Top Keto-Friendly Nuts To Add To Your Diet
Nuts are a quick and easy snack that is generally considered a part of a healthy diet. While nuts can be enjoyed on a keto diet, there are definitely some that are more keto-friendly than others. let’s discuss the carbohydrate content in various nuts and which are the top 5 most keto-friendly.
Carbs in Nuts
Different nuts come with different amounts of carbohydrates and some are more keto-friendly than others.
Pecans and macadamias are at the lower end (1-2g of net carbs/ounce) with almonds being in the middle ground (2-3g net carbs) and cashews at the higher end (8-9g net carbs/ounce).
The differing amounts of carbohydrates can become problematic with nuts. The pure convenience of nuts is a double-edged sword, on the one hand, if you have some macadamia nuts and the other some cashews, you may have a similar weight of nuts but the net carbohydrate in each hand will vary, this can cause some hiccups along the way.
For safety, on a ketogenic diet, it is best to stick to the lower carbohydrate nuts.
Top 5 keto-friendly nuts
Pecans
Net carbs – 1g per ounce
Nutrients – vitamin A, E, and B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
Brazil nuts
Net carbs – 1g per ounce
Nutrients – Selenium, phosphorus, and magnesium
Macadamias
Net carbs – 2g per ounce
Nutrients – manganese, magnesium, and vitamin B1
Net carbs – 2g per ounce
Nutrients – copper and manganese
Almonds
Net carbs – 3g per ounce
Nutrients – vitamin E, Riboflavin, Magnesium, and Manganese
Least Keto-Friendly Nuts
Pistachios
5g net carbs per ounce
Cashews
8g net carbs per ounce
Chestnuts
12g net carbs per ounce
(Nutrition data source: http://nutritiondata.self.com)
Fats And Nutrients
Nuts are known to be incredibly nutritious snacks. With a high amount of healthy fats, the above nuts and a ketogenic diet can be a match made in heaven.
As well as this, nuts are high in soluble fiber, supporting gut function.
They also contain manganese, selenium, and magnesium, meaning that they can support electrolyte balance which can sometimes be problematic when transitioning to a ketogenic diet.
Word of Warning
Nuts are a high-calorie food.
They pack a very dense amount of energy within them, and for this reason, it is very easy to overdo it. Even if you are consuming keto-friendly nuts, too many can still slow your weight loss process and potentially even kick you out of ketosis.
A large handful of nuts will contain a lot more than a regular handful so be wary of portion distortion! Don’t gorge on nuts willy nilly, try and measure with weighing scales to keep a good hold on how many you are eating. This is especially important if trying to lose weight.
Many of the health benefits associated with consuming nuts can be far outweighed if you are over-consuming!
What Are Your Favorite Keto-Friendly Nuts?
Comment below and let us know!
