FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Macadamia-nut oil fits nicely into weight-loss programs

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

The late Dr. Robert Atkins, creator of the Atkins diet program, loved macadamia nuts and was impressed with the nutritional profile of the oil. Dr. Fred Pescatore, author of "Thin for Good" and developer of the trendy Hamptons Diet (said to be the next generation of low-carb, high-protein plans), considers macadamia-nut oils a pantry staple, a "secret weapon" in weight loss and maintenance.

All of this has been very good for Dana and Barbara Gray's Oils of Aloha company in Waialua. It was the first company here to make an edible macadamia-nut oil — using an expeller method that squeezes the oil out of the nut without heating it or adding chemicals to it — and has been marketing the oil to the cosmetics and food industries for 15 years.

But Gray, who well remembers a time when experts advised him to take his food oils off the market because fats are so bad for you, is cautious about going overboard on health claims.

He felt like a voice in the wilderness at first, when he tried to explain to people that some fat is necessary in the diet. He was mightily encouraged when Dr. Harry Ako of the Department of Environmental Biochemistry at the University of Hawai'i did an analysis of macadamia-nut oil and found it "the most healthful of all food oils" — a quote that remains on the Oils of Aloha label.

Though enthusiastic about macadamia-nut oil's nutritional advantages, Gray doesn't want anyone to think he's touting his products as "miracle" food — as one tabloid report has called it — or suggesting anyone chug the oil by the cupful.

And though the company has added low-carb wording to its labeling, he wryly notes that he hopes that most people realize that all fats and oils are carbohydrate-free.

Macadamia-nut oil fits well into a weight-loss or weight-stabilization plan, whether low- or high-carbohydrate, or even low-fat — in moderate amounts:

It is the highest in mono-unsaturated fats of any of the common cooking oils — olive, canola, peanut, sesame, corn or mixed vegetable oils. Mono-unsaturated fats may lower cholesterol, reduce heart disease, offer protection from certain cancers and contain anti-oxidant vitamin E.

Macadamia-nut oil contains more than 80 percent mono-unsaturated fats and is also lowest of all major food oils in omega-6 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat of which Americans generally get too much. The oil contains a small amount of highly desirable omega-3 fatty acids. It is the best plant source of palmitoleic acid, which may help in the metabolism of stored body fat, encouraging weight loss, according to Oils of Aloha materials.

Macadamia-nut oil contains more "bad" saturated fats (about 10 percent) than canola or sunflower oil but is still considered healthful overall.

The 12.7-ounce bottles of Hawai'i's Gold — plain macadamia-nut oil — sell for $6 to $8 at Daiei, Executive Chef, R. Field at Foodland, some Longs stores, military commissaries and gift shops and specialty food stores. Three flavored oils — garlic, chili and Italian — also are available.

About that fridge: Got some great responses from folks to my questions what's the weirdest thing in your refrigerator. While I'm off covering (and recovering from) Merrie Monarch, this column will go on hiatus next week. Write me about your fridge and I'll tackle that topic April 28. Write: Wanda Adams, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.