Written By Sam Henselijn
Nuts to Avoid While Eating Keto. For the most part, nuts are a good ketogenic snack. Many keto dieters associate nuts and seeds with keto-friendly foods. In general, that’s true – they’re excellent sources of fat and provide decent amounts of plant-based protein. But it’s important to analyze each nut individually, since they have different nutritional profiles.
The thing is, most people on keto aim to keep their total carb intake at 50 grams or fewer per day. That translates to 25 grams of net carbs per day – total carbs minus the fiber. Considering this, some nuts may not be the ideal snack for people on a low-carb diet, and should be consumed in moderation. Let’s take a look at them.
Nuts to Avoid While Eating Keto
Cashews
While absolutely delicious and certainly very nutritious, cashews
are firmly placed among the nuts to avoid on keto. At 9 grams of total carbs and 8 grams of net carbs per ounce, they are a big “no-no” for the diet. Even just a few cashews can quickly use up a significant chunk of your daily carb allotment.
Pistachios
You may want to skip pistachios too. The carbs in pistachios are too high per serving to be freely enjoyed in a ketogenic lifestyle. Don’t worry too much though, if pistachios are your favorite, you can still enjoy a small amount in moderation.
Almonds
While we wouldn’t say there are “bad nuts for keto”, some are simply better choices than others. Almonds, for one, can absolutely still be enjoyed on a low-carb diet, but they’re not necessarily the most keto-friendly. For reference, one cup of almonds puts you at about 31 grams of carbs. They have 55% more carbohydrates than pecans, for example. That’s something to consider.
Peanuts
Peanuts are incredibly popular, but their carb to fat ratio isn’t ideal for keto. To be fair, peanuts are technically a legume, so they would be more closely related to beans than the other nuts on the list. Regardless, there are better nuts to snack on if low-carb is the goal.
Pine nuts
Pine nuts have a unique flavor that pairs well with many foods. They also contain a fat called pinolenic acid, which may help control hunger by regulating hormones that affect appetite. You don’t need to completely eliminate pine nuts when you’re on the keto diet, but you should enjoy them moderately. One ounce of pine nuts comes at four grams of carbs and one gram of sugar.
The bottom line
Nuts are nutritious, filling, and versatile foods that are popular with people following low-carb, high-fat diets such as keto. They can quickly add flavor, texture, and a little something extra to your day-to-day meals and snacks. Nuts are also excellent sources of healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
However, not all nuts are the same, and some are definitely more keto-friendly than others. If following the lifestyle, it’s best to stick to pecans, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and macadamias. Cashews, pistachios, almonds, peanuts, and pine nuts are nuts to avoid on keto. While they won’t knock you out of ketosis, they’re not the best choice either.
Sam Henselijn Author’s Biography – Meet L’Orenta Nuts CEO
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