Photo by Tom Sharrow/SoNourished.com

Nuts are a great source of fat, but do they fit into a ketogenic diet?  Yes! They are nutrient-dense, easy to prep, and are great in many simple yet delicious dishes.

Unsaturated Fat Rules

When it comes to unsaturated and saturated fats, the former comes out on top. Depending on the type, up to 80 percent of a nut is fat¹, making it a high-fat, low-carb food to add to your keto diet. They're high in monounsaturated fat, and they also contain omega-3 fatty acids that help the heart. Not only that, but unsaturated fat can even improve the health of people with certain conditions.

Nuts are high in calories, so just a sprinkling of them gets the job done. It’s also best to stick to a standard serving size to make sure you don’t go overboard on your daily carb count. When purchasing them pre-packaged, opt for unsalted varieties to keep sodium intake in check. Keeping all this in mind, many kinds of nuts can fit comfortably into a daily keto diet.

Vitamins, Minerals, and Fiber

The mighty nut has lots of other nutritional benefits. A single serving (1 ounce) is chock-full of nutrients, such as magnesium, selenium, potassium, and vitamins B and E. They also contain insoluble fiber, which can help control blood sugar. Fiber helps you feel fuller for longer, so it’s an excellent component of the keto diet. In fact, nuts are nutritionally competitive with veggies and often have fewer carbs.

When taking into consideration the carb count for a serving size, keep in mind that a good portion of the carbs come from fiber! Different nut types have varying carb counts, but depending on your carbohydrate limit, you might be able to enjoy any nut you’d like. The ones that contain the lowest number of net carbs per ounce are pecans (1.2 grams), brazil nuts (1.4 grams), macadamia nuts (1.5 grams), walnuts (2 grams), hazelnuts (2 grams), and almonds (2.6 grams).

Nuts in Keto Meal Prep

This isn’t an excuse to freely dig into a jar of peanut butter. Many types of nut butters are loaded with excess sugar, but if you’ve got the craving, the company Perfect Keto released its own nut butter with 4 grams of sugar and 7 grams of carbs. The ingredients include cashews and macadamia nuts, making it both simple and good for you.

To prep nuts, soak them for about 12 hours in a bit of salt water, adding a tablespoon of salt per 4 cups of nuts. The salt releases enzymes and soaking them allows for easier absorption in the digestive tract. Drain and place them in the oven on the lowest setting until they’re dry. Try them roasted and tossed in salads and stir-fried dishes to round out a meal. The Harvard School of Public Health found that replacing a serving of red meat with a serving of nuts reduced the risk of premature death by 20 percent². Of course, they are wonderful for a quick snack, too!

NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER

The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.

Latest posts by Josh Burnett (see all)

Check Out More Articles: