Macadamia - Myths and Science

Another great food gets a bad rap?

When most people think of macadamia nuts, they say, “Oh, but they are so fattening!”
This is simply untrue!  It is another belief based on misinformation. Similar to the bad rap coconut oil got and continues to get in many circles, processed macadamia nuts are confused with their raw counterparts.

Confusion also comes from the presence of saturated fats.  Macadamia nuts, however, contain a high level of monounsaturated fats. Just don’t eat them roasted and salted!

Saturated fats are highly misunderstood:  we need some saturated fats for cell health.  A poor diet - one high in animal fats and other acid causing practices, poor food combining, processed foods, a lack of vegetables, and a plethora of  low quality ingredients - nullifies any argument about good fats and bad fats, or the nature of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats.  Good foods get vilified in the midst of an ill paradigm.

Macademia nuts are now being recognized as a healthy part of a good diet - especially concerning heart health. See: http://live.psu.edu/story/30112?nw=1

“The Healthy Heart diet with macadamia nuts did reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared with the standard American diet. The researchers reported in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, that the macadamia nuts reduced total cholesterol by 9.4 percent and low-density lipoprotein by 8.9 percent.”

I usually order mine from Living Tree Community.

I found raw organic macadamia nuts  for a lower price here, which I haven’t yet tried. (Still working on my last 10lb order!)

In Hot Water

I finally must speak up about something that has bewildered me for years.  I have seen numerous articles on the most efficient way to heat water for coffee or tea; Is it better to use gas? electricity? the microwave? (Microwave did not score highly overall, by the way) None of them, however, addressed what I term:

The Strange Occurrence of Volume

In the countless homes in which I have been offered countless cups of tea, I notice that the tea kettles were filled to the brim despite the fact that there are only two to four cups of tea, or the one small teapot being planned.

Full kettle.  The wait for the boiling water is endless.  And then, in the end, all that hot water sits in the kettle and becomes cool again.

My tea drinking darlings!  It can be so much easier!

Just put in enough water in your kettle for your current tea drinking needs!  You save energy (whether gas or electric) and time.  You will be surprised how quickly your kettle begins to sing!

Also remember your hot water temperatures for the various kinds of tea.  Boiling water is not so common a necessity as you might think.  Please review my article on water temperature for brewing tea.

The foregoing, however, does not necessarily apply to the world of Chinese tea.  If you are an avid Chinese tea drinker, you probably will want to fill the kettle, but add to your kitchen’s arsenal a large thermos to keep the hot water handy for hours of fragrant green, oolong, white, or black tea.   For more information on Chinese tea, read my article: A Short Introduction to Chinese Tea.

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I’m Cuckoo for Coconuts

I adore young coconuts.  There is nothing in the world so refreshing to me as young coconut water - the light, almost clear water that forms inside (not to be confused with coconut milk).

Coconuts have health benefits far greater than most of us are aware of, so I have included below the highlights from an article at:
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/coconutwater.html

‘Here is some information about Coconut Water:

“It’s a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It’s the fluid of life, so to speak.” In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma trasfusions to wounded soldiers.

Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.

• Coconut Water is More Nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and NO cholesterol!
• Coconut Water is More Healthy than Orange Juice - Much lower calories
• Coconut Water is Better than processed baby milk- It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother’s milk
• Coconut water is naturally sterile — Water permeates though the filtering husk!
• Coconut water is a universal donor– Its identical to human blook plasma
• Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level we have in our blood.
• Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV.

“Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue… and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural!”, according to Mortin Satin, Chielf of the United Nation’s Food & Agriculture Organization.

Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks.

Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg!

Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars.

Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.’