Raw,
Organic Cashews:
One of Nature's Most Nutrient-Dense Nuts
If you want to stay as healthy as
possible as you age, it's critical that you limit your consumption of pasteurized
dairy products, which I believe can be a significant cause of heart disease,
poor digestive tract health, a hypersensitive and weakened immune system, chronic
skin challenges, chronic ear infections, and chronic sinus problems, just to
name a few conditions that are strongly linked to regular consumption of pasteurized
dairy.
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When I design dairy-free dietary
programs for clients, I often recommend eating about a handful of raw, organic
cashews per day, as cashews are extremely dense in health-promoting nutrients,
and their natural creaminess and sweetness make them an excellent substitute
for many dairy-based foods and snacks. For example, the experience of eating
apple slices dipped in freshly made cashew butter - easily made by blending
up a handful of cashews in a blender or food processor - usually convinces even
the most fervent lovers of dairy that life without cow's milk can still be grand.
Beyond nourishing your body with
freshly made cashew butter, you can make a variety of creamy dips, sauces, and
even dairy-free cheese with cashews. You can also enjoy raw, organic cashews
mixed in with smoothies, cereals, and trail mixes. And of course, they're fantastic
just on their own, fresh out of the bag.
When eaten on a regular basis, raw,
organic cashews may have the following physiological effects:
Keep your heart and blood
vessels healthy by providing your cardiovascular system with a steady
stream of healthy, monounsaturated fatty acids.
Build and maintain strong
bones and teeth by supplying your body with a rich supply of magnesium,
which is just as important to the physical structure of your bones and teeth
as calcium.
Promote healthy blood
pressure - magnesium-rich cashews can help keep your blood vessels
relaxed, combating the negative effects of poor dietary choices and stress
than can cause high blood pressure.
Keep your nerves relaxed
- this is also accomplished by magnesium, which promotes a healthy, relaxed
tone in your nerves and muscles by acting as a natural calcium channel blocker.
Decrease muscle cramps
and soreness - also due to the high magnesium content of high quality
cashews.
Promote deep, restful
sleep through the relaxation effect that magnesium has on your nervous
system and muscles.
Keep your joints, bones,
and blood vessels flexible by supplying your body with significant
amounts of copper.
Prevent premature aging
and disease by supporting the antioxidant activity of a powerful
enzyme called superoxide dismutase.
The
Best Raw, Organic Cashews in the World
These days, the leading commercial
producers of raw cashews are India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mozambique, Tanzania,
and Nigeria. Based on extensive research and testing of samples from all over
the world, I feel that the finest raw, organic cashews in the world
are grown in Brazil.
Cashews grow on the cashew tree,
which is actually native to coastal areas in northeastern Brazil. As a general
principle, I feel that fruits and vegetables that grow in their native lands
are tastier and more nutrient-dense than their transplanted counterparts.
Cashew nuts are actually seeds that
appear at the bottom of the cashew apple, which is the fruit of the cashew tree.
The reason why you'll almost never see cashews in their shells in grocery stores
is that the inside walls of their shells contain a caustic resin - only with
careful processing can cashews be removed from their shells without contaminating
them with resin.
The raw, organic Brazilian
cashews that we use and provide in our natural health shop are carefully prepared
at temperatures below 118 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that they're truly
raw cashews that have all of their naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, enzymes,
and phytochemicals intact.
Each batch is tested by a third party
laboratory to ensure that our raw, organic cashews are completely free of microbial
contaminants. And we vacuum-seal each package in a re-sealable pouch to ensure
maximum freshness. Please note that the raw cost of
these special cashews has been quite volatile over the past several months,
so we can't guarantee availability or the current discounted price in the months
ahead. But we will always try to stay in stock and keep the price as low as
possible.
If you decide to add raw, organic
cashews to your diet to promote your best health, please feel free to search
the recipes archive at our main site for a bunch of recipes that call for raw,
organic cashews. Though I love the recipes that call for raw, organic cashews
to make dairy-free sour cream and onion dip and an unforgettable alfredo sauce,
my favorite way to enjoy these raw, organic cashews is to make small batches
of fresh cashew butter, and to eat the cashew butter with fuji apple slices
- I find that this is an excellent evening snack that promotes a good night's
rest, most likely due to the high tryptophan content of cashews.
If you're worried that eating raw,
organic cashews might cause you to gain weight, I encourage you to put this
worry aside. Raw, organic cashews that are unsalted don't promote overeating,
and because they are naturally rich in fiber and healthy monounsaturated fats,
you'll always know when you've had enough to fuel and nourish your body. I've
actually found that when people include raw, organic cashews in their diets,
they tend to eat less unhealthy snacks, which often contributes to normalization
of body weight. If you are overweight and you eat raw, organic cashews
in place of processed snacks, you'll likely lose some weight. And if you are
underweight, raw, organic cashews will provide you with concentrated amounts
of healthy fats and protein that may actually help you gain healthy weight if
you follow an exercise program that promotes muscle growth.
Storage Tip:
It's best to store raw, organic cashew
nuts in a sealed container or package. For optimal preservation of freshness,
store them in the freezer. If you make your own cashew butter, be sure to store
it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Please Note: As
is the case with all of the products that we use and provide at our natural
health shop, if you choose to order our raw, organic cashews, I recommend that
you order more than one package at a time. This is because UPS (for orders in
the States) and USPS (for orders everywhere else) charge one main fee to ship
any package, and then add only modest increments for each additional item. Ordering
more than one item at a time will significantly reduce your per-item shipping
and handling charge. This principle holds true with any combination
of items that you order from our recommended products section. For example,
if you order a package of one of our raw chocolate products or our goji berries
along with our raw, organic cashews, then you will save significant shipping
dollars per item.
If you have never tried any of our
products and would just like to give one of them a try, then it makes sense
to order only one item initially to make sure that you find it to be as effective
as we do.
