Health Benefits of Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts hail from Macadamia region in North-eastern parts of Australia. It is a well-known fact that these nuts are very beneficial to our health as it is rich in a lot of nutrients. There are at least seven known species of macadamia trees that grow it their native regions. During summers, each tree bears chains of creamy white flower racemes which give way to tough and hard-shelled, spherical to round shaped fruits having a conical tip. Depending on their type, the shell may have a smooth or rough surface. Each of these fruits are about 1 inch in diameter and contains husk that envelops a single kernel which is white in colour and has a smooth, butter-like surface and tastes sweet.

• Macadamia nuts are high on energy contents. 100Grams of these nuts contains around 718 calories which makes these nuts have one of the highest calorific values among nuts.

• These nuts are also stuffed with antioxidants and vitamins that makes them a daily natural source as opposed to other artificial and processed sources. These nuts are rich in the important vitamin B-complex that are intricately related to the metabolic functions. Also, they contain vitamin-A and vitamin-E which helps protect cell membranes and DNA from harmful oxygen-free radicals.

• 100 grams of macadamia nuts have 8.6 grams that is, 23% of the daily requirements for dietary fibres and is an excellent source of phytosterols and beta-sitosterol.

• These nuts like sunflower oil is rich in monosaturated fatty acids and palmitoleic acids that helo reduce the levels of cholesterol in the body. Research shows that MUF fats and the antioxidants in the nuts help maintain healthy blood lipid profile and offers a good protection from coronary artery diseases and strokes.

• Macadamia nuts are rich in minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium. They also contain traces of selenium that is a cardio-protective micro-mineral.

You will easily find dry nut suppliers in South Africa who keep macadamia nuts in their storage. Combine these nuts in your daily diet to get the best out of your nutrition. Remeber to get the most fresh batch for the best benefits. You can either buy macadamia nuts in their raw state to use in your baking.

You can also get these as snacks as they come in roasted versions (salted or unsalted). These can be munched as an evening snack and given as a present as they are a true and ethnic Hawaiian delicacy.

There is also a variant of macadamia nut flour available which is an excellent medium for baking. It is low on the calorie count and because it is free of gluten, it can be used as a starch-free substitute.

Because of macadamia nuts being a very nutritious produce, it has a lot of demand worldwide. Macadamia kernels comprise the core business in a lot of parts in South Africa. There are dedicated zones where growers churn out large quantities of macadamia nuts every year. There are several raw kernel suppliers in this part of the world who produce a wide range of kernel sizes from dedicated macadamia processors to give the best outputs.

Source: http://www.metheney.net/health-benefits-of-macadamia-nuts/