Cashews During Pregnancy: Iron, Magnesium, and Portions
Cashews are a practical pregnancy snack. How many to eat, what a 1-ounce handful adds in iron and magnesium, and whether salted cashews are OK.
The short answer: Yes, cashews are fine to eat during pregnancy unless you are allergic to tree nuts. A 1-ounce handful, about 18 cashews in the NIH iron food table, adds iron, magnesium, and protein. There is no separate pregnancy limit for cashews; the practical question is how they fit your overall meals.
How many cashews per day during pregnancy?
The public-health sources we use do not give a pregnancy-specific number of cashews. NIH food tables use 1 ounce as the serving for nuts, which is a reasonable starting point for a snack. Cashews are energy-dense: PregNut's data lists 574 calories per 100 g of dry-roasted cashews, so a few handfuls add up quickly.
What are the benefits of cashews in pregnancy?
Magnesium. The NIH magnesium fact sheet lists 74 mg in 1 ounce of dry-roasted cashews. Its pregnancy recommendation is 350 mg a day at ages 19 to 30 and 360 mg at ages 31 to 50. Our magnesium foods guide compares more options.
Iron. NIH lists 2 mg of iron in 1 ounce of oil-roasted cashews. The pregnancy recommendation is 27 mg a day, and plant iron is absorbed less readily than iron from meat. See iron-rich foods and pairings.
Zinc, protein, and folate. Per 100 g, PregNut's historical USDA-based data lists 15.31 g protein, 6 mg iron, 5.6 mg zinc, 69 mcg DFE folate, and 61 mg choline for dry-roasted cashews. NIH's zinc recommendation in pregnancy is 11 mg a day for adults.
Are cashews good for morning sickness?
ACOG's morning sickness advice suggests eating frequent bites of foods like nuts, fruits, or crackers, and lists nuts and nut butters among nonmeat protein foods. A small handful of cashews can be one of those bites. Our morning sickness food guide has more ideas.
Are salted cashews OK while pregnant?
Yes, the safety advice is the same. The difference is sodium, which PregNut's dataset does not track. Compare the sodium line on the Nutrition Facts label, and choose unsalted or lightly salted cashews if your clinician has asked you to watch sodium.
Common questions
Is cashew butter a good option?
Yes. ACOG lists nut butters among protein foods. PregNut has a separate cashew butter entry; check the label for added sugar and salt.
Are cashews a substitute for a prenatal vitamin?
No. A handful adds some iron and zinc, but it does not replace the folic acid and iron in a prenatal. See how to read a prenatal vitamin label.
Sources: NIH iron fact sheet, NIH magnesium fact sheet, NIH zinc fact sheet, and ACOG morning sickness FAQ. This guide is educational and does not replace prenatal care.