The Hemp Connection [Search results for macadamias] 

Happy Monday to all of you!

Sorry for the silence, I was in Boston for a sports nutrition conference, promoting the Nordic Naturals line of fish oils. I've been sidelined from my half marathon training with a cranky knee, and it was so nice to get off of the elliptical trainer, get outside, and walk along the Charles River to and from my hotel and the conference!

Something I was very happy to see, throughout the conference, was the emphasis on nuts in general as a healthy food. I've been frustrated for a long, long time that the walnut people seemed to be the only nut commodity board with media contacts. Not that I don't like walnuts, but there's nothing wrong with other nuts as well.

I did an analysis for an article a few years ago, in which I compared the ratios of beneficial fats (omega-3's and monounsaturated) to potentially detrimental fats (omega-6's and polyunsaturated). And when they were all lined up in terms of most beneficial to least beneficial…walnuts actually turned up at the bottom of the list. Macadamias came out on top!

I use that analysis in my trainings, and dietitians will always immediately say,"But macadamias are so high in fat." Precisely. But it's the kind of fat that keeps us healthy. Lucky for me…my very favorite way to have nuts is macadamia nuts roasted in coffee, the way they fix them in Hawaii.

Anyway…(I tend to get distracted in this blog, don't I?)…

…one of the presentations showed data for macadamias, pecans, and pistachios, suggesting that they, too, are good foods to include in an anti-inflammatory (aka anti-PCOS and pro-fertility) diet. Nuts, in addition to good fats, have a variety of antioxidants that can delay and prevent aging and help fight stress. I even learned that the green part of pistachios contains lutein, which makes them good for eye health. Who knew a food so fun to eat would also be so helpful to my health?

Of course, there's a limit to how many nuts can be healthy, and fat has calories, no matter where it comes from. But if you're reaching for a handful of pistachios instead of a bag of Fritos, it's nice to know you're also reaching for better health.

So this week…go nuts!

Over the weekend, I had the honor and pleasure of training the newest members of the inCYST network. I'll share more about them in another post!

I realized while doing that training that there is something I always share in professional presentations, that I have yet to post on this blog. It has to do with my perspective about the fact that walnuts consistently show up on every blog post and in every interview about increasing the omega-3's in your diet…and when you do the math…it turns out there may be some other great choices, potentially even better choices, than walnuts for doing this job.

TRUE Walnuts have the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids per gram of nut than any other nut, about 2.5 grams per ounce.

TRUE Walnuts also have a very high amount of omega-6 fatty acids per gram of nut, about 10 grams per ounce.

TRUE Walnuts have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 4 to 1. If this was the only food we ever ate, this is actually a decent ratio.

HOWEVER…The problem is, when people are trying to use diet for help with inflammatory diseases like PCOS, their ultimate goal is to simultaneously reduce omega-6 intake and increase omega-3 intake. Every time you eat walnuts, you increase both omega-3 and omega-6 intake.

NUTTY STRATEGIES FOR BALANCING OMEGA-3'S AND OMEGA-6'S
1. Don't eliminate walnuts! They still, in moderation, have a lot of great health benefits.

2. Eat a variety of nuts. I like to shop at a store that has bulk food bins. Every week they have a different nut on sale. I went to IKEA and bought a bunch of see-through canisters. Every week I purchase a pound of whatever is on sale and add it to my collection. That way I can snack on almonds, cashews, macadamias, pecans…and always have them on hand for cooking or salads. That way I get the best each nut has to offer, while minimizing potential problems that might arise from getting too much of one kind of nut.

3. Know your anti-inflammatory nuts. If correcting your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is your current most important goal, get friendly with the following nuts: macadamia, hazelnut, pecan, pine, pistachio. I ranked them in order of which ones have the highest ratio of omega-3 and monounsaturated fats compared to omega-6 and saturated fats. (Thanks to friend and colleague Johanna Roth for helping with that analysis).

Each of these types of nuts, has an anti-inflammmatory benefit related to its fat profile. Peanuts, peanut oil, and old-fashioned style (no trans fat) peanut butter are pretty neutral, won't hurt your ratio, but won't really improve it. (Peanut butter is a great and inexpensive choice, and is perfect when eaten in an overall diet that also includes fish, flax, and other omega-3 balancing choices.)

(Monounsaturated fats are mathematically neutral and healthfully beneficial. They are the type of fats also found in olive oil and avocados).

Most people who recommend walnuts as part of their Top Ten List of Foods have not taken the time to do all of the math. They simply stopped at the basic analysis.

Hazelnut-encrusted halibut, anyone?

My parents have a time share on the island of Kauai. In a recent conversation they mentioned that they are gearing up for their every-other-year trip, and what came to mind? Not the beaches, not the snorkeling, not the sunsets…but the coffee-crusted macadamia nuts they always bring back.

When I started in this profession waaaay back when, I was taught to teach that nuts were to be avoided. And that macadamia nuts were the worst of the worst.

Recently, a colleague and I did an analysis of all nuts. Using a nutrient database, we developed a ratio: pro-inflammatory fats (saturated and omega-6) to anti-inflammatory fats (monounsaturated and omega-3). What we discovered when we did this was that the highest anti-inflammatory rating belonged to macadamia nuts. The reason is that macadamias proportionately have a very high monounsaturated fat content. Monounsaturated fats are the healthy fats often associated with olive oil and avocados.

Was I ever stoked!

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a"Where's Waldo?" drawing…and consumers have to find me in the middle of the crowd, the lone nutritionist who's encouraging them to eat all nuts, not just walnuts. It's not that I don't like walnuts, I just think they get way too much attention considering the health values of other nuts.

Looks like other researchers are making the same discovery. Recently a laboratory at Pennsylvania State University reported that an ounce and a half of macadamia nuts daily helped to reduce total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides.

Macadamia oil is also a popular ingredient in acne lotions. And it is being researched as a potential anti-aging agent for skin preparations.

Of course, eating any nut in excess is as potentially detrimental as eating any food in excess. But I know in my counseling that clients are always looking for good snack ideas. It's so fun to help them learn how that ounce of nuts, in the middle of the afternoon, can help stave off hunger until dinnertime.

Nuts are not to be feared…anymore.

Griel AE, Cao Y, Bagshaw DD, Cifelli AM, Holub B, Kris-Etherton PM. A macadamia nut-rich diet reduces total and LDL-cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women. J Nutr. 2008 Apr;138(4):761-7.

Akhtar N, Yazan Y. Formulation and in-vivo evaluation of a cosmetic multiple emulsion containing vitamin C and wheat protein. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2008 Jan;21(1):45-50.