The plant-based jack of all trades! Cashew milk, cashew yogurt, cashew ice cream. Dat cashew cheese tho! Yes, we love cashews. Roasted, salted, or made into a concoction they are arguably one of the most delicious “nuts” around, but are they a healthy nut?? … Actually they are a seed, and they just so happen to be a very toxic. All seeds contain phytates, lectins and enzyme inhibitors which can block absorbption of nutrients of other foods you eat and can also cause digestive distress.
Nut milks May contain solvents and additives, perfumes, additional vegetable oils, and Carrageenan.
Exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAS) can damage the insulin-secreting cells of the pancreas. 1 Oz of Cashew has 2g of PUFAS.
Buying cashyews contributes to some serious suffering that most people aren’t event aware of. This might be important to you if hurting living beings matters. One of the biggest exporters of cashews is Vietnam, where workers are treated like slaves and many of them work in forced labor camps.
According to Ministry of Public Security (MPS) officials, prisoners in Vietnam work on 1,000 hectares of cashew tree plantations nationwide, where they are required to meet production quotas.
Because the shell and fruit of the cashew contain a toxin similar to that found in poison ivy and other poisonous plants, physical contact with cashew nuts, oil from the cashew nut shell and fruit, or inhaling fumes from roasting or boiling the nuts can cause skin rashes, itching, blisters, eye irritation, and respiratory problems including asthma and bronchitis. Yet this is a favored food of vegans, in many forms.
Yes, this is a vegan food. However it is also a food with a significant environmental and ethical impact, not to mention it has more negative components than health benefits.