Somewhere between the Atlantic rain forest and the Amazon rainforest lies an area called Brazil. Brazil is the native land to the Cashew, discovered in 1578 and produces greater in areas which have a distinct wet and dry season.

Native to Brazil, the Portuguese brought the cashew to India and east Africa somewhere in the midst of the 16th century. The Portuguese were not originally planning to plant cashews for fruit production, but rather to reduce erosion. The trees slowly became neutralized across Central America, and it is certainly a good thing that they did! Cashews are quite beneficial to your heath, as they contain monounsaturated fats, copper, and magnesium. From one, simple, small quarter-cup of cashews, you can obtain over 20% of the daily recommended value for copper and magnesium. These vitamins have a pretty big impact on your health, so not only is it quite beneficial to consume them, but it is not good to not include them in your diet.

Along with the vitamins cashews contain, they also contain 37.4% of the daily recommended value of heart-protective monounsaturated fats. These nuts have a lower fat content than what is found in most other nuts. Also, they contain primarily unsaturated fatty acids, mostly of which is oleic acid. Oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health, and reduced triglyceride levels (triglyceride levels are associated with increased risk for heart disease.

Cashews provide 38.0% of the daily recommended value for copper. The copper provided plays a role in many mental processes. Some of these processes are: antioxidant defenses, energy production, melanin production, bone and connective tissue development, free radicals elimination, and iron utilization. Copper is an important vitamin to consume. Not taking in enough copper can lead to health problem such as: osteoporosis, joint problems (arthritis), brain disturbances, elevated LDL cholesterol, reduced HDL cholesterol, irregular heartbeat, increased infection vulnerability, ruptured blood vessels, and iron deficiency anemia.

Along with copper, you intake a significant amount of magnesium through cashews. Cashews provide 22.3% of the daily recommended value for magnesium. The perks of having good levels of Magnesium ensure that you will have healthy bones. It also helps lower blood pressure, while preventing heart attacks. It reduces asthma severity and promotes normal sleep patterns in menopausal women.

While you gain all of the above benefits, you can meanwhile avoid the following downfalls: high blood pressure, fatigue, muscle cramps, tension, soreness, muscle spasms and migraine headaches.

Next time you're a little hungry and are trying to think of a snack, or of something to add to a snack to bring it more flavor, remember that cashews are extremely tasty while being extremely good for you, and they make for the perfect snack.