Cashews vs Peanuts: Which Is Less Inflammatory?
Cashews
Peanuts
Cashews are less inflammatory than peanuts, though neither one is a problem for most people. They do the same job in a bowl on the table, and their fat is largely the same kind you get from olive oil.
Peanuts score worse because they are not really a nut. They are a legume that grows underground in a damp shell, which raises the question of mould, and they are the food children react to most often. Most jars of peanut butter also arrive with added sugar and hardened oil on top of the peanuts. If you spread peanut butter every morning, switch to a jar whose label lists nothing but the nut and salt.
Side by side
| Cashews | Peanuts | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation Score | Low · 3/10 | Medium · 5/10 |
| Category | Nuts & Seeds | Nuts & Seeds |
| Serving size | 1 small handful (28 g, about 18 nuts) | 1 small handful (28 g) |
| Key nutrients | Copper, Magnesium, Oleic acid, Starch | Oleic acid, Niacin, Magnesium, Peanut protein (allergen) |
| How often | A small handful most days, plain and unsalted | A small handful a few times a week, raw or dry roasted |
On the AIP diet
Cashews
Cashews come out during the elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol, along with every other nut and seed. That one stings more than it sounds, because cashew cream is the standard dairy substitute outside AIP, and on the protocol coconut milk takes the job. Nuts return early in the reintroduction, but trial cashews on their own: reactions to them are common and can be sharp.
Peanuts
Peanuts come out during the elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol, and they come out as a legume rather than as a nut. Legume seeds carry defensive proteins that survive cooking, and the worry is what those do to an irritated gut lining. Peanuts sit at the harder end: most legumes are tried again early, while peanuts are left until late, because people react to them so often.
What each one brings
Cashews
- A small handful covers most of a day's copper, which the body uses to build antioxidant enzymes
- The fat is largely the same monounsaturated kind that makes up olive oil
- Soaked and blended they make the creamiest dairy-free sauce of any nut
- A quiet source of magnesium, which most people fall short of
Peanuts
- The fat is largely the same monounsaturated kind that makes up olive oil, at a fraction of the price
- Cheap protein and fibre in something most people file as a snack rather than as food
- One of the better everyday sources of magnesium and niacin
- Eaten steadily for months, they leave the inflammation markers roughly where they were
Watch out for
Cashews
- The starchiest nut on the shelf, with about a quarter of the fibre of an almond
- Cashew allergy is less common than peanut allergy, but the reactions are often severe
- Most are sold fried in oil and heavily salted, or glazed with honey
- Soft rather than crunchy, so they take less chewing and a bag empties fast
Peanuts
- Not a nut but a legume, which is why the Autoimmune Protocol removes them with beans
- The leading food allergy in children and a common trigger of a severe reaction
- They grow underground in a damp shell, so mould and its toxin are a quality question
- Most peanut butter carries added sugar and hardened oil on top of the peanuts
Get the inflammation score of any meal
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