Macadamia Nut Oil: A Healthy Wonder Oil?

Macadamia Nut Oil, or Mac Nut Oil, as it is also called, is my new wonder oil.  Why? Let me tell you about how this came to be…

I’ve already posted on this site about how bad some oils are that are most likely sitting in your kitchen. (See The Most Dangerous Oils in Your Kitchen)

Recently, as I was doing more research for different cooking oils, I was looking for 2 main things: oils with the least Omega-6 content in it and high smoke point, or stability in high heat.

What is typically wrong with the Standard American Diet (SAD) is that it has way too much Omega-6. You do need some Omega-6, but not as much as most Americans already get, and this has become a big health problem.

So I started looking at different dietary oil chart comparisons and, even though I was not even thinking about macadamia nut oil, it kept jumping out at me in all the comparisons.

You see, I kept subconsciously thinking of macadamia nut oil as a high fat oil that I shouldn’t be interested in eating.  I was even getting ready to buy hazelnut oil, but, as mac nut oil kept literally jumping off the charts in my research, I had to look into it some more.

Macadamia Nut Oil Benefits

What surprised me was that Macadamia Nut Oil has the highest monounsaturated fat content and also the least amount of Omega-6, second only to Coconut Oil, which is almost all saturated fat (the good kind).

It also has a high smoke point at 410 degrees F. It has a very nice mild buttery/nutty flavor, in my opinion. I like to mix it with my 500 deg. F Avocado Oil. But it is definitely great on its own, and can be used in everything that you would normally use Olive Oil for.

Have you ever tried mixing a bit of oil like this into your favorite ice cream? I have and its delicious! I have now tried this with Coconut Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Argan Oil, and now Mac Nut Oil. All have a nice nutty flavor where a few drops mix very well with slightly thawed or softened ice cream.

I already have coconut oil in my kitchen but I never even thought about Mac Nut oil before! It more than checked off the 2 main things I am looking for in a high quality cooking oil: Very Low Omega-6 Content and High Smoke Point.

What Is the Best Macadamia Nut Oil?

Speaking of high quality, Macadamia trees are native to Australia…period! Yes, I know most of us Americans think of Hawaii when we think of macadamia nuts but they are native to Australia.

Therefore, the best place to source Macadamia Nut Oil is, of course, from Australia, not Hawaii, or anywhere else it is produced.  It should also be extra virgin, cold-pressed, and stored in a dark glass bottle.

Extra Virgin Australian Macadamia Nut Oil is more expensive than extra virgin Olive oil or Avocado oil but it also tops both of these in health benefits and worth the extra expense. It also tastes wonderful and it is now my new “wonder oil”.

I will not get into all the other health benefits Mac Nut oil provides. You can look that up for yourself as there is plenty of info out there on the stuff.

I will tell you one more thing that many others do not seem to focus on: Mac Nut Oil contains little known Omega-7. This is the body’s natural moisturizer and great for the skin.

Macadamia Nut Oil is composed of roughly 85% Monounsaturated Fat (MUFA, Omega-9), about 12.5% Saturated Fat (SFA), and a very low 2-3% Polyunsaturated Fat (PUFA, Omega-3,6, and 7).

This PUFA component is made up of about 20% Omega-7 (Palmitoleic), 1-2% Omega-3 (Alpha Linoleic), and 1-3% Omega-6 (Linoleic).

It is the very low levels of the Omega-6 PUFA, in particular, that I like most about this oil.  Remember, the Standard American Diet has way too much Omega-6 in it already!

Another animal-based source of high Omega-7/K2-MK4 is Emu Oil, also native to Australia!

Where to Buy Australian Extra Virgin Macadamia Nut Oil

Let me tell you a secret. Amazon, currently, is NOT the cheapest place to buy my favorite true Australian Extra Virgin Macadamia Nut Oil. The brand I will refer to below is over $18 on Amazon, and so are the other brands of the same size.

But I found a spot online where you can get a 8.45 Fl. Oz bottle for under $12. I almost don’t want to tell you because I don’t want them to sell out and then raise the price, but since we’re all friends here, I will go ahead and tell you where…

Olivado Extra Virgin Macadamia Nut Oil — 8.45 fl oz

…But don’t go to the Olivado website, because it will be $18 there too.  The place to go is Vitacost and they, atleast for now, have the cheapest price for this superior brand of Australian Extra Virgin Macadamia Nut Oil I have seen so far.

I hope you enjoy it and spread the word about this “wonder oil”!  I believe it belongs in everyone’s kitchen.

Related Links

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