The Keto diet is known as one of the most effective weight loss diets available.
It’s no surprise that it’s becoming so popular all around the world: it’s based on scientific facts, and it’s infallible because when your body gets into ketosis, there is no way you’re not burning fat.
Keto diet, however, also has its con. In fact, it has mainly one con: it’s hard.
Keto diet isn’t easy at all and not just because it’s hard to stick to it, but also because it’s hard to understand what food you can eat and come up with a different meal every day.
It all becomes even more difficult when you need a snack instead of a full meal. What to eat when you need just a small boost of energy? Or during your pauses from work?
In this scenario, nuts are the most recommended food. But before jumping to the best nuts for keto let’s try to dig deep into what we’ve just mentioned in our introduction.
It’s the best way to understand why nuts can become your best friends during your keto diet!
How Does A Keto Diet Work?
As you may already know, the whole point of a keto diet is to get into ketosis.
Ketosis is a status where your body produces ketones and it utilizes those ketones as a source of energy. Where do ketones come from? Fat!
This is how a keto diet makes you lose weight, and in particular fat mass: it brings your body into a status where it utilizes fat cells as, eventually, a source of energy.
But do you get into ketosis? By only eating a certain food. The food you eat during a keto diet is free from any carbs or sugar and rich in proteins.
In order to get into ketosis, you need to be very precise with every meal and snack and this is why the keto diet can become complicated.
How To Use Nuts During A Keto
When you can only eat some kind of food, finding a quick snack that doesn’t ruin your diet is the most complicated thing. However, there is an easy solution: nuts.
Nuts are the ideal snack during a keto diet for many reasons, and not only because they are rich in vegetable proteins and free from carbs and sugar.
Why Are Nuts Ideal As A Keto-Friendly Snack?
- You can vary
There are many kinds of nuts with different flavors, sizes, and characteristics. In this article, you’ll find out which ones you can eat during a keto diet and they are many.
You can stick to nuts as a snack but still be able to vary so that you don’t eat the same thing every day. With keto, finding the right food to eat can be so hard that you can end up eating the same thing every day.
Not only is this unhealthy but it’s also the quickest way to lose motivation and stop your diet, failing in achieving your goals.
- Minerals and vitamins source
Nuts are rich in many important nutrients such as minerals and vitamins, other than vegetable proteins. Some of these minerals, such as magnesium, are particularly important during a keto diet.
Some people may experience muscle cramps during this type of diet; it is something that can happen when you are on a diet free from carbs.
This is also why magnesium supplements are recommended during a keto diet because they help prevent such issues.
When you eat nuts regularly, you are less likely to experience muscle cramps, and you could also avoid taking supplements.
- Nuts are rich in fiber
Nuts contain many fibers too. Fiber is important for many reasons and it also brings benefits during a weight loss diet.
First of all, diets are healthy: they regulate blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, and help gastrointestinal regularity and health.
Furthermore, during a diet, fibers also have another effect: fibers have a small number of calories but they make you feel full.
When you eat food rich in fiber you are more likely to eat less and to avoid nervous hunger.
- Portability
Nuts are portable: they are easy to bring with you at work, at the gym, in the car… wherever you are and go. This might seem of secondary importance but it is not.
As the days go by, diets – not only keto diet – become harder and harder and any excuse becomes enough to stop your diet, even the bother of preparing your food or taking snacks with you.
Try to keep things as easy as possible, always. Having easy and healthy nuts always ready, that don’t need cooking or freezing or any preparation at all can help you stick to your diet longer.
Read: Green Chef Keto Meal Review – Should You Roll With it?
Read: Keto Complete Review
10 best nuts for keto diet
1. Pili nuts
Although Pili Nuts are not the most known nuts, they are perfect for a keto diet. They contain a lot of fats, proteins, and have a very low percentage of carbs.
They are also rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 that are fat cells that contribute to our heart’s health.
So, not only are pile nuts low in carbs and rich in proteins, but they also have a beneficial fat profile. Not only do they contain fats, but they contain the healthiest fats.
Furthermore, pile nuts are also rich in potassium and we’ve already spoken about how important this mineral is to prevent muscle cramps during a keto diet.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- Rich in proteins and fats
- Rich in Omega 3 and 6
- Rich in potassium
Cons
- Not easy to find
2. Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts have very few carbs while being rich in fats and proteins. They are not the easiest to find but they are very good for your keto diet.
They are nuts with the highest content of selenium. As we’ve mentioned many times, selenium is among the most important minerals you need during a keto diet.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- A great source of selenium
- Many fats and proteins while almost zero carbs
Cons
- They aren’t the easiest to find
3. Coconuts
Coconuts are big fruit but they are still considered nuts and they are great for your keto diet. Their meat is fat-rich and ideal for any keto diet.
Furthermore, other than eating coconut, you can have many coconut products during your diet as they are all keto-friendly: coconut butter, coconut oil, flour, and milk.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- A great fat resource
- You can use coconut products as well
Cons
- Rich in fat but not proteins
4. Macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts contain a very small amount of carb, a big amount of proteins, and a huge amount of fats. They consist of three-quarters fat.
The fats contained in Macadamia nuts are fatty acids that are known to help regulate the sugar levels in our blood.
These nuts also contain tons of important minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and selenium. All of them are extremely important during a keto diet.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- A great source of healthy fatty acids
- A great source of minerals that are important during a keto diet
Cons
- They are a very small fruit: you need to have a lot of them!
5. Walnuts
In the world of nuts, walnuts are the ones with the highest amount of Omega 3. Omega 3 is good for keto for many reasons: it’s fat (which is good during a keto), it’s a healthy fat, and it’s good for our heart.
Walnuts are also very common and easy to find; you can even find them already shelled at the supermarket so that they are ready to jump in your mouth as a quick snack.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- They are a great source of Omega 3
- They contain a lot of protein
- They are easy to find
Cons
- They are not the lowest in carbs
6. Pecans
Pecans are 4% water, 9% proteins, 14% carbs, and 72% fat! This is why they are suitable for your keto diet.
The protein content is lower than carbs, and this is not strictly ideal, but they are still considered keto-friendly especially if you use them as a snack.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- They are rich in fat
Cons
- They have too many carbs
7. Almonds
Among nuts, almonds are the richest in potassium. For this reason, they are recommended to those who suffer from muscle cramps during a keto diet, but they are also ideal to prevent such issues. They are rich in Omega 6 and proteins, but they contain some carbs
Pros And Cons
Pros
- A great potassium source
- Rich in Omega 6
Cons
- Not completely free from carbs
8. Pine nuts
WIth 68% of fats, pine nuts are perfect for your keto. It’s a shame that they also contain some carbs, but they are still ideal for a keto diet. The only con? They can be expensive.
Pine nuts aren’t ideal as a snack, however: they are more often utilized in salads and meals rather than as a quick snack.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- Rich in fats
- Rich in Omega 6
Cons
- They are expensive
- They contain some carbs
9. Pistachios
Pistachios aren’t completely free from carbs, but they are still considered good for a keto diet because of their amount of fats and proteins. In particular, they are the nuts with the highest content of proteins.
Proteins you take from nuts are the best because they are vegetable proteins that are healthier than animal ones.
Read: Guy Gone Keto Review
Pros And Cons
Pros
- A great source of vegetable proteins
- Great for athletes
Cons
- They contain some carbs
10. Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are keto-friendly nuts even though they don’t provide a boost of fatty acids or proteins like some other nuts in this list.
They can be, however, a great option to vary your snack and still make sure you stick to your keto diet.
They have a decent amount of proteins and fats, even though they also contain some carbs.
Hazelnuts also have other benefits: they are rich in antioxidants that prevent cellular aging.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- They taste great
- They are easy to find
- They are rich in antioxidants
Cons
- They are not the greatest fatty acids boost
Best nuts for keto diet: FAQ
Nuts also contain fats: are they bad for my keto diet?
It’s true that nuts also contain fats, but this isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s another reason why nuts are the ideal snack during a keto diet.
When you are on a keto diet, and therefore in ketosis, your body is using fat cells as a source of energy.
It’s okay to eat fats because your body will be burning them straight away.
A more extreme version of the keto diet, the paleo-keto diet, is a low-carb, high-fat diet: this should make you understand how fats are more than okay during a keto.
Are there any nuts I can’t eat during a keto diet?
Nuts are never the worst thing you can eat during a keto diet. However, there are some, like cashews and peanuts, that is not the most ideal.
What type of minerals do nuts contain?
We’ve mentioned that nuts are rich in magnesium, which is important during a keto diet, but they are also rich in selenium, with powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and potassium that is also hugely effective in preventing muscle cramps.
Are nuts okay for athletes on a keto diet?
Nuts are ideal for athletes on a keto diet. they can be used as a source of energy too: have some nuts before your training or work out.
They’ll provide energy without making you feel full or with a heavy stomach.
Amit Gupta is the creator of Keto-Reviews.com.
After spending half a decade learning about every type of keto diet, pill, snack, and more, Amit has dedicated his time to helping others make informed decisions about their keto diets. Amit has also worked for a keto diet company, giving him unique and invaluable insights into this growing industry. When he’s not busy reviewing keto products or helping people with their keto journeys, Amit enjoys reading and playing sports.