About Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia Nuts have become associated with Hawaii, but they originated in Australia and Australia is still the worlds largest producer. Macadamia Nuts were only "discovered" in the mid 1800's and made it to Hawaii about 30 years later. Aborigines had been eating them for years, and had developed ways to make even the inedible varieties edible. Modern commercial cultivation means we don't have to mess with bad macadamia nut varieties. Macadamia trees require warm, steady temeratures, which makes Hawaii ideal for growers. The trees are slow growers, they don't start making macadamia nuts for almost 10 years, but one of the originally discovered nuts was planted in the mid 1800's and is still bearing fruit today. Commercial propagation is most commonly accomplished by grafting because demand is high and the trees are slow to produce nuts. Today macadamia nuts are grown in many countries: South Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Israel to name a few.

Macadamia nuts are very rich in fats, more so than any other common edible nut, but they're good fats. The fats in macadamia nuts are high in a stable version of Omega-7, like mink oil, so they have become very popualr for use in cosmetics and skin care products. And of course eating them is very popular too. Macadamia nuts are very high in protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and many minerals and B vitamins. Macadamia nuts have a very hard shell that is difficult to open without damaging the nut inside. Drying helps, causing a natural crack in the shell, but it can change the flavor. In general macadamia nuts are best with only minimal processing. Their high sugar and nutritional content can be damaged with heat and drying, so cracking the shell is usually done by machine. Macadamia nuts also ripen randomly, and the ripe nuts look just like the unripened ones and do not usually fall from the tree. With no discernable season for ripening, and no dicsernable difference between ripe and unripened nuts, harvesting is a difficult task which raises the price of macadamia nuts.

Macadamia nuts are higher in good monounsaturated fats than olive oil and contain no cholesterol. Studies have shown that they also help reduce LDL or bad cholesterol. Macadamia nuts are one of very few foods that contain palmitoleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that can increase fat metabolism in the body. In general nuts are shunned by weight conscious people, but they may be missing a tasty treat that's loaded with "anti-calories". If you're looking for a snack that's high in fat and tastes great, grab some macadamia nuts.

Macadamia nut Facts:
• Macadamia Nuts are native to Australia
• Macadamia Nuts are usually associated with Hawaii
• Macadamia Nuts are now grown in many countries
• Macadamia nuts have a very hard shell
• High in protein, carbohydrates & fiber
• Macadamia Nuts are high in monounsaturated fats
• High in minerals and B vitamins
• Macadamia trees require warm, steady temeratures
• Macadamia trees are slow growers
• Macadamia nuts may help increase fat metabolism in the body

Nutritional data per 100g Raw Macadamia Nuts, approx: Alanine - 0.388 g Arginine - 1.402 g Ash - 1.14 g Aspartic acid - 1.099 g Beta-sitosterol - 108 mg Calcium, Ca - 85 mg Campesterol - 8 mg Carbohydrate, by difference - 13.82 g Copper, Cu - 0.756 mg Cystine - 0.006 g Energy - 3004 kj Energy - 718 kcal Fatty acids, total monounsaturated - 58.877 g Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated - 1.502 g Fatty acids, total saturated - 12.061 g Fiber, total dietary - 8.6 g Folate, DFE - 11 mcg_DFE Folate, food - 11 mcg Folate, total - 11 mcg Fructose - 0.07 g Glucose (dextrose) - 0.07 g Glutamic acid - 2.267 g Glycine - 0.454 g Histidine - 0.195 g Iron, Fe - 3.69 mg Isoleucine - 0.314 g Leucine - 0.602 g Lysine - 0.018 g Magnesium, Mg - 130 mg Manganese, Mn - 4.131 mg Methionine - 0.023 g Niacin - 2.473 mg Pantothenic acid - 0.758 mg Phenylalanine - 0.665 g Phosphorus, P - 188 mg Phytosterols - 116 mg Potassium, K - 368 mg Proline - 0.468 g Protein - 7.91 g Riboflavin - 0.162 mg Selenium, Se - 3.6 mcg Serine - 0.419 g Sodium, Na - 5 mg Starch - 1.05 g Sucrose - 4.43 g Sugars, total - 4.57 g Thiamin - 1.195 mg Threonine - 0.370 g Total lipid (fat) - 75.77 g Tryptophan - 0.067 g Tyrosine - 0.511 g Valine - 0.363 g Vitamin B-6 - 0.275 mg Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid - 1.2 mg Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) - 0.54 mg Water - 1.36 g Zinc, Zn - 1.30 mg

Macadamia Nuts

Where to buy: Macadamia Nuts