Nuts are a favorite keto and low carb snack item. Not only do they contain healthy fats that help to keep you feeling full but they also are a quick, portable snack.
If you’re ever out on the go and need a quick snack you can easily some type of nuts on the shelf of just about every local grocery and convenience store. But before you just grab anything off the shelf put a bit of thought into your purchase. While low carb nuts make a good snack you can easily overindulge in them.
If you are frequently snack on nuts and have found that your weight loss has stopped or you have even begun to gain weight then you might want to check out the information below about how many carbs are in different nuts and, even more importantly, how many are in a serving size.
It might just surprise you at how many carbs you might be eating in nuts alone depending upon which ones you choose.
How can nuts contribute to weight loss stall or even regain?
First, because they are such a easy, portable snack, many people overdo it and eat larger amounts than they realize.
They are salty and appeal to those who enjoy salty snacks. One handful turns to two and then three. Before you know it you’ve eaten half a container and far more carbs than you anticipated.
Second, many nuts are actually higher in carbs than you realize. Especially the ones that people seem to enjoy the most such as cashews and pistachios.
Interested in finding out more about foods contributing to stalls/regain? Then check out this post:
While snacking on nuts is better than snacking on high carb junk food loaded with sugar you need to put a bit of thought into how many and how often you are eating them.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common nuts and seeds that people eat.
I’ve seen carb lists out there with the carb count for 100 grams of nuts. I don’t know about you but I have no idea how many nuts are in 100 grams and I don’t carry a scale with me when I’m on the go. Hard to figure out if you’re over doing the serving size if you have no idea what it is.
Instead I have listed the net grams of carbs in 1 ounce of nuts and have even included the average number of nuts that would make an ounce. To me it’s much easier to say that 23 almonds is an ounce which has about 2.5 net grams of carbs than it is to figure out what 100 grams of nuts looks like.
Let’s start out with the nuts with the lowest net carb count per ounce and work our way to nuts that are higher in carbs.
PECANS:
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1 ounce of pecans (about 19 pecans) has 1.2 net grams of carbs
Pecans make a great salad topper and can be used in a wide range of baked goods. You can grind them up to be used like almond meal. Use ground pecans to replace some of the almond flour in your favorite baked treats. Use ground pecans to use as a coating for chicken or fish.
BRAZIL NUTS:
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1 ounce of Brazil nuts (about 6 nuts) has 1.4 net grams of carbs
Brazil nuts add crunch to recipes. Try coarsely chopping them and adding to your favorite keto granola recipe or even over a salad. Dip Brazil nuts into sugar free chocolate for a delicious treat.
Brazil nuts also contains selenium which is an important trace element that acts as an antioxidant in the body. In the typical American diet people some of the main sources of selenium are breads and grains. As the keto diet avoids these items we can continue to get the selenium our bodies need from poultry, fish and eggs.
However, Brazil nuts contain even more than all of these . One ounce of Brazil nuts contains about 544 micrograms versus 3 ounces of tuna (about 92 micrograms), 3 ounces of chicken (22 micrograms) or 3 ounces of beef (about 18 micrograms).
MACADAMIA NUTS:
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1 ounces of macadamia nuts (about 10 to 12 nuts) has 1.5 net grams of carbs
Macadamia nuts are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids that help to reduce cholesterol (lowers both total and LDL), lowers triglycerides and increases HDL’s (the good cholesterol). Bonus points for macadamia nuts tasting delicious too! Snack on them as they are or sprinkle chopped macadamia nuts over your favorite baked treats.
WALNUTS:
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1 ounce of walnuts (about 14 halves) has 2 net grams of carbs
Walnuts have a higher antioxidant activity level than any other nuts. Antioxidants help to fight oxidative damage in the body including the damage caused by LDL (the bad cholesterol).
Walnuts are also higher in Omega-3 fatty acid. This is an essential fat which means it is not produced by the body and needs to come from the food you eat. Toast your walnuts in the oven for several minutes to bring out a rich, nutty flavor.
Add them to baked goods and sprinkle over salads. Toast them lightly and top your favorite keto ice cream with them. Try them in an entree such as this delicious Walnut Crusted Chicken. Walnuts add delicious flavor to lots of dishes.
HAZELNUTS:
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1 ounce of hazelnuts (about 21 nuts) has 2 net grams of carbs
Similar to other nuts, hazelnuts are high in antioxidants and are a great source of vitamin E. A 1 ounce serving contains about 21% of your daily value of vitamin E. This vitamin helps to fight against aging and disease by reducing inflammation.
Try creating your own Keto Nutella by placing the following in a blender or food processor and processing until a thick paste forms (grind the nuts first before adding the other ingredients): 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of your favorite low carb sweetener and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
PEANUTS:
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1 ounce of peanuts (about 28 nuts) has 2.2 net grams of carbs
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1 tablespoon of peanut butter has 2 net grams of carbs
Peanuts are not a true nut. They actually belong to the legume family.
They can be used in both savory as well as sweet dishes. When choosing roasted peanuts always check the label. Some dry roasted peanuts contain sugar which will increase the carb count.
One favorite way we have come to enjoy peanuts is to purchase them roasted in their shell. It takes a bit more time to work at getting the peanut out of the shell. By allowing more time to pass while eating them you will feel fuller yet will have consumed fewer peanuts than eating already shelled nuts from a containers. It’s a great way to enjoy nuts without over indulging in them.
ALMONDS:
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1 ounce of almonds (about 23 nuts) has 2.5 net grams of carbs
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1 tablespoon of almond butter has 1.5 net grams of carbs
Almonds are often used to replace flour in recipes. You can find almond flour or almond meal in various forms.
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Almond Meal
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Almond Flour
Almond meal tends to be a bit coarser but it is a bit lower in price than almond flour. It makes a perfect flour replacement for breadcrumbs in any recipe.
Don’t let the slightly coarser texture keep you from using it in baked goods. They still will come out looking and tasting just as good as those made with almond flour. I personally have used both almond meal and almond flour and notice very little difference between the two unless I am searching for it. And even then what I’ve noticed is the texture of some cookies is slightly denser. Not a bad thing for a cookie.
Almond flour tends to be more finely ground and is perfect for baking products where you want a light texture in the final item. As I’ve noted above the difference that I’ve seen between the two is almond flour produces a slightly less dense final item.
For those just getting started with keto or low carb baking my suggestion is to purchase several pounds of almond flour or meal. Once you decide you enjoy using it then I would invest in a 25 pound box of the stuff. Yes, 25 pounds.
What the heck are you going to do with 25 pounds?
Well if you bake on a regular basis you will find that you are going through the smaller packages quickly. And, since most of them will end up being somewhere about $8 to $9 a pound, purchasing in bulk can drop the price dramatically.
This 25 pound box of almond flour ends up costing $5.85 per pound. A savings of up to $3 per pound depending upon which brand you buy in smaller sized bags! Doesn’t sound like much but if you bake weekly or are planning a bunch of holiday baking you can save some money over buying multiple 1 or 3 pound bags.
What to do with all that almond flour?
Easy. I scoop my bulk almond flour into freezer bags and store it in the freezer. Freezing will keep your almond flour good for up to two years! You will always be ready to make any keto or low carb creation with your freezer filled with low cost almond flour.
Trying making some of these recipes with your almond flour:
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Keto Low Carb Bread
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Keto Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
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Keto Pumpkin Spice Muffins
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Keto Blueberry Muffins
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Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Low Carb Blondies
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Blueberry Cinnamon Chaffles
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Raspberry Muffins with Lemon Cream Cheese
You can also use ground almonds as a bread crumb replacement when making meatloaf or meatballs. Similar to ground pecans you can add seasoning to almond flour and use the seasoned mixture to coat your chicken. The list of baked items, pancakes, scones and more that can be made with almond flour goes on and on.
Let’s not forget whole almonds. These are great for on the go snacking. Why not whip up a batch of Low Carb Cinnamon or Cinnamon Maple Glazed Almonds.
PISTACHIOS:
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1 ounce of pistachios (about 49 nuts) has 5.1 net grams of carbs
If’ you’ve been keeping track of the carb count then you might have noticed that they have almost doubled when you get to pistachios. We have now moved from the lower end of the number of carbs per ounce to the more moderately to higher carb count per ounce.
Pistachios taste delicious but it’s quite easy to overdue them. Save pistachios for topping baked goods or sprinkling a bit over your favorite keto ice cream. There beautiful purple/green color visually add to these items and you get a burst of pistachio flavor while eating them. Since you most likely won’t use an ounce to top these items it will help control the carbs.
CASHEWS:
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1 ounce of cashews (about 18 nuts) has 8.1 net grams of carbs
Cashews are my kryptonite of the nut world. They are buttery and delicious. With a bit of salt added to them they are a great blend of buttery sweet and salty. They are also pretty high in carbs. Personally I save these for topping keto butter chicken. A few chopped cashews added to the dish really adds something to it. These are another nut that is best saved to be sprinkled over other favorite items in a limited amount.
There are other nuts out there but I’m not going to include them in my list of keto nuts due to their very high carb count per ounce.
For some, such as chestnuts (3 nuts with 8 grams of carbs), the low number of nuts that you would be able to eat in order to stay within your daily carb count doesn’t make them worth me eating them.
Here’s a few tips to keep enjoying nuts without over doing them so they contribute to weight loss stalls or even regain:
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Count them out! If you have a scale this would help make measuring out nuts even easier and more exact. Count or measure out the portion you are going to eat.
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Don’t eat from the bag! Let’s face it. Who knows how many nuts are in that handful you just pulled out of the bag. It never seems like it’s all that many. Before you know it you’re several handfuls into enjoying your nuts and have eaten 4, 6, 8 or more servings in one sitting without even thinking about it. The carbs add up quickly. Their salty taste make them hard to resist.
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Save the higher in carb nuts as a special topping to another favorite low carb/keto food…..sprinkle over a salad, top an entree or add a small amount to keto ice cream. Using them this way allows you to keep eating some favorite foods while controlling the portion size.
Got a favorite nut or nut recipe? Why not leave a comment below or share a link to it.
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