Get to know your nuts !
Most of us have heard about activating your almonds and how walnuts are brain food , but how much do you know about the great Aussie nut – the macadamia ?
These little balls of goodness , that are both crunchy and creamy , are native to Australia and we now export them to more than 40 countries . But for years we ’ ve avoided them due to their high fat content .
The world is quickly catching on to the nutritional benefits of this Australian bush food . Research continues to remove the stigma associated with dietary fat and scientists are now proving that there are numerous health benefits to having healthy fats as a part of your diet . The two that most people are aware of are unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats ( also called omega-3 and omega-6 ). Like most things in our diets , it ’ s all about balance . Macadamias can help balance out the omega-3 / omega-6 fatty acid ratio in our diets . Why is this important ? Because it can help with minimising diseases associated with chronic inflammation , such as osteoarthritis and autoimmune diseases .
Nuts have a considerable amount of healthy fats . However , when you look closely at the amount of omega-6 in macadamias , compared to other nuts , you ’ ll see why macadamias are leading the charge .
Amount of omega-6 fats per 100g of nuts |
Walnuts : |
10.7g |
Pecans : |
3.7g |
Almonds : |
3.4g |
Cashews : |
2.2g |
Macadamia nuts : |
0.36g |
There ’ s almost no omega-6 in macadamia nuts – it ’ s less than you would find in 1 tablespoon of olive oil . In this respect , the fat profile of macadamia nuts closely mirrors that of avocados and olive oil . Yay !
So why is this significant ?
Omega-3 and omega-6 fats both play a role in producing signalling chemicals that cause the body to become inflamed . The latest studies show that omega-6 fats are pro-inflammatory , while omega-3 fats are antiinflammatory . So , if your ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats is significantly out of balance , your body ’ s inflammation is likely to be more severe and prolonged . If you can reduce the inflammation in your body , you can reduce the severity or minimise the risk of cardiovascular disease , type 2 diabetes and cancer . This is why the Mediterranean diet has become so popular – it ’ s rich in Omega-3 , sourced mainly from olive oil and fish .
Two recent studies of both mice 1 and humans 2 showed that the daily consumption of macadamias reduced inflammation and reduced fat cell enlargement . The authors suggested that this was due to the low omega-6 content of macadamia nuts , which increased the omega-3 / omega-6 fat ratio .
All this scientific talk means that when incorporated into a balanced diet , macadamia nuts , may help to lower overall fat stores and minimise the risk of developing serious diseases associated with chronic inflammation . However , they are still calorie dense , so if using them as a snack , best to keep it to a handful only .
Assoc . Prof . Megan Chircop - Body Sculptors Australia - 0438 195 535 bodysculptorsaustralia @ gmail . com - www . bodysculptorsaustralia . com bodysculptorsaustralia - bodysculptorsaustralia
1 Macadamia oil supplementation attenuates inflammation and adipocyte hypertrophy in obese mice / 2 A macadamia nut-rich diet reduces total and LDL-cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women
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