Cashew Day
22 November 2023
Cashew Day
If ever you needed an excuse to enjoy a healthy handful of cashews, here it is! Held on 23 November each year, Cashew Day celebrates this delicious and nutritious nut.
A healthy handful (or a 30g serve) is around 15 cashews.
Fast facts about cashews:
- Cashews provide 17g plant protein per 100g (or 5g in a 30g handful), placing them in the top three tree nuts for their protein content.
- They contain the most iron of all nuts. Iron transports oxygen in the blood, and is important for wound healing and immunity.
- Cashews are nutrient-rich. Phosphorous, copper, selenium, potassium and magnesium are among the valuable nutrients they provide.
- Carefully-controlled feeding trials suggest cashews may provide 14% less kilojoules than what’s stated on food labels, as our bodies don’t absorb all the naturally-occurring fat in cashews (and other nuts).
- Cashews have a low glycaemic index (GI) at 25. They take time to digest, thanks to their complex plant cell walls, and the healthy fats and fibre they contain.
- The fatty acids in cashews are predominantly the heart-healthy monounsaturated type (63%).
- Cashews are naturally low in the food chemicals that some people may be intolerant to, meaning they’re the one nut people following an elimination diet can eat.