| Nutritional
information
back
to top |
| Macadamia
nuts (raw kernel): Per
100g serve |
| Energy |
3040kJ |
| Protein |
9.2g |
| Fat
(total oils) |
76.4g |
| Monounsaturated |
63.4g |
| Polyunsaturated |
3.0g |
| Saturated |
10.0g |
| Carbohydrates
(total) |
10.0g |
| Sugars |
4.0g |
| Dietary
Fibre |
7.0g |
| Cholesterol |
NIL |
| Phosphorus |
241
mg |
| Calcium |
53mg |
| Sodium |
3mg |
| Potassium |
409mg |
|
Macadamias
are a high energy food and
contain no cholesterol. The
natural oils in macadamias
contain 78 per cent
monounsaturated fats, the
highest of any oil including
olive oil. |
|
Macadamias are also a good
source of protein, calcium,
potassium and dietary fibre
and are very low in sodium. The protein
component of nuts is low in lysine and high in
arginine.
|
|
Of the many benefits
surrounding the Australian
macadamia nut, perhaps the
greatest is that they taste
so good while being good for
you.
|
A high energy food, macadamias
taste great eaten raw from the
shell, dry roasted, or cooked
in oil. They can also be used
to enhance the flavour of
cakes, confectionery, ice
cream, salads, roasts and
casseroles. The possibilities
are only limited by the
imagination of the user. |
An
annual residue testing
program, where random samples
are taken from all major
processors, confirms that
Australian macadamias are free
of chemical residues. |
Summary
of benefits
back
to top |
• High in fibre
• Very high proportion of
monounsaturated fat
• Taste great
• No cholesterol |
Can
we eat too many macadamias? back
to top |
| An
abridged version of "A review of health
benefits of the world’s finest nut" by
Ian McConachie, September
1999. |
Macadamias can form an important
part of the ideal diet diet. The benefits of macadamias
can not be traced to any
single constituent, but to the
complex composition and
inter-relationships that
exist. For an ideal diet they
need to be eaten in
conjunction with a range of
foods. |
Benefits are about reduction
of risks. Research knowledge
from other tree nuts is often
applicable to macadamias, and
most other tree nuts also have
proven benefits. Tree
nuts are an ancient food and
the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
recommends them to be eaten
daily. |
Macadamias
are not genetically modified
and contain only natural
genes. |
Oils back
to top |
| The
oils in macadamia are: 84%
monounsaturated, and 3.5%
polyunsaturated.12.5% saturated. The monounsaturated
portion contains oleic fatty
acid plus the highest known
level of paimitoleic fatty
acid, which is also present in
beneficial fish oils, and may
be nutritionally significant. |
Monounsaturated
fatty acids are the 'good'
fats.
They have been shown
in macadamias to significantly
reduce blood serum cholesterol
levels, as well as enhancing
the protective high-density
lipoproteins and suppressing
undesirable low-density
lipoproteins. |
The
macadamia nut contains the
highest level of
monounsaturated fatty acids of
any natural commercial food.
Macadamias contain no
cholesterol. Macadamias
contain no trans fatty acids.
Macadamias improve the balance
between omega 6 and omega 3
fatty acids. This facilitates
the body's manufacture of
essential fatty acids and
eicosanoids (prostaglandins
etc). |
Protein back
to top |
| Macadamias contain significant
protein comprising essential
and non-essential amino acids.
These play an important body
building role in muscle
structure, connective tissues
and blood plasma development.
Macadamias contain all the
essential amino acids with
most of these present at
optimum levels. |
Carbohydrates back
to top |
| Most
of the 'simple' carbohydrates
are present as saccharides
(sugars). Macadamias contain
the sugars, sucrose,
fructose, glucose and maltose,
plus some starch-based
material. Carbohydrates supply
energy to the body. Complex
carbohydrates are described as
dietary fibre. |
Dietary
fibre back
to top |
| Dietary
fibre is the term for
carbohydrates that are
resistant to enzyme digestion
in the stomach. They consist
of complex soluble
carbohydrates and soluble
fibres such as lignans,
hemicellulose, amyiopectins,
mucilage, gums and insoluble
cellulose. Essentially dietary
fibre in macadamias are the
cell walls within the kernel. Dietary fibre
promotes satiety, provides
roughage, slows digestion and
reduces hunger, promotes
desirable intestinal bacteria,
reduces constipation. |
Minerals
and vitamins back
to top |
| Macadamias
contain a large range of
minerals. They are rich in:
Iron Potassium Phosphorus
Magnesium and Calcium They
also contain significant
levels of, Zinc Copper
Selenium. The most significant
vitamins are: 6 Vitamin E
Thiamine (B1) Riboflavin (B2) Niacin, pantothenic acid
(B5) and folate. |
Phytonutrients
(phytochemicals) back
to top |
| These
are biologically active
components which protect our body
systems. Many act as
antioxidants, which scavenge
the free radicals that oxidize
blood fats. They operate as
part of complex systems that
are only partly understood. Macadamias contain tocopherols
and tocotrienols, which are
derivatives of Vitamin E,
phytosterols such as
sitosterol and also selenium.
A current research project has
shown strong antioxidant
activity with the compounds
now being identified. It is
probable that macadamias
contain the phytonutrients
classes, phenolic compounds,
flavonoids, phytoestrogens,
phytic acids, ellargic acid,
saponins and lignans. |
Will
macadamias make us fat? back
to top |
| 'Good'
fats are essential in a ideal diet. They make food
tasty and promote satiety.
Monounsaturates may be
metabolized differently in the
intestine from other fats so
that they do not produce
'fattening' biochemicals.
Providing macadamias are
substituted and not in
addition to other foods, there
is evidence that they will
either not contribute to
weight gain or will reduce
weight. USA studies of
frequent tree nut eaters show
that they usually weigh less
than people who don’t eat
tree nuts regularly. |
Will
macadamias make us live
forever? back
to top |
| No...
but you will have the enjoyment of
the flavour and texture of the
world's finest nut |
