Introduction
Macadamia nuts are tree nuts indigenous to Australia grown in different regions, including Hawaii and parts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. They have a mild, butter-like flavour.
You can eat raw nuts and use them in recipes. While high in fat, macadamia nuts mainly contain monounsaturated fats, a healthy heart fat that may help decrease the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Macadamia nuts are the world’s most expensive nuts. The farmland for growing macadamias is worth millions of dollars, and the price only keeps increasing.
Macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are rich in fibre, minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Their potential advantages include weight loss, protection against diabetes, and improved gut health, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease. If you’re curious about this nut, add it to your diet today.
Interest in the health advantages of all nuts, including macadamia nuts, continues to grow. Earlier, nuts were often avoided because of their high-fat content; research shows they offer various health benefits, especially when eaten daily in moderation.
Where do macadamia nuts come from
While macadamia nuts originate and are grown in Australia, commercial production is mainly in Hawaii. Some nations in Latin America, Asia, and Africa also grow macadamia nuts, while trees can be found in California, Florida, and the continental United States.
Macadamia nuts tree
Macadamia (genus Macadamia) is a group of four species of evergreen trees that are in affinity to the family Proteaceae, and it is called for its richly flavoured, eatable seeds. The trees are derived in the coastal rainforests and scour of what is now Queensland in northeastern Australia. They are grown commercially in some subtropical areas. Generally known as macadamia nuts, the seeds are often salted and roasted or are used by bakers and chocolatiers in confections and chocolates. They are an excellent and rich source of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin B, containing 73 per cent fat.
Macadamia trees commonly grow to 18 metres (60 feet) high and 15 metres (49 feet) wide. They have shiny, leathery leaves 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) long. Fragrant pink or white flowers are borne in clusters and are succeeded by bunches of up to 20 fruits. Not a proper nut, the shiny round 25-mm (1-inch) seed is enclosed in a thick leathery husk that splits along one side during the ripening process.
Macadamia nuts benefits
1. Rich in nutrients. They are naturally low in sugar and carbohydrates. They also contain important nutrients such as dietary fibre and antioxidants that assist in decreasing the risk or managing conditions like digestive health, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
They’re also an excellent source of:
- Protein
- Monounsaturated fat
- Vitamin E
- Manganese
- Thiamine
- Copper
2. Loaded with antioxidants. Like most nuts, macadamia nuts are a good source of antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, inconstant molecules that increase your risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, & heart disease and may cause cellular damage.
Furthermore, these nuts boast some of the highest flavonoid levels of all tree nuts. This antioxidant fights against inflammation and helps lower cholesterol.
However, this nut is rich in tocotrienols, a type of vitamin E with antioxidant properties that may assist in lowering cholesterol levels. These compounds may even protect against brain diseases and cancer.
3. It may boost heart health. They are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Eating tiny amounts daily may help decrease heart disease risk factors like high cholesterol and inflammation.
4. It may decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome. Macadamia nuts may help decrease your risk of metabolic syndrome. This syndrome involves risk factors, including high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and belly fat. These risk factors raise the chance of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. Fortunately, eating a healthy diet exercising and exercising can help.
Macadamia nuts contain the highest monounsaturated fats of any known food source and low levels of polyunsaturated and saturated fats. Some studies show that the nutrients in macadamia nuts may help lower blood sugar. Monounsaturated fats provide antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins contributing to cell growth and health. The monounsaturated fats in macadamia nuts may also help your body eliminate excess cholesterol more efficiently.
5. It may aid in weight loss. The fibre and protein in macadamia nuts may decrease feelings of hunger and help you feel full, which may support weight loss. Research among healthy and wealthy Japanese women found that women who ate macadamia nuts lost weight after three weeks, unlike those who ate butter or coconut.
6. It may improve gut health. Macadamia nuts contain fibre, benefiting your digestion and overall gut health. As with most nuts, the soluble fibre in macadamia nuts may act as a prebiotic, meaning that it helps feed helpful gut bacteria. In turn, these friendly bacteria produce SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids ), like butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which can decrease inflammation and protect against conditions such as IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome ), Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
7. They are providing anticancer properties. Macadamia nuts contain tocotrienols and flavonoids, plant compounds that test-tube studies indicate can help fight or kill cancer cells. However, more research is needed.
8. Boosting brain health. Animal research and test tubes show that tocotrienols may protect brain cells from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Still, human research is needed.
9. Improve bone health. They are excellent sources of magnesium, calcium, and potassium necessary for bone health. Phosphorus, another mineral found in high levels in macadamia nuts, is instrumental in renewing vital minerals in teeth and bones.
10. Boost skin health. It also contains compounds like tocotrienols ( vitamin E) and squalene (oil found in our bodies, animals, and plants), which have a skin-protecting advantage. Tocotrienols are thought to decrease damage to the skin that comes with ageing. The squalene found in cosmetics enlarges the amount of moisture in the skin. Studies have indicated that the monounsaturated fatty acids found in macadamia nuts may help reduce wrinkles caused by sun exposure, play a role in skin healing, and improve skin hydration.
11. Bumping up your longevity. Regular intake of nuts, including macadamia, may reduce the risk of dying early by around one-third.
12. Easy to add to your diet. Macadamia nuts are versatile additions to most diets. They may be eaten whole, raw, ground, roasted, or as nut butter, making exciting additions to main courses, snacks, and desserts.
Macadamia nuts benefit females and males.
Macadamia nuts can help maintain hormonal balance due to their beneficial fatty acid profile. They are rich in healthy fats, essential for regulating hormones and their production in the body. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone rely on fats for their synthesis.
Studies have shown that they can help protect the brain, stave off hunger, and lower the risk of heart disease, among other things. Some people use macadamia nut oil in cooking as it is high in beneficial fats. Using the nuts in salads to replace higher-fat options such as croutons is also possible.
White chocolate macadamia nut cookies
White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are very famous nowadays, but no one knows who first put macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips together. White chocolate chips were established in 1937, but the macadamia nuts weren’t widely available until 1975. But their popularity exploded once these two flavours were together in a cookie. If you want to eat White chocolate macadamia nut cookies, first you must check whether it is healthy or unhealthy; that depends on the cooking method.
Macadamia nut’s side effects
They are tree nuts. If you have allergies, you’ll want to talk to the doctor before taking them. Just because you’re allergic or sensitive to one type of tree nut doesn’t mean you’ll have sensitivity or allergies to all of them. Keep track of any indications and when they occur after taking tree nuts so you can tell your doctor later. Look for symptoms such as:
- Hives or itchy skin
- Itchy mouth and throat or a tightened throat
- Stomach cramps or nausea
- Lip swelling
- Runny nose
Tree nuts can generally cause a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). If you’re allergic to tree nuts, always carry an EpiPen.
Why are macadamia nuts so expensive?
Macadamia nuts, which are said to be the world’s most expensive, come with an array of benefits. The leading cause is the slow harvesting process. While there are ten types of macadamia trees, only 2 produce the costly nuts, and it takes up to 10 years for the trees even to begin producing nuts. Scarcely Farmed – only a percentage of tree nuts produced worldwide are macadamia! One of the leading reasons macadamia nuts are pricey is their supply. Tree nuts and macadamia mostly grow on trees, and this reasons a delay from planting to harvest.
Conclusion
Macadamia nuts are rich in fibre, minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Their potential advantages include weight loss, protection against diabetes, and improved gut health, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease. If you’re curious about this nut, add it to your diet today.
Interest in the health advantages of all nuts, including macadamia nuts, continues to grow. Earlier, nuts were often avoided because of their high-fat content; research shows they offer various health benefits, especially when eaten daily in moderation.
