices to give your digestive system a workout.  This isn't a pointless endeavor, a healthy digestive system can save you from all sorts of health troubles later in life.  The fiber in those tomatoes will only do you good!  

I say have them both ways!  Veggies are good for you no matter if they're steamed, boiled, fried, cooked, or right off the vine.  I love the way they taste each way, and once you try a few I bet you'll like them too.  Buy some baby carrot packs and much on them at work, or on a walk, or while you're outside reading a book, or while you're cooking dinner, whenever, wherever however you like!  In my opinion, there isn't really ever a bad time to have some vegetables.  

Load those plates high, crunch into a few carrots, and enjoy!