Gone are the days of believing that low fat is better. These days we enjoy the mouthfeel and taste that fat brings to our food, as well as the many nutritional benefits.
Fat helps with absorption of fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamin E and also helps to keep us feeling full so we don’t eat more than our bodies need. However, there are several types of fat and not all of them are equally beneficial to us. When we talk about ‘good fats’ we usually mean unsaturated ones. Macadamia nuts are the number one nut source of the ‘good’ monounsaturated fats that are beneficial for heart health and reducing the risk of heart disease. 11,12,13
‘Good’ vs ‘bad’ fats
But what’s the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats? And what does it mean for a fat to be monounsaturated? The names refer to the chemical structure of the fat. Monounsaturated refers to the fat having one double bond in the carbon chain that makes up the backbone of the fatty acid. Just having one bond means that monounsaturated fats are very stable and don’t oxidised easily. Oxidation can damage cells4 (that’s why antioxidants are so important) but the fats in Australian macadamias are more resistant to this.
So incorporating a healthy handful of macadamias into your day is a delicious way to make sure your diet contains the ‘good’ fats that support your health.
