I’m often asked if eating nuts is healthy and if so, which is the best of the bunch.
When it comes to eating tree nuts the king are Macadamia Nuts.
They are nutritional powerhouses that set themselves apart from the rest because of their high monounsaturated fat, thiamin, and manganese content. So, I’ll go on to explain why.
A Nutrient Breakdown of Macadamia Nuts: A True Nutritional Powerhouse
Here’s an overview of the nutrients we get from 1 ounce of raw macadamia nuts (28 grams or 10 nuts):
203.5 Calories
3.9 g Carbohydrate
2.4 g Fiber
1.5 g Net Carbs
21.5 g Fat
16.7 g Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
2.2 g Protein
0.34 mg Thiamin (23% DV)
0.05 mg Riboflavin (3% DV)
0.7 mg Niacin (4% DV)
0.21 mg Vitamin B5 (2% DV)
0.08 mg Vitamin B6 (4% DV)
24.1 mg Calcium (2% DV)
0.21 mg Copper (11% DV)
1.05 mg Iron (6% DV)
36.9 mg Magnesium (9% DV)
1.17 mg Manganese (59% DV)
104.3 mg Potassium (3% DV)
1.02 mcg Selenium (1% DV)
5 Science-Backed Benefits of Macadamia Nuts
1: Improves Brain Function
Macadamia nuts contain more healthy monounsaturated fatty acids than any other nut. Two of these monounsaturated fats are known for their brain-boosting benefits: oleic acid and palmitoleic acid.
2: Enhances Heart Health
Not only do the monounsaturated fats found in macadamias boost brain health, but they also help improve most of the biomarkers associated with heart disease risk (i.e., triglycerides, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels).
3: Improves Blood Sugar Regulation
The high amount of palmitoleic acid found in macadamia nuts has been found to increase insulin sensitivity, which plays a major role in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes.
4: Reduces Inflammation
5: Supports Gut Health
The soluble fiber in macadamia nuts aids your digestion by feeding your beneficial gut bacteria. In turn, this can improve your gut health.
Summary:
Although all nuts are healthy in some way, it can be argued that the macadamia nut is the healthiest nut.
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages that macadamias have over most nuts:
- They are lower in carbs and net carbs than most nuts.
- They contain the most thiamin (vitamin B1) compared to other commonly consumed nuts.
- They have more manganese than most nuts, which helps with nutrient absorption, production of digestive enzymes, bone development, and immune-system defenses.
- They contain less protein than most nuts
- They provide us with more healthy monounsaturated fats than any other nut.
- They have the lowest amount of inflammatory omega-6 fats per serving compared to other commonly consumed nuts.
So if eating nuts is already a part of your healthy diet, my recommendation is to make the macadamias your first nut of choice. It’s another quality decision made to promote “the best performance of your life!”
God bless,
DrB
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18356332/
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https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.923.6
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10789609/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17437143/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20064680/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646185/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814610001378
https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/138/4/761/4665045
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190113/
