How to please yourself without gaining weight.
To enhance salads, sauces or as an aperitif, cashew nuts are very popular oilseeds. Rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc, fiber and iron, they are an excellent health ally. They are good for balancing the intestinal microbiota, for regulating transit and for properly satiating. This benefit comes from their richness in proteins which also makes them an excellent alternative to proteins of animal origin.They contain 17g of protein per 100g of food”explains Sophie Janvier, dietician-nutritionist.For comparison, the egg, often considered the reference protein, is 12 g of protein per 100 g of food”the expert specifies.
Cashews contain good quality fatty acids, including monounsaturated fatty acids, as found in olive oil. They represent about 29% of their composition. Also present are polyunsaturated fatty acids or “essential fatty acids” because we do not produce them ourselves. Beneficial for cardiovascular and hormonal health, they represent 9% of the composition of cashews. Negative point, “in polyunsaturated fatty acids, we find mainly omega 6, rather than omega 3”warns Sophie Janvier. “We need it, but in our modern diet, we generally have enough omega 6. On the other hand, we lack omega 3.” It is therefore preferable to seek out a source of omega 3 as a supplement. Our nutritionist then advises mixing cashew nuts and walnuts but without overdoing it. What does that mean?
You can eat about 30 grams of cashew nuts per day, which is equivalent to a small handful or about fifteen nuts. This recommendation applies to all oilseeds. “30g is ideal for providing the body with the benefits of the nutrients present in nuts, while remaining reasonable in caloric load.” Because 100 grams of cashew nuts represent 600 calories (or 200 calories for a handful). “In equal quantities, cashew nuts are more caloric than Oreo© cookies, even if they remain healthier than the famous little cakes” warns the dietician-nutritionist.
Regardless of the quantity eaten, be wary of commercially available bags of cashew nuts. “They are often much too salty” according to the specialist. We generally ingest too much salt with our diet, around 8 g per day while the recommendations are 6 g. Thus, 100 g of salted cashew nuts can contain 1.5 g of salt. To enjoy your handful of cashew nuts, it is better to buy them plain (and not roasted).
Thanks to Sophie Janvier, dietician-nutritionist, author of the book “The gentle method for eating better” published by Leduc and creator of the BOOST anti-inflammatory program.