Macadamia nuts are tree nuts that have a subtle, butter-like flavor and creamy texture.
Macadamia trees are native to Australia, but they are currently grown in countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
They, like most other nuts, are high in nutrients and plant components. They’ve also been connected to a variety of advantages, including better digestion, heart health, weight management, and blood sugar control.
Here are 10 health and nutrition benefits of it.
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s how we did it.
1. Rich in nutrients
Macadamia nuts are dense in healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals and are heavy in calories. One ounce (28 grams) contains:
- Calories: 204
- Fat: 23 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Carbs: 4 grams
- Sugar: 1 gram
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Manganese: 58% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Thiamine: 22% of the DV
- Copper: 11% of the DV
- Magnesium: 9% of the DV
- Iron: 6% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 5% of the DV
Macadamia nuts are also high in monounsaturated fats, which may improve heart health by decreasing total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
These nuts have modest fiber content and are low in carbohydrates and sugar. This combination makes them less likely to cause a surge in blood sugar levels, which may be especially useful for diabetics.
SUMMARY: They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, yet low in carbs and sugar. What’s more, they boast healthy monounsaturated fats.
2. Loaded with antioxidants
Like most nuts, macadamia nuts are a great source of antioxidants.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause cellular damage and increase your risk of conditions like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease.
Additionally, It boast some of the highest flavonoid levels of all tree nuts. This antioxidant fights inflammation and helps lower cholesterol .
Furthermore, this nut is rich in tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E with antioxidant properties that may help lower cholesterol levels. These compounds may even protect against cancer and brain diseases .
SUMMARY: Macadamia nuts are loaded with flavonoids and tocotrienols, antioxidants that safeguard your body against cellular damage and disease.
3. May boost heart health
It may lower your risk of heart disease.
According to various studies, eating 0.3–1.5 ounces (8–42 grams) of these nuts daily can reduce total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by up to 10%.
Interestingly, a small study in people with high cholesterol found that a diet rich in macadamia nuts reduced levels of this blood marker as much as the American Heart Association’s heart-healthy, low-fat diet.
Furthermore, eating 1.5–3 ounces (42–84 grams) of it daily may significantly reduce inflammation markers such as leukotriene B4. Inflammation is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Researchers believe macadamia nuts’ heart benefits are due to their high monounsaturated fat content.
This fat is consistently linked to better heart health and a lower risk of stroke and fatal heart attacks .
SUMMARY: Macadamia nuts are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Eating small amounts each day may help reduce heart disease risk factors, such as high cholesterol and inflammation.
4. May reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome
A metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors, including high blood sugar and cholesterol levels, that increase your risk of stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
According to research, macadamia nuts may protect against both metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
For example, one recent study associated diets high in tree nuts, especially macadamia nuts, to lower fasting blood sugar levels.
People in the diets examined in this review ate 1–3 ounces (28–84 grams) of tree nuts per day. They had considerably lower hemoglobin A1c levels, a measure of long-term blood sugar management.
Furthermore, diets high in monounsaturated fats — which account for approximately 80 percent of the fat in macadamia nuts — may help lower metabolic syndrome risk factors, particularly in persons with type 2 diabetes.
Nut consumption, in general, has been associated with decreased blood sugar and body weight in persons with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.
SUMMARY: Consuming tree nuts, particularly macadamia nuts, on a regular basis may minimize your risk of metabolic syndrome and contribute to lower, more stable blood sugar levels.
5. May aid weight loss
Despite being rich in calories, macadamia nuts may help you lose weight.
This might be explained in part by their high protein and fiber content, both of which have been shown to lower appetite and enhance feelings of fullness.
According to research, a part of the lipids in nuts may persist in the nut’s fibrous wall after digestion. As a result, macadamia and other nuts may have fewer calories than previously assumed.
In one three-week research, 71 young Japanese women consumed bread every day with 10 grams of macadamia nuts, coconut, or butter. By the end of the research, individuals in the macadamia group had shed 0.9 pounds (0.4 kg), whereas those in the other groups had maintained their weight.
Macadamia nuts are also high in monounsaturated fats, particularly the omega-7 lipid palmitoleic acid, which may help to protect against disease.
Obese mice fed high-fat diets with big volumes of macadamia oil — rich in palmitoleic acid — had considerably fewer fat cells than those given no of this product after 12-week research.
However, it’s unclear whether macadamia nuts offer the same benefits in humans.
SUMMARY: Macadamia nuts may help with weight reduction by reducing appetite and increasing feelings of fullness. They may also have fewer calories than originally thought.
6. May improve gut health
Macadamia nuts contain fiber, which can benefit your digestion and overall gut health.
As is the case with most nuts, the soluble fiber in macadamia nuts can act as a prebiotic, meaning that it helps feed your beneficial gut bacteria .
In turn, these friendly bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate, which can reduce inflammation and protect against conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis .
Some evidence suggests that SCFAs may even reduce your risk of diabetes and obesity .
SUMMARY: The soluble fiber in macadamia nuts aids your digestion by feeding your beneficial gut bacteria. In turn, this can improve your gut health.
7–9. Other potential benefits
Emerging research suggests that macadamia nuts may offer a few additional health benefits, including :
- Providing anticancer properties. Flavonoids and tocotrienols, plant components found in macadamia nuts, have been shown in animal experiments to help fight or destroy cancer cells. More research, however, is required.
- Boosting brain health. Tocotrienols have been shown in animal and test-tube studies to protect brain cells from diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Human research is still required.
- Bumping up your longevity. Consuming nuts, particularly macadamia nuts, on a regular basis may help reduce your chance of dying prematurely by one-third.
Keep in mind that these potential attributes are far from proven. More human studies are needed.
SUMMARY: Eating macadamia nuts on a regular basis may lower your chance of dying prematurely and may help guard against cancer and brain illnesses. It is vital to remember that further study is required before drawing firm conclusions.
10. Easy to add to your diet
Macadamia nuts are found in most supermarkets but can also be ordered online. They’re versatile and easy to incorporate into most diets.
In general, raw macadamia nuts are the healthiest form. Dry-roasted ones provide a good alternative if you don’t have the time to roast them yourself, but try to stay away from oil-roasted versions, which contain unnecessary added fats.
You can snack on whole macadamia nuts, grind and sprinkle them onto soups and warm dishes, or swap them for croutons in salads.
Another method to enjoy this nut is to make macadamia butter. It may be spread over toast, crackers, and fruit slices, just like peanut butter, or mixed into oatmeal or yogurt.
Finally, soak these nuts and grind them into a paste to produce dairy-free cheese or milk. This paste can also be used as a basis for a variety of sweets.
Macadamia nuts may be kept at room temperature for up to five months if stored in an airtight container. Refrigerating them will keep them fresher for even longer – up to a year.
SUMMARY: Macadamia nuts are an adaptable supplement to almost any diet. They may be eaten whole, ground, raw, roasted, or as a nut butter and give a unique flavor to main dishes, snacks, and desserts.
The Take Away
Macadamia nuts are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats.
Weight loss, better gut health, and protection against diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease are among the possible advantages.
If you’re curious about this nut, try adding it to your diet today.
Read more about: 8 Tips to Add Mindfulness to Your Mealtime
One thought on “Macadamia Nuts : 10 Health and Nutrition Benefits”