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Nuts are a super useful snack option and a great source of healthy fats. It also provide us with protein from floras. As we are aware, both fats and protein are necessary for ketogenic diet.
Hence, almost all nuts are suitable option for low-carb diet plan. Especially, some of them possess very low carbs.
To get into ketosis faster, choosing nuts that contain small amount carbs can extremely help the cause.
Top 5 Nuts List For Keto Diet
There are so many varieties of nuts in the market and these nuts are so delicious that people often go nuts with these nuts. This craziness on nuts may be okay on normal diet but on ketogenic diet, we got to be a bit prudent while selecting nuts among keto foods.
Among many varieties, some of them possesses very low net carbs (gross carbs minus fiber), while at the same time contains healthy fats. This low carbs and high fat combination makes them a perfect match for ketogenic diet.
Besides, high content of fiber in nuts helps prevent hungry on keto side-effect. Fiber makes our stomach’s exhausting rate slow as it takes a bit of time to digest comparing to low-fiber foods..
We all know, while it’s come to select nut, our preference tilted towards nuts like pistachios and cashews. Probably these two nuts are mostly used in salad dressing or garnishing any dishes. However, these two nuts are seriously discouraged while on keto as they are high in carbs.
Another aspect we have to keep in mind that we should not fall prey to marketing catchphrases of nuts. We should keep a vigil eye on words like salted, caramelized, sweetened, and roasted while selecting nuts. If we notice any superlatives like mentioned above, we have to realize that those nuts are treated with sugar or other preservatives.
Below mentioned five nuts have been considered as most keto-friendly as they are low in carbs and rich in fats. Proper and timely use of them may help us achieve ketosis and stay in it.
Pecans
Among other keto-friendly nuts, pecans are considered as most hale and hearty, though they are sweet in taste. Once we include them in our diet, we would notice some nutritional benefits in our body.
They fit into keto diet for their low carb and high fiber containment. Besides, they also rich in minerals like magnesium and also help us to meet our vitamin B1 deficiency.
Nutritional facts of Pecans per 1 cup (109 gram) serving:
- Amount of full carbs: 15 grams
- Net carbs: 5 gram
- Total fat: 78 gram
As we can see, carbs elements in pecans are very slim, containing a bit over 13 gram of net carbs per 1 cup (109 gram) serving. Besides, pecans are over 70% fat.
One significant ingredient that pecan contains is soluble fiber. This fiber provides a lot of health benefits to our body. Studies found that it helps lower our blood sugar level and also plays a big part in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Besides, we found a special kind of acid from pecan named oleic acid that helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, they play a part in improving our immune system and lowering inflammation.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia being called the king of keto nuts, simply because of their high fat containment. They are also low in carbs and this combination makes them a perfect combination for keto diet.
We find minerals like iron, copper and manganese from macadamia. Like other nuts, they also contain B vitamins.
Nutritional facts of Macadamia per 30 gram serving:
- Entire carb possession: 4 grams
- Remaining carbs: 1 grams
- Total fat: 23 grams
They only contain just 2g of net carbs. That why they receive all the credit when it comes to the best nuts on keto.
High amount of monounsaturated fats can also be found from this buttery tasting nuts.
Studies found that monounsaturated fats are extremely beneficial for heart health as it helps reduce cholesterol levels. It also play a role in reducing indicators of inflammation in our body.
Brazil Nuts
Though Brazil nuts are big in size, they are very low in carbs. Besides, they are rich in important nutrients.
Higher density of selenium is another reason as to why people like this nuts. In order to meet the full demands of standard daily consumption, one Brazil nut is enough.
Nutritional facts of Brazil nut1 oz (28-gram, about 6 pcs) serving:
- Overall carbs containment: 3 grams
- Net carbs: 1 gram
- Total fat: 19 grams
Selenium, an important mineral, participates in our critical bodily roles like DNA generation, digestion, and immune system. Besides, it plays an important part on keeping thyroid in shape and also help protect body cells against unwarranted radical harm by acting as a forceful antioxidant.
After conducting a study researchers came to know that Brazil nut acts as an important agent in lowering serum lipid levels such as cholesterol and triglycerides in their participants.
As Brazil nuts contains high amount of selenium, it is recommended to keep the number of them under four per day as it may put the carb limit in jeopardy.
Walnuts
Walnuts are considered to be one of the richest plant sources of omega 3s fats called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Besides, they possess small amount of carbs, at the same time rich in minerals like iron. Like other nuts, they are also full of B-vitamins.
Nutritional facts of Walnuts per 100 grams serving:
- Gross carbs: 14 grams
- Net carbs: 7 grams
- Total fat: 65 grams
- Total protein: 15 grams
Study has shown that regular intake of walnuts help keep blood pressure down, maintain a healthy heart, improve cognitive functions etc. Studies shown that fat-rich foods plays a big part in reducing heart related complicacies.
Scientists found that walnuts intake help rise antioxidant levels which plays a part in preventing DNA damage and cancer from developing.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are a great source of dietary fiber and healthy fat. They also provide us with protein and vitamin E, K.
Nutritional facts of Hazelnut per 100 grams serving:
- Gross carbs: 18 grams
- Net carbs: 9 grams
- Total fat: 62 grams
- Total protein: 15 grams
Numerous antioxidants that they contain play a big role in keeping our body’s inflammation in check. Hazelnuts possesses a healthy mix of fat and protein and this monounsaturated fat may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Several research shows that hazelnuts-ridden foods can play a part in lowering total cholesterol levels without affecting HDL levels and this one trait is very beneficial for our cardiovascular health.
Benefits of Nuts on a Ketogenic Diet
Following are a few reasons why nuts can bring benefits to our health when we are on keto diet:
1: Nuts Are Nutrients Dense
Nuts are rich in vitamins and minerals such as:
- Magnesium is an essential mineral for both our body and brain. To function both the organs perfectly our body requires adequate amount of this mineral.
- Selenium, this antioxidant helps strengthens our immune system.
- Manganese, this minerals help accelerate fat and carb digestion process and also help regulate our blood sugar level.
2: High in Fat and Protein While Mostly Low Carb
Existence of high fiber in nuts ultimately reduces the net carbs in it. Besides, another important role that fiber plays is that it helps control blood sugar. This means when we eat keto friendly nuts as snacks, we won’t see a spike in blood sugar like we may experience with other snacks.
Studies found that existing nutrients in nuts can help reduce the risk of:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Early death
- Certain inflammation markers in your body
3: Portable and Portion Controllable
People who lead a busy and always on the go life, nuts as a snack can be perfect for them. They can accompany keto friendly snacks all the time by keeping a small stash in their bag. However, it is imperative to keep the portion right with nuts.
Over-eating of nuts can jeopardize the whole ketogenic diet despite putting all the hard work elsewhere. Moreover, choice of nuts has to be impeccable as not all the nuts are same in carb containment.
4: Contain Low Carbohydrate
Nuts Contain very small amount of carbs. Usually, sensible amount of nuts intake can help achieve the purpose of adopting ketogenic diet. However, excessive consumption of nuts can spoil the whole point of embracing keto diet.
If we have a look at keto friendly nuts’ macros, it is clearly visible that carbs in nuts are quite low in ratio to fat properties. For example, pecans – which are considered as most keto friendly nuts – contains only 15 grams of total carbs. In contrast, fat amount in Pecan is 78 grams. This simple fact tell us the story as to why nuts are so keto-generic foods.
There are different types of nuts in the market. Choosing the right one for keto diet is the key. For instance, 1 oz of almonds contains approx. 3 grams of net carbs. Whereas, net carb possession of 1 oz of macadamia about 1.6 grams.
We should try to avoid following nuts while on keto diet as they are high in carbs:
- Peanuts: 3.9 grams
- Pinenuts: 2.8 grams
- Pistachios: 5.9 grams
- Cashews: 8.5 grams
- Chestnuts: 13.7 grams
Rather we should focus on the best keto friendly nuts discussed earlier. These nuts are poised very much on the safe side as their high fat properties give us a sense of fullness. Consequently we find it difficult to overindulge.
We have to keep a close eye on net carbs, rather than total carbs. Because fiber issue is always associated with carbs and nuts are rich in fiber. Besides, our body finds it a bit difficult to absorb fiber.
5: Help reduce inflammation
The carbohydrates that we take in today’s world are mostly refined. Refined carbs can initiate inflammatory reaction in our body. Our body release Cytokines – an inflammatory indicator – profusely, when we take refined carbs. Nuts play an effective role keeping inflammatory influence in check.
Keto friendly nuts are full of Vitamin- E. This vitamin-E helps shield our body from the negative properties of risky free radicals. Moreover, it is found that this particular vitamin also helps arresting various inflammatory indicators of our body.
Experiments find that nuts contain a special kind of polyunsaturated fats. This fats play a role in lowering the danger of high diabetes and help maintain a sound heart.
Concluding Thoughts
Nuts are very resourceful foods. They provide us with the vibe of satiated. Nuts are very commonly consumed by people who adopt ketogenic diet – a diet high in fat and low in carbs.
Nuts play a big role in providing different variations and taste to keto-generic foods and snacks. It is worth mentioning that due to their low carb nature – especially absence of starch and sugar – keto diets are very bland in taste.
Besides, nuts are host of a very good amount of minerals and antioxidants.
Nuts are easily portable as they are very small in size. So, we can eat nuts on the go keeping it in a small container. Moreover, nuts can go solo, meaning we can eat nuts alone. Thus, stands as a very good snacks. We see widespread use of nuts in salads and desserts.