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 salicylates and amines (the food chemicals that some people may be intolerant to), meaning they’re the one nut people following an elimination diet can eat.

Your culinary guide to . . . cashews:

Try our latest cashew recipes: