Are you ready to go nuts? If you aren’t, let’s start it out. Going nuts, especially cashews, will not gain you weight as long as you consume it in the right portion and cook it in the right way. Cashews are naturally unique because they are called nuts when they are actually the seeds from their fruits.
They are popular not only because their nice sweet, yet buttery flavor, but also because they are loaded with vitamins and minerals your body can reap the benefits. Isn’t it fun to get healthy by eating such delicious food? If the health benefits of cashew nuts are already known, now you can learn the health benefits of cashew nuts for men.
Cashew Nuts Nutrition Value
Packed with vitamins and minerals, just from ¼ cup serving of cashew nuts you can find these nutrients below, according to draxe.com:
- Copper 750 mg
- Zinc 9 mg
- Magnesium 89 mg
- Manganese 27 mg
- Phosphorus 167 mg
- Iron 2 mg
- Folate 23 mg
- Fiber 1 gr
- Fat 16 gr
- Protein 5 gr
- Calories 196
The calories above consisting of fat, carbohydrate and protein. Don’t worry about the fat because most of them are in form of unsaturated fats, which will not make you easily gain weight. Considering that this nut has high enough calories, this is a good snack option to keep you full without having to worry about your weight. Compared to the other types of nuts, cashews have less fat.
Health Benefits of Cashew Nuts for Men
After knowing the nutrients packed inside cashews, what can actually men gain by eating this food? Check below.
- Increasing Fertility
This could be the main reason why men should eat cashew nuts because this nut is rich in zinc. This mineral is very important to maintain in the body if you want to boost your fertility. This happens to woman too, not only men. It has been showed by some studies that the low level of zinc in your body, even if it happens just in a short period of time, can affect the volume of men’s sperm.  So this is a great food to add in your diet for maintaining the good sperm volume and fertility.
- Generating Erections
Having good sex with your spouse is very important because it highly influences your marriage. Eating nuts is good for men not only because it increases fertility, but also because it helps to maintain good sex life by generating erections. Nitric oxide is responsible to generate erections and this compound requires the amino acid arginine found in cashew nuts. It has been even shown in studies that foods containing arginine help men having better performance in sex.
- Promoting Healthy Brain
There are numerous nutrients in cashews good for the brain function, especially the fatty acids. Considering that human’s brain is mostly consisting of fat, fatty acid does require. The supply should be steady so it will not lack of it and start aging. Moreover, some minerals such as zinc, iron and chopper in cashews can help regulating the neurotransmitter, resulting in the prevention of some brain-related disorders such as dementia and ADHD.
- Helping with Weight Loss
Not only women, men also need to keep their weight on track. Aside from doing some exercises, eating the right foods, like cashews, is very important. As has been mentioned above that although this nut is high in fat, most of it is unsaturated fat, which will not make you gain weight, but aiding weight loss instead.Â
Also, this nut is high in protein. It means that you can get the fullness without the huge amount of calories. Add it to your daily meals so you can reduce the amount of calories intake since it helps making you full. One of the health benefits of boiled soybeans is also adding in weight loss, so you can make a switch in your diet to vary your daily meals.
- Boosting Vision Health
Your vision health can be maintained and protected from damage by consuming the right foods containing antioxidants that can benefit the eyes. Cashew is one of those super foods you need. It will not only keep your eyes away from the macular degeneration, but also from the harmful effect from light.
- Promoting Blood Health
As has been mentioned above that cashews are rich in mineral including iron and copper, you can keep your blood healthy since it can steadily producing the red blood cells. Healthy blood means healthy immunity because it has the control of all your body. Moreover, anemia can be prevented since you get your iron well supplied.Â
- Maintaining Healthy Muscle
As a man having healthy muscle and bones is very important because looking weak could be really miserable. Consuming the right food is one of the most essential ways to keep your muscle healthy. Magnesium is needed if you want to keep your bones strong, so including cashews in your daily diet can be the right option.
It is rich in magnesium, which will not only make your bones healthy, but also the nerve function, blood pressure and immune system. Along with magnesium, calcium and potassium can be also found in this nut. Completed with vitamin K, this food is perfect for your bone and muscle. A combination of calcium and vitamin K is what your bones need to maintain their density. For another option to keep your bone healthy, learn the health benefits of fresh dill since they also have good amount of calcium.
- Preventing Prostate Cancer
Cashews are said to be good in preventing cancers occur in the digestive tract, but it may be also helpful in preventing prostate cancer too. This is because abundant antioxidant vitamins can be found in this delicious nut, thus protecting your body from oxidative stress caused by the free radical damage.
- Supplying Dietary Fibers
Palmitic acid and oleic acid are two kinds of dietary fibers your body need. Unfortunately, you can’t get these fibers from your body because it doesn’t produce them. You need to get them supplied by eating the right food, cashews for example. That is why cashews are said to be good in preventing some diseases in digestion because the fibers contained.
However, you need to be careful in the amount since excessive consumption can lead to bloating. This is also one of the health benefits of eating beans and rice together, so you can include this food combination for your dietary fiber supply.
- Supporting Liver
The copper in cashews can help supporting the liver by helping it producing liver enzymes. Keeping the liver healthy is very important because it has significant role in your body to process the waste. Liver damage will be surely distracting your health, so plan your diet and include cashews in it.
- Boosting Testosterone Levels
Testosterone levels can be increased by consuming selenium-rich foods like cashews. Studies have showed its effectiveness in boosting testosterone levels resulting in prostate cancer prevention. Thus, there are many proven health benefits of cashew nuts for men.Â
Cautions of Cashew Nuts for Men
Although you can find many benefits of cashews for men, there are some things to put into account so you can eat them properly without having to experience the side effects.
- Be Aware of the Sodium
Cashews are naturally containing sodium, but the amount is very small. In every 100 grams of cashews there are only 12 mg of it. However, people tend to add more sodium when eating this nut to make it tasty. When served salted, the amount of 12 mg of sodium is increasing become 181 mg, which is quite a huge amount.
Although cashews are good in maintaining the health of the heart and blood, this function may not work if you eat the salted version. There are actually some health benefits of sodium you can take, but these days people tend to eat too much of it, considering that many foods out there are secretly containing it without them even realize. So, be aware in the consumption is not a bad decision.
- Stay Away from Raw Nuts
Just because the salted version is harmful for your health doesn’t mean you can eat them raw. Raw cashews are even more dangerous due to the oil and poison presented in the shells. It is recommended for you to eat the commercial packed cashews, which have been properly roasted and de-shelled, so they come out hygienic without the toxin.
If you want to eat cashews properly, make sure you know the right technique and combine them with healthy ingredients so you can even add more health benefits to your body. There are many healthy recipes using cashew you can daily make at home. Cooking your own food can help you manage the sodium so you can still keep the healthy things healthy.