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This is the in-depth article on “The Health Benefits of Cashew Milk”.
Here, you will get in-depth information on the health benefits of drinking cashew milk.
People who are lactose intolerant or vegan generally avoid dairy products.
Such people drink non-dairy milk such as soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, etc, and consume yogurt made up of the respective milk.
Each non-dairy milk has its own health benefits.
In this article, our focus will be on cashew milk health benefits.
Before we start discussing the health benefits of drinking cashew milk, we will discuss some information about cashew milk such as its method of preparation, its nutritional facts, etc.
Let’s start.
Table of Contents
1. What is Cashew Milk?
Many people get confused between cashew milk and cashew with milk.
Are they different?
Yes, they are completely different.
Cashew milk should be considered a dairy-free beverage made up of cashew and water. It is generally creamy.
You can make cashew milk at home or purchase it from the market. Fortified cashew milk is also available in the US market.
On the other hand, ‘cashew with milk’ means we add cashew to milk and drink it. So they both are absolutely different.
2. How to Make Cashew Milk At Home?
Ingredients: 15-20 pieces of cashew, water, honey
Equipment: Blender
Method of Preparation:
- Soak cashew in fresh water for one hour. Don’t soak them overnight as it can cause fungus problems.
- Then rinse them properly a couple of times (so that phytic acid content is removed well).
- Put these cashew pieces in a blender, add a glass of water and blend them well.
- Strain the liquid and your cashew milk is ready.
Enhancements:
You can add honey or rock sugar to sweeten it. You can also add dates and cinnamon to increase taste as well as nutrition.
3. Nutritional Facts of Cashew Milk
According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), 100 grams of cashew milk contains the following nutrients.
| Nutrients | Amounts |
| Energy (Kcal) | 79 |
| Protein (g) | 2.2 |
| Fats (g) | 5.29 |
| Carbs (g) | 5.73 |
| Dietary Fiber (g) | 0.4 |
| Calcium (mg) | 9 |
| Iron (mg) | 1.51 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 35 |
| Phosphorous (mg) | 66 |
| Potassium (mg) | 84 |
| Sodium (mg) | 51 |
| Zinc (mg) | 1.26 |
| Copper (mg) | 0.264 |
| Selenium (ug) | 2 |
4. Cashew Milk Vs. Cow’s Milk Nutrition
1) Calories
Where the serving of cow’s fat-free milk contains 83 calories, the same serving of cashew milk contains 25 calories. (USDA 2015)
Note: Flavoured or sweetened cashew milk contains higher calories
2) Protein
Where the serving of cow’s milk provides 8 grams of protein, the same serving of cashew milk provides 1 gram of protein.
3) Saturated Fat
The amount of cow’s milk provides 1.5 grams of saturated fat, and the same amount of cashew milk provides 0 grams of saturated fat.
4) Dietary fiber
Neither cow’s milk nor cashew milk provides us with dietary fiber.
5) Carbs
Where the serving of cow’s milk provides you with 12 grams of carbs in the form of lactose sugar, the same amount of cashew milk contains 1 gram of carbs with no sugar.
6) Vitamins & minerals
Cow milk is high in vitamins and minerals than cashew milk.
Though many brands add vitamins and minerals to their cashew milk, the bio-availability of nutrients is high in cow’s milk.
5. Health Benefits of Cashew Milk
1) Good for Weight Loss
As we discussed above, cashew milk is very low in calories as compared to animal-obtained milk. It also doesn’t contain fat.
So you can get a good amount of vitamins and minerals at a very low amount of calories and fat.
Therefore, the people who are on their weight loss journey should give it a try to cashew milk.
2) Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases
Before understanding the benefits of cashew milk to our hearts, we have to understand a fact about the Mediterranean diet.
It is said that the Mediterranean diet is extremely beneficial for the heart and reduces cardiovascular disease risk because it is rich in oleic acid.
Oleic acid is the type of fatty acid that provides good fat and is beneficial for our heart. Cashews are also high in oleic acid and so is the cashew milk.
Disclaimer: The amount of cashews used in a commercial cashew milk is very small. If you want to gain the main health benefits of cashew milk, prepare it at home using more cashews.
Another reason behind considering cashew milk good for the heart is that it is rich in potassium and magnesium (and low in sodium).
Both minerals are considered best for the heart. That’s why cashew milk is considered one of the best drinks to reduce the chance of heart disease.
3) Cashew Milk may Prevent the Parasitic and Infectious Diseases
Parasitic and infectious diseases have become a major problem in developing countries.
The main reason behind it is the lack of iron and zinc in their diet.
Since cashew milk is high in zinc and iron, there is a chance that it may prevent such diseases.
4) It may Improve the Blood Hemoglobin Levels
As mentioned above, cashew milk is a good source of iron which is the base of hemoglobin.
If cashew milk is consumed regularly then it can increase the blood hemoglobin levels.
It is extremely vital for pregnant ladies for blood production to nourish their fetuses and to keep pregnant women away from fatigue.
Cashew milk can also be consumed to prevent or cure anemia. But to absorb the maximum iron from cashew milk, you should consume foods rich in vitamin C.
5) Cashew Milk can Help You Look Younger
Any person can look younger if his/her skin is elastic, firm, and strong. Cashews are rich in copper, and so is cashew milk.
Copper is a trace mineral that our bodies need to function well. It also benefits our skin.
Copper promotes the production of skin proteins such as elastin and collagen.
Both these proteins are necessary to maintain the elasticity, strength, and firmness of your skin.
Copper present in cashew milk also promotes the production of the skin and hair pigment melanin as well as vitamin E which prevent skin aging and tissue damage.
That’s why cashew milk is beneficial for skin health.
(Related: Best Ways to Look Younger)
6) It may Prevent Excess Blood Loss During Injury
When you get any cut on your skin, blood comes out of that cut. But soon it gets clotted because of the blood clotting mechanism of the body.
Vitamin K plays a great role in the process of blood clotting.
Since cashew milk provides us sufficient amount of vitamin K, it is also beneficial for blood clotting.
Note: Cashew milk can decrease the effectiveness of blood thinning medicines. If you are using them then consult your doctor before consuming cashew milk
7) It can Increase the Bone Strength
Cashews are high in phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin K and so is the cashew milk.
Phosphorus is one of the nutrients that promote bone strength. It helps in building the bones and teeth tissues. Magnesium present in cashew milk is also helpful in making the bones strong.
The fortified version of cashew milk available in the market contains more calcium than cow’s milk.
This helps to treat or prevent various problems related to calcium deficiency. Vitamin K found in cashew milk increases and maintains bone density.
That’s why cashew milk is considered best for bones.
(Related: Make Your Bones Super Strong with These Methods)
8) It may Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Nut-based milk such as cashew milk is considered one of the best foods for good eyes. There are two major reasons behind it.
The first reason is that it is rich in vitamin E. This vitamin is best to keep the eyes healthy.
The second reason is that cashew milk is rich in antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin.
They can prevent our eyes from any oxidative damage caused by the free radicals.
Consuming foods that are rich in vitamin E, lutein, and zeaxanthin can also prevent various eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), vision loss, etc.
9) May Beneficial Against Cancer
Cashew milk contains anacardic acid which fights against the free radicals that play a big role in cancer development.
Anacardic acid is also found to prevent the spreading of cancer cells in the body. (Reference: Several Test-tube studies)
This acid is also shown to increase the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs in the human body.
Since cashew milk contains anacardic acid, it may help in preventing or curing cancer.
10) Cashew Milk is Good for Healthy Brain Function
Since cashew milk is rich in healthy fatty acids, it can promote the healthy functioning of the brain.
Cashew milk can promote healthy aging. It improves cognitive abilities by controlling membrane fluidity in the brain.
These are some health benefits of cashew milk. Now, let’s discuss the cons of cashew milk.
6. Cons of Cashew Milk
Cashew milk has wonderful pros that we have seen in the above topic. But it also has some cons.
Let’s see.
1) Commercially available cashew milk is not that healthy for us. They use low amounts of cashews. Also, it passes through various processes that lower the nutrients.
2) Cashew are high price nuts which makes it difficult to buy and make cashew milk for middle-class people.
3) Bioavailability of the nutrients added through fortification in cashew milk is low. So they are not always well absorbed by the body.
4) The protein content of cashew milk is also very low.
5) It can cause the problem of allergy in certain types of people.
7. Should You Consume Cashew Milk?
Yes, of course, but not as an alternative to cow’s milk.
If you are vegan or lactose intolerant then it is ok otherwise you should include it just for additional health benefits.
Conclusion
Here, we have discussed the health benefits of cashew milk. We have also discussed topics related to cashew milk.
Cashew milk is healthy for us and should be included in our diet.
If you have any questions related to this article on the health benefits of cashew milk, you can ask me in the comment box.
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Thanks for reading…!!!
