Useful For Making Vegan Cheese
Is vegan cheese healthy? There are many lactose-free and dairy-free cheese brands on the market, but many are made using oil.
Daiya and Follow Your Heart may taste great when melted but theyre basically just refined oil, with little to no protein. Cholesterol-free but far from being a superfood.
For something closer to a whole food, cashew cheese is an excellent alternative. The nuts can be soaked and puréed to make a vegan cheese that also contains protein.
The best cashew cheese brands you can find at grocery stores are Miyokos Creamery, Parmela Creamery, Heidi Ho Organics, and Treeline. There are others but these are the brands with the widest distribution. Use them on pizza, tacos, grilled cheese, and any other food which normally uses dairy.
Consumption Of Cashew Nuts Can Relieve Depression Here Are Its Benefits
Do you know that eating cashew nut on an empty stomach with honey also increases brain power ?
Do you know that the consumption of cashew nuts can overcome the problem of depression? Cashew is a good source of vitamin B-12, which helps a lot in relieving stress. The issue of depression is common in today’s life. Competition and a sedentary lifestyle are increasing the difficulty of depression patients. In this case, consuming cashew nut can help you in recovering from depression. Magnesium found in cashew nuts helps in increasing serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a chemical that is very important to keep us happy. Apart from this, cashew is also an excellent source of protein. The copper present in it helps in handling enzyme activity, hormone production, brain function etc.
Cashews And Your Mental Health
Its no secret that consuming nuts can have many benefits for your overall health. However, not all nuts are created equal, and here well dive into the ways in which roasted cashews can be mental health boosters! Thats right- your favorite snack is packing more than just a delicious punch roasted cashews have been shown to contribute to positive mental health. From keeping stress in check to managing depression to reducing anxiety these little nuts do a lot more than they let on. But what is it that makes roasted cashews such great mental health fuel? Well take a look at several of the nutrients that help cashews keep you mentally fit. Tryptophan, magnesium, Vitamin B, and healthy fats are what keep you strong and alert, and well learn more about these below.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Know If Your Going Thru Depression
Foods I Eat Every Day To Beat Depression
Adding the right produce, nuts, and seeds to my diet is my top strategy for good mental health.
Among all the strategies to safeguard my mental health, eating the right foods ties for first as the most important. Recently I did some substantial research on which foods promote sanity and which ones send an alarm to your limbic system and cause inflammation. I decided to eliminate gluten, dairy, caffeine, and sugar from my diet. I also started eating fresh produce throughout my day and made the commitment to hit the grocery store a few times a week.
As a result, I feel more emotionally resilient and less vulnerable to the impact of stress and drama on my mood.
Here are some of the foods I eat every day to feel good. They provide the nutrients my body needs to fight off inflammation in my brain, which leads to depression.
Seeds: Small But Mighty Sources Of Omega
When Im close to reaching for potato chips or any kind of comfort food, I allow myself a few handfuls of sunflower seeds or any other kind of seed I can find in our kitchen. Seeds are the last food on Fuhrmans G-BOMBS list.
Flaxseeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds are especially good for your mood because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Fuhrman writes, Not only do seeds add their own spectrum of unique disease-fighting substances to the dietary landscape, but the fat in seeds increases the absorption of protective nutrients in vegetables eaten at the same meal.
You May Like: Major Depressive Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Inclusion Of Food Fats
Like vitamin B6 and magnesium, a balanced intake of healthy unsaturated fats obtained from nuts has a major influence on the nervous system of our body.
Cashew nuts are one of the finest sources of monounsaturated fats which are essential for keeping depression and other mood disorder conveniently at bay.
Depression Is Very Harmful To Mental Health
The number of depression patients is increasing day by day. Every sadness is not depression. But if you do not like doing any work or you do not feel happy or sad while doing any work, then understand that you have been a victim of depression. Depression is very harmful to mental health, and it also increases the risk of heart-related and brain-related diseases.
Also Read: The Deceitful Depression: Sushant Singh Rajputs Suicide Puts Focus Back On Mental Health
DISEASES DUE TO DEPRESSION:Constant mental pressure or stress gives rise to many mental disorders, victims of many physical problems. Let us know which of the following diseases can occur due to depression.
Read more articles on Healthy Diet
Recommended Reading: Most Common Drugs To Treat Depression
Avocado: Its Oleic Acid Gives You Brainpower
I eat a whole one every day in my salad for lunch. Avocados are power foods because, again, they contain healthy fat that your brain needs in order to run smoothly. Three-fourths of the calories of an avocado are from fat, mostly monounsaturated fat, in the form of oleic acid. An average avocado also contains 4 grams of protein, higher than other fruits, and is filled with vitamin K, different kinds of vitamin B , vitamin C, and vitamin E12. Finally, they are low in sugar and high in dietary fiber, containing about 11 grams each.
Why Are Cashews Good For Depression
As discussed above, Serotonin is the chemical responsible for maintaining mood balance, so depression is often the result of reduced levels of serotonin and the amino acid required to produce serotonin, is called tryptophan.
Cashews contain mood stabilizing vitamins like B6, magnesium, tryptophan and niacin. They are naturally occurring antidepressants. B6 is used to help convert the tryptophan into serotonin, and helps magnesium enter into the bodys cells.
Its the synergy of these nutrients that helps with depression researchers claim that if you eat two or more handfuls of cashews per day, you will get enough tryptophan to alter and elevate your mood.
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Alcohol Depression
Creates A Higher Protein Nut Milk
A decade ago, almond milk was the only one on the market.
Now you can find milks made with many types of nuts and seeds.
Cashew milk offers more protein than hemp milk and macadamia milk.
Its a great plant-based beverage for those with soy allergies, or who simply want to minimize soy intake due to their phytoestrogens.
The Best Types To Buy
What are the best quality cashew nuts in the world?
Even if organic, the cheapest may not be the most ethically sourced.
Their hard outer shells are covered in cardol and anacardic acid, two caustic substances which can cause skin burns on the workers who harvest them. In India, where 60% of the worlds cashew supply comes from, many workers are not provided protective gloves. The conditions in Vietnam, another major exporter, have been claimed to be even worse.
Ideally, you will want to buy brands of cashews which are fair-trade. Some USDA certified organic sources measure as having more vitamin K and other phytonutrients. If you want raw nuts, make sure they are from a trusted supplier since salmonella poisoning is a safety concern.
A popular and affordable brand on Amazon is Terrasoul Superfoods. Although not fair trade certified, they only source from growers paying fair wages and who protect their workers. Buy their 2 lb bulk bag of raw organic nuts. For a steamed version, try Sol Simple organic in a 6 oz bag which come from Nicaragua.These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Wow, I never think cashew have a lot of benefits like that. Thank you for sharing such a great idea. Keep keep up the awesome work!!!!
Don’t Miss: Can You Overcome Depression Without Medication
Foods That Support Healthy Mood And Mental Action
Onions: Layered With Cancer
You wont find this item on most lists of mood foods. However, its included in Dr. Fuhrmans G-BOMBS because onions and all allium vegetables have been associated with a decreased risk of several cancers.
Eating onions and garlic frequently is associated with a reduced risk of cancers of the digestive tract, explains Fuhrman. These vegetables also contain high concentrations of anti-inflammatory flavonoid antioxidants that contribute to their anticancer properties. Again, if you consider the relationship between your digestive tract and your brain, it is understandable why a food that can prevent cancers of the gut would also benefit your mood.
Read Also: Can You Get Depressed After A Breakup
Dark Leafy Greens: A Nutrient
If you were to choose the healthiest food of all, the most nutrient-dense item available to us to eat, it would be dark, leafy greens, no contest. Spinach. Kale. Swiss chard. Greens are the first of the G-BOMBS that Joel Fuhrman, MD, describes in his book The End of Dieting the foods with the most powerful immune-boosting and anticancer effects.
These foods help prevent the cancerous transformation of normal cells and keep the body armed and ready to attack any precancerous or cancerous cells that may arise, he writes. Leafy greens fight against all kinds of inflammation, and according to a study published in March 2015 in JAMA Psychiatry, severe depression has been linked with brain inflammation. Leafy greens are especially important because they contain oodles of vitamins A, C, E, and K, minerals, and phytochemicals.
May Lower Blood Pressure
Published in a 2018 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, a 12-week study was conducted where 129 people ate cashews every day, while another group of 140 did not. The daily amount was 30g, which is about 1 ounce.
Those eating the nuts experienced a decrease in systolic blood pressure of nearly 5 points.
Now that study involved type 2 diabetics. What about everyone else?
A few years prior, a meta-analysis was published. It was a systematic review of numerous clinical trials which looked at nut consumption and blood pressure. It turns out that nuts in general correlated with lower systolic blood pressure, even in healthy individuals without type 2 diabetes.
You May Like: Why Do I Wake Up Angry And Depressed
Side Effects Of Cashew
The side effect you are most likely to experience when eating cashews is an allergic reaction. Being a tree nut, its among the top 8 allergens.
The Department of Allergy at Cambridge University in the UK reports that allergic reactions to cashew nuts are generally more severe than those experienced by peanut allergy sufferers. This was based on a comparison of 141 case studies in children with tree nut allergies. Side effects can include difficulty breathing, swollen throat, itchiness in the mouth and esophagus, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and anaphylaxis.
Even for those not allergic, trace amounts of urushiol in the raw nuts may cause itchiness and similar reactions.
Food poisoning from salmonella-contaminated cashews has been reported by the FDA on multiple occasions. This danger is primarily shared with hazelnuts, macadamia, walnuts, and pine nuts. The risk of salmonella, along with traces of urushiol, are reasons why raw cashews are potentially less safe for you to eat.
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York published a case study in 2016 of a 64 year-old man who experienced an autoimmune hepatitis reaction from eating large amounts of raw cashews daily or frequently. Diagnosis was based on a liver biopsy and enzyme measurements.
Eating cashews is not known to cause drug interactions. If you are on medications and plan on eating this nut regularly, consulting your doctor is advised because high-fat foods in general may affect the absorption of certain medicines.
Other Benefits Of Cashew Nuts
The benefits of cashew are not limited to this. It also plays an essential drug for many other diseases. Cashew contains monosaturated fat which keeps the heart healthy and reduces the risk of heart diseases. Applying cashew milk on the skin makes a face beautiful and soft. If you are troubled by hair loss, then regular consumption of cashew nuts helps you get rid of this problem. Apart from this, cashew contains a lot of beneficial elements like potassium, vitamin E, selenium and zinc, due to which it plays an essential role in controlling blood pressure, preventing cancer and fighting infection.
Also Read: Heres How You Can Cope-Up With The Empty Nest Syndrome
Also Check: How Can You Heal Depression
Used In Cancer Research
They are the most bizarre nut, no doubt.
The reason cashews are not sold in shells is because they are in the same family as poison ivy . Their outer shell contains urushiol, the same skin irritant which causes extreme itching with poison ivy and oak.
The nuts of cashew grow on whats called a false fruit, also known as an accessory fruit. The purpose of it is so that predators go for the fruit and forget about the seed, which is the only important part for the plants reproduction. With this species, the false fruit is often referred to as a cashew apple.
Its not the edible seed kernel, but rather other parts of the plant which have been used in cancer research.
In 2017, academic research out of the United Kingdom reported that a compound called zoapatanolide A, which was isolated from cashew tree leaves, exhibits notable cytotoxic activity in the lab on cultured HeLa cancer cells.
That same year, a Chinese university tested cardanol monoene, which is the main phenolic compound in cashew shells. Using cultured human melanoma cells, they found this compound to inhibit proliferation in a dose-dependent manner.
Reduces Brain Injury In Rats
Cerebral ischemia is a condition where theres insufficient blood flow to the brain, which results in permanent brain damage.
In a rat model where ischemia was induced, there appeared to be a protective effect when they were pre-treated using a cashew-derived protein hydrolysate with high fiber.
In these charts, the AO is for the cashew treatment. You can see how as the dosage increased from 2 to 50 mg the damage in the cortex and striatum of thire brain decreased .
Recommended Reading: How To Treat Dog Depression
How Many Cashews Can You Eat In A Day
The nutty and creamy flavor of cashews can be tempting, and its easy to end up consuming too much in one sitting.
Try to consume no more than one ounce of medium cashew a day to reap health benefits. A single serving of cashews contains about 18 nuts. One way to keep your intake under control is to pack them in small, single-serving containers or bags.
How To Not Go Nuts By Eating Nuts Cashews For Depression Anxiety And General Health
Want to know how not to go nuts by eating nuts? Pun intended well then, you will need to eat lots and lots of cashew nuts. Yes! This sounds pretty weird but it is true. Cashew nuts are essential when it comes to maintaining good mental health and staying away from stress and anxiety. At a time when depression, anxiety and panic attacks are accounting for a very big percentage of the emergency room visits in America, the cashew nuts revelation comes as a very big reprieve to many. So, why are cashew nuts regarded as important foods for good mental and general health? We want to take a deeper look at the brief history of cashew nuts, where they come from and why they are very good for you mental health.
History of Cashew Nuts
Cashews are native to Brazil, like the Brazil nut. Cashews were given their botanical name because they are heart-shaped. Both the Spanish and the Italian name for cashews include the root for the heart. The cashew tree belongs to the same family as the pistachio and is as a fast-growing, evergreen perennial. It loves the tropics and in tropical heat can grow to heights of forty or fifty feet.
The nutritional value of Cashew nuts
The Heart
Cashew nuts have fats but have no cholesterol. This makes them ideal for the heart and blood vessels. They have antioxidants as well which help with cleansing blood. The oleic acid contained in their sap is essential from the reduction of lipoprotein cholesterol in the body.
Weight Loss
Blood pressure
Tryptophan
Also Check: Why Is It Hard To Shower When Depressed