Nuts can be eaten on a keto diet, but there are nuances. Most of the foods on the planet are either high in fat or high in carbohydrates. Nuts are an exception, they contain both healthy fats and carbohydrates - sometimes a lot.
Therefore, nuts on a keto diet are possible, but be careful. It is easy to overeat them - it is difficult to stop, and one handful can reset the daily carbohydrate limit. Let's see which ones are better to choose to prevent this from happening.
Our guide lists the number of carbohydrates per 100 grams. By the way, they say that this is how much fits in three palms, but the size of the hands is different for everyone, so a simple kitchen scale is still more reliable.
Pecans, Brazil nuts, and macadamias are the lowest in carbohydrates, rich in fat and nutrients. For example, one serving of Brazil nuts contains 175% of the daily intake of selenium.
100 g = 20 Brazil nuts = 40 Macadamia nuts = 66 Pecans halves
Love the pulp of coconut - well, it has only 6 grams of carbs. Formally, it is not a nut, but a drupe - a seed with overgrown pulp.
Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Almonds, and Pine Nuts. When we talk about the harm and benefits of nuts, we cannot get hung up on the number of carbohydrates. Almonds contain 9 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, but the whole daily dose of magnesium is also included. They also contain antioxidants, which means they reduce oxidative stress.
The group of the most unsafe nuts on keto includes pistachios and cashews. Very few of these insidious friends are needed, and the daily limit of 20 grams of carbohydrates will be met and exceeded. Peanuts are lower in carbohydrates than pistachios and cashews. But it is not a nut, but a bean. Do not get carried away with it, especially at the initial stage.
100g = 3/4 Cup Pistachios = 60 Cashews = 2/3 Cup Peanuts
The chestnuts are beautiful, but they are completely vicious. Therefore, let's agree: if fate has brought you to Paris, you are walking in a romantic mood, and you are attracted by the aroma of fried chestnuts, so be it - you have to take it. In all other cases - hands off! By the way, 100 g of chestnuts is a daily portion of ketobiohacker carbs.
The same rule applies to apricot pits. If your beloved grandmother has carefully dried them, chopped, and added kernels to the jam, eat them. Do not think about carbohydrates, think about how much joy you gave to granny. In other situations, there is no room for apricot pits on keto.
On a keto diet, we eliminate snacks. They are okay during the transition and adaptation phase, but nuts are still not the best choice if you get hungry between meals. Use nuts in hot dishes, salads, or grind into a paste and dip vegetables such as celery, cucumber in it.
In general, do everything that is enough for your imagination and, most importantly, your conscience. You can have a few nuts for dessert after the main course - with tea or coffee.
1. They contain phytic acid, an antinutrient that interferes with the absorption of nutrients. If you regularly consume keto nuts, soak them and then dry them at low temperatures.
2. Nuts get moldy quite easily. Do not expect miracles from nuts, which are much cheaper than competitors.
3. Many remember from the past: nuts are a good snack. On a keto diet, we are moving away from fractional nutrition. There is often and a little bit unhealthy. Distinguish between the feeling of hunger, when you really do not have enough energy, and the feeling of hunger, when you want to eat "then, I don't know what, because I need to please myself or be distracted." In the second case, you will only add fat, which is not necessary, and use up your daily carbohydrate intake.
Always remember: nuts are extremely nutritious, contain minerals, proteins, high amounts of fats, and calories. Therefore, if your goal is to lose weight, and you still can't give up snacks, choose more fatty and fewer carbohydrate options.
4. Nuts can hide anything. Old, tired, tasteless nuts are improved with sugar, honey, or some kind of unhealthy oil. You see the tempting words "sweet chili", "fried with honey", "salted caramel" or "spicy" on the pack - pass away. Read the composition, manufacturers like to add sugar even where it does not exist and should not be, according to all the laws of logic.
Do you know which nuts are the most insidious? Salted! They are able to cause almost drug addiction, wild and uncontrollable eating of nuts.
Several years ago, Professor Derek Denton and his colleagues conducted a series of experiments and concluded that ordinary salt can cause the same addiction as cigarettes or drugs when it is not enough - it activates the same areas of the brain as addiction.
Here are some life hacks that will help you stop in time with regular and salty nuts:
You can use nuts on keto, but it is very important to keep track of the quantity and quality. Do not think of them as "food", rather as a dessert or a spice.
