Macadamia nuts, a natural snack that ensures health and energy. Let’s discover all the properties of these oil seeds that come from Australia and offer many benefits in the face of few contraindications.
Not everyone knows macadamia nuts, a particular type of oilseed that is harvested from the Macadamia or Queensland nut tree native to Australia. Local populations have used it since ancient times given the great nutritional properties of these nuts, so strange and particular in our eyes.
The Macadamia ternifolia nut is in fact very different from the walnuts we all know, it has a consistency that resembles that of almonds while the flavor is closer to that of coconut and is generally appreciated by everyone.
All that remains now is to discover all the properties and benefits of macadamia nuts which at home, and not only, have earned the nickname of “elixir of life”, also given the modern scientific research that has confirmed their exceptional nutritional characteristics. useful for our health.
Macadamia nuts: calories and nutritional values
Macadamia nuts have interesting nutritional properties. It is, first of all, a highly caloric food, providing 718 kcal per 100 g of edible part. The high caloric content derives above all from the conspicuous presence of fats: 100 g of macadamia nuts contain, in fact, almost 76 g of fats, mostly represented by monounsaturated fatty acids (good fats). Among them, palmitoleic acid, also known as Omega-7, stands out.
The remaining macronutrients are made up of proteins with a medium biological value (just under 8 g) and carbohydrates, especially complex ones. Noteworthy is the amount of fiber, which on 100 g of nuts covers 8.6 g. Like other types of nuts, macadamia nuts also contain little water (1.36 g), while, being a vegetable food, they do not provide cholesterol.
As for the micronutritional profile, macadamia nuts boast good quantities of niacin (vit. B3) and thiamin (vit. B1), as well as some mineral salts. These include potassium, magnesium and copper, but also phosphorus, selenium and zinc. For an overview, follow the nutritional table for macadamia nuts.
Nutritional values per 100g of daikon:
- Kcal: 718
- Waterfall: 1.36 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8 g
- Of which sugars: 4.57 g
- Proteins: 7.91 g
- Fats: 75.8 g
- of which saturated: 12.1 g
- of which monounsaturated: 58.9 g
- of which polyunsaturated: 1.5 g
- Fiber: 8.6 g
- Soccer: 85 mg
- Iron: 3.69 mg
- Magnesium: 130 mg
- Phosphorus: 188 mg
- Potassium: 368 mg
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Zinc: 1.3 mg
- Copper: 0.756 mg
- Manganese: 4.13 mg
- Selenium: 3.6 µg
- C vitamin: 1.2 mg
- Thiamine: 1.2 mg
- Riboflavin: 0.162 mg
- Niacin: 2.47 mg
- Pantothenic acid: 0.758 mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.275 mg
- Folate: 11 µg
- Vitamin E: 0.54 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Macadamia nuts: benefits
The macadamia nut is a small fruit but very rich in properties. Our health can benefit a lot from a moderate consumption of these nuts, obviously as part of a more general healthy and balanced diet always associated with movement.
Source of vitamins and minerals
As we have seen above, macadamia nuts are a real treasure trove of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, consuming this food regularly ensures a good intake of all the micronutrients most represented in macadamia nuts.
Source of good fats
Macadamia nut is naturally rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (between 60% and 70% of its composition) and this is undoubtedly its strong point that makes it such a healthy food. Among these, as already mentioned, the presence of palmitoleic acid, very useful for the metabolism of fats, stands out.
Cardiovascular health
Being rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, macadamia nuts can be useful in controlling certain blood values. In particular, it seems that the consumption of this food can have a positive effect on the levels of triglycerides and blood cholesterol, carrying out, overall, a cardioprotective action. The benefits on heart health are enhanced, among other things, by the supply of selenium and phytosterols.
Body weight control
The important content of good fats, as well as vegetable fiber, makes macadamia nuts a useful food in generating a long-lasting sense of satiety. In addition, it seems that the palmitoleic acid contained in them can speed up the metabolism of fats. If consumed in the right quantities, macadamia nuts are therefore useful in controlling body weight.
Bowel regularity
The important content of vegetable fiber contributes to intestinal well-being, promoting regularity and counteracting constipation. In this regard, it is important to associate the right hydration with the consumption of this food.
Antioxidant properties
Thanks to the relative content of biologically active components and, in particular, of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, macadamia nuts represent an antioxidant food. The components in question, in fact, are able to neutralize the excess of free radicals, whose deleterious action on cells and tissues is related to various pathological aspects.
Brain health
By virtue of its antioxidant components and its nutritional composition, which boasts the presence of monounsaturated fatty acids, B vitamins and some minerals (such as magnesium, copper and manganese), macadamia nuts represent a beneficial food for brain functions.
How many macadamia nuts per day
Being a very caloric food, macadamia nuts must be correctly included in the daily diet. In general, it is preferable not to consume more than 30 g per day. This quantity is sufficient to guarantee all the benefits seen above. Furthermore, in the case of a low-calorie diet, it may be necessary to reduce this amount a bit, based on personal needs.
How macadamia nuts are used
Macadamia nuts, which are on sale already peeled, are good to nibble as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, in this case a portion consisting of 5-6 nuts is enough. Also excellent, once chopped, to make sweet recipes (for example cakes or biscuits) but also savory given their not too strong taste that goes well with many different flavors. In this regard, the flavor of macadamia nuts is sweet, delicate and in any case different from traditional nuts.
The milk obtained from these nuts is also very good, a tasty way to vary from the more classic vegetable drinks obtained from soy, rice, oats, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. You can buy it ready-made (however it is a bit expensive and not always easy to find) or prepare it at home starting from shelled walnuts in a very simple way. You can follow the hazelnut milk recipe simply by swapping the two types of nuts.
Then there is macadamia oil, cold extracted, to be used both in raw cooking and to make do-it-yourself beauty recipes. Also excellent to spread as a moisturizer for the skin after a bath or shower or as a base for aromatherapy massages.
Contraindications of macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts have no real contraindications for humans other than to avoid overdoing the quantities given the high calorie content (about 700 calories per 100 grams ) and not to take it in the presence of nut allergies.
An important warning, however, is to consume the package, once opened, fairly quickly, keeping it in a cool and dry place or better in the refrigerator. The large amount of fats that macadamia nuts contain mean that the oil seeds deteriorate easily, so it is better to buy smaller packages in order to always have them fresh. Absolutely to be avoided instead of offering these nuts as a snack or taste to our pets, for them they are in fact toxic.
Macadamia nuts: sale and price
Macadamia nuts aren’t always easy to find in stores, not even organic ones. They are more easily found to buy online in shops that sell natural products and raw foods.
The price of these oil seeds varies according to the manufacturer and the packaging: it starts from a minimum of about 10 USD for a package that contains 100 grams of walnuts up to about 25 USD for packs of 250 grams. If the family consumes a lot of them, it is possible to buy macadamia nuts at a better price in larger packages.
