The Mighty Macadamia
Macadamia nuts come from the Macadamia tree, contained with a hard-seed coat that’s enclosed in a green husk. It later splits open as the nut matures. While the macadamia is commonly thought as coming from Hawaii. However, the macadamia is actually native to Australia.1 This is why these nuts may be referred to as the Australian nut and the Queensland nut.
One ounce of Macadamia Nuts (28g), approximately 10-12 kernels (nuts), contains:2
- 4 grams Carbohydrate
- 2 grams Protein
- 21.4 g Fat
- 16.5 g Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g Fiber
- 2 mg Manganese (58% DV)
- 3 mg Thiamine (23% DV)
- 7 mg Magnesium (9% DV)
Macadamia Nuts are Rich in Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Monounsaturated fats are considered healthy fats that can help keep our arteries in good condition to promote heart health. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Nutrition,3 was conducted by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University Department of Nutritional Sciences. In this study, some subjects who ate a standard American diet were randomly given macadamia nuts. They were compared to those who were fed a typical American diet without being given random macadamia nuts. Over the course of this study, those who consumed macadamia nuts saw reduced triglyceride levels and other healthy heart markers.
A Healthy, Nutritious, and Filling Snack
But here are some tips. Make sure to store macadamias in a cool place, such as the refrigerator or pantry. However, it’s important to make sure they don’t contain or draw moisture. I would buy raw macadamia nuts and roast your own that way you know what oil was used to roast them. Remember to stay far away from horrendous vegetable oils, which I have discussed why these are to be avoided in a previous newsletter or blog post.
- https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/macadamia.html
- http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3123/2
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18356332
No sweat recipe of the week
Macadamia Dark Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt
Ingredients
- ½ cup Macadamia Nuts (roughly chopped or crushed)
- 9-10 ounces 80%+ Cacao Dark chocolate (roughly chopped, if using a chocolate bar)
- ¼ – ½ tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- Chop or crush Macadamia nuts and chop chocolate
- If you don’t have a double boiler, create a double boiler by filling a pot with a few inches of water then balance or hold a smaller pot. Make sure this smaller pan is above the water in the bottom pot
- Add about 2/3rd of the chocolate to double boiler, the rising steam from the water will heat the smaller pot melting the chocolate, without burning it
- While chocolate melts stir occasionally and remove from heat as soon as the chocolate is melted
- Quickly, right after the chocolate is removed from heat add the remaining chocolate, stirring until it melts as well
- Stir the chopped (or crushed) macadamia nuts to melted chocolate
- Line a rimmed dish of your choice, an 8×8 baking dish works well, with parchment paper or wax paper. The size of the dish will determine how thick the bark is
- Spread the chocolate evenly in the rimmed dish
- Sprinkle with sea salt
- Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, longer if chocolate isn’t solid yet.
- Use a knife to cut the bark into squares or misshapen pieces. You can store the bark at room temperature