Cashew Nut Nutrients

Cashews can be eaten as a snack, tossed in salads or used as a topping for casseroles or Chinese meals. Eaten raw or roasted, they are such a rich source of so many nutrients that they have a place in a healthy diet if consumers compensate for their high fat content.

Fat and Calories

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1/4 cup of dry-roasted, salted cashew halves has 197 calories and 15.97 g fat. This high fat value suggests that people introducing cashews into their diets should eliminate other snack food. The Harvard School of Public Health notes that eating a handful of nuts every day without compensating elsewhere could easily lead to a weight gain of 10 pounds over the course of a year.

Protein

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 1/4 cup of dry-roasted, salted cashews has 5.24 grams of protein. This is a relatively large amount of protein for a small volume of food. Protein-rich foods like this, if eaten in moderation, can boost the protein intake of vegetarians.

Minerals

Cashews are also a rich source of a number of vitamins. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that 1/4 cup of dry roasted, salted cashews has 15 mg of calcium, 2.05 mg of iron, 168 mg of phosphorus, 194 mg of potassium and 89 mg of magnesium. The high levels of potassium and phosphorus in cashews eliminate them from the diets of patients with advanced kidney disease and others who need to restrict their potassium and phosphorus intake.

Benefits

The Harvard School of Public Health reports that eating nuts, such as cashews, may reduce the risk of heart disease. It explains that the largest cohort studies, such as the Nurses' Study, the Iowa Women's Health Study, the Physicians' Health Study, the Iowa Women's Health Study and others, consistently show a 30 percent to 50 percent reduction in risk of heart attack, sudden cardiac death or cardiovascular disease in people who eat nuts several times a week.

Alternative

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 1/4 cup of dry-roasted salted cashews has 219 mg of sodium. Given that the American Heart Association recommends that people not exceed 1500 mg of sodium a day, consumers may want to consider eating the unsalted variety, which has only 16 mg or sodium. Such a substitution would be particularly helpful in people watching their blood pressure.