Nuts and seeds have been a favorite of low carb dieters for many years. Ketogenic dieters are also fans now. But as always, the question is, do they keep you out of ketosis or help you prolong it?
You need to understand which nuts and seeds have high enough fat levels for a ketogenic and which are most nutrient-rich.
In many cases, nuts and seeds are being touted as a superfood. Of course, they’re 100% natural and have been a food and snack source for thousands of years.
Since the data are contradictory, people aren’t sure whether they fit into a low carb/high fat diet plan.
Specific nuts and seeds are acceptable for keto, but you need to learn which ones won’t kick you out of ketosis. We will help you out with that information.
Nutritional info in nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are of different sizes and a serving differs among individuals.
If you are looking for keto friendly and weight loss, you need to work your macros since these foods can be high in carbs and calories.
What are the best nuts and seeds for Keto?
As always with food, everyone has their preferences and favorites.
Almonds
Almonds are a good low carb snack. With 14.16g of fat and 3.5g fiber per ounce, they’re quite filling. They are a good source of vitamin E. You can get the micronutrients phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. The latter replenishes electrolytes to ward of the keto flu
Enjoy natural almond butter instead of peanut butter.
Pistachios
Pistachios have high carb content with 7.7g per ounce. Many ketoers use the justification that since it takes a minimum of twice as long to open the shell and eat it, eating them from the shell forces you to eat slowly. Satiety comes quicker and you eat less.
Macadamia nuts
Macadamias have 21.48g of fat one of the highest per ounce. If you are looking to increase fat consumption they are your best choice.
Macadamia nuts are good for your heart and they reduce total cholesterol as well as the bad kind, LDL
Pecans
Similar to macadamia nuts, pecan has 20.4g fat per ounce, which makes it another of the best choices to fill your fat macros.
Pumpkin seeds
The carb count for these tiny green seeds are 3.04g per ounce and you can snack on quite a few the carb count are 3.04g per ounce. You can munch on plenty of them before worrying about your macros.
Pumpkin seeds are also high in protein at 8.57g of protein per ounce,
Their reasonable price and nutrition benefits make them a popular choice.
As with all mentioned above, you can include them all in your favorite low carb and keto recipes.
If you don’t have almond flour or coconut flour, just put some whole nuts in a food processor and grind it to a powder.
Why should you eat nuts and seeds on Keto?
As we mentioned earlier, nuts and seeds are called superfoods. Besides the weight loss benefits, there are many more advantages to snacking on these little vegetable meats.
They contain:
- antioxidants,
- fiber,
- omega 3 fatty acids
- other vitamins and minerals
Eating nuts and seeds can lower health risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Studies also show a link between reducing colon cancer risk and nut consumption.
Studies on nuts highlight their ability to speed weight loss and improve insulin sensitive
Nuts are a convenient post-workout snack and easy to consume on the go.
Don’t go overboard with nuts and seeds
Not all nuts and seeds are a good choice when following a ketogenic diet. Monitor the size of portions as to not go overboard with carb/calorie intake. They are like the famous chip commercial. You can’t eat just a few. Don’t get started on a bowl of them at a social gathering. It’s easy to overeat them since they’re small, tasty, and enjoyable to eat.
If you intend to add seeds and nuts to your keto diet, limit the size of your portions to a serving of 2-3 oz maximum per day.
A small handful is an oz, but to be safe weigh out your snack portions and package the up for portability.
Nuts and seeds to avoid
Cashews are popular but are one of the worst nuts for a low carb/ high-fat diet because of their high carb nature. (8.5g carbs per ounce)
Give peanuts a pass too when possible. They have fewer health benefits, and if you overeat them, the high carb content piles up quick.
All natural peanut butter has its place in your diet plan. Keep the ingredients on hand, just peanuts and salt.
Seeds like sunflower and sesame seeds should be limited. You may see them used in many so-called keto-friendly recipes, but give them a pass in favor of healthier alternatives like pumpkin and chia seeds.
Keto conclusion
Not all seeds and nuts are equal; most are chock full of the healthy fats needed to stay in ketosis, but some are just too high in calories and carbohydrates.
Since they’re a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, omega 3 fatty acids and dietary fiber eating them regularly reduces many disease risks.
Monitoring your intake and tracking your macros prevent you from eating excess net carbs.
