Health article goes nuts with cashew data

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Created on 21, February, 2024

Article on major online health site states cashews are rich in fiber and carotenoids…

Neither is correct. A one-ounce serving provides a little under 1 gram of fiber (to be a rich/excellent source, they would need to have at least 5.6 grams of fiber); and there is little or no carotenoid content. The author of the article (an MS, RD) read and misconstrued the abstract of a scientific article (and cited it), but apparently did not read the actual article, which mentions that most nuts, including cashews, contain “very low amounts” of carotenoids “when present at all,” but pistachios are a “modest exception.”

While there are other inaccuracies in the article, it is true that cashews (like many tree nuts) are a good or excellent source of various minerals (copper, magnesium, zinc, etc.), albeit not completely accessible due to digestibility issues.