Go Nuts with Macadamias!

Macadamia nuts are one of my absolute favs. Right up there with pecan and hazelnut. Turns out I can enjoy these delish morsels guilt free because there are soooo many health benefits.

One recent review associated a diet high in tree nuts with decreased risk of metabolic syndrome which is a cluster of symptoms that include high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol levels.¹

In another study they had people eat 1 to 3 ounces of tree nuts per day. They saw a significant improvement in their hemoglobin A1c levels. Hemoglobin A1c levels are an indicator of blood sugar control^.2

There was a study that looked at 71 young Japanese women. They had them eat a slice of bread daily with either macadamia nut, coconut or butter spread. At the end of 3 weeks the women eating the bread with macadamia nut lost 0.9 pounds while the other groups weighed the same.³

Macadamia nuts contain antioxidants that may protect against cancer, heart disease and stroke. The tocotrienols they contain may even protect the brain against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.⁴

I know when I think of macadamias, I think of Hawaii but guess what? They are actually native to Australia and not Hawaii!

They became a staple in Hawaii because some smart business dudes started growing them commercially and marketing the nuts to tourists. They became so associated with Hawaii that the Chinese name for macadamia is “volcano beans”.

Here is a delicious, nutritious shake I make with macadamia nuts:

1 cup macadamia milk

2 tbsp macadamia nuts

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp hemp seeds

2 tbsp cacao powder

3 pitted dates

1 frozen banana

2 scoops of protein powder or detox shake mix

Enjoy!

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282306/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4116170/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15649284/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4333972/