While we’re all familiar with peanut butter, it seems that almost every nut variant is now sold in its own creamy butter form. Cashew, walnut, hazelnut, and almond butter can all be found down the aisle of your local food store.
The question is, are they good for you, and are they compatible with the keto diet?
Today, we’ll be placing the spotlight on almond butter to see if you should be incorporating it into your keto diet. We’ll also explore its potential health benefits.
Nut Butters on Keto
While most nut butters are a fantastic addition to the keto diet, it’s important to ensure that they do not contain unhealthy additives. They may be calorie-dense, but nuts are packed with healthy fats and proteins to give your body that extra boost to achieve or maintain ketosis.
Similar to eating nuts in their raw form, moderation is always important to avoid taking in too many calories.
The macros of nut butters are perfect for a keto diet, and their high soluble fiber content keeps the net carb level well within your keto boundaries as well as boosting your metabolism and keeping your gut healthy.
So is almond butter keto friendly?
Absolutely! You just have to watch how much you eat and only purchase high-quality almond butter. This is what to look for when buying:
- There aren’t any added sugars
- The main ingredients should be nuts, some salt, and not much else
- Zero processed fillers
- Go for organic almonds
- Try to find almond butter that has less than 3g of net carbs per serving
Now that you know what a good almond butter should consist of, let’s take a look at some of its health benefits.
4 Health Benefits of Almond Butter
1. Lower your cholesterol
A high level of “bad cholesterol,” formally known as low-density lipoproteins (LDL), can play a huge part in coronary disease if not kept within a reasonable level. We can best manage these levels through our diet.
Almonds are rich in polyphenol antioxidants, which prevent the LDL from oxidation [1], one of the primary causes of heart issues.
Almonds also increase the “good” cholesterol levels in your body, known as high-density lipoproteins (HDL). This good cholesterol carries the LDL away from your heart and into your liver where it can be broken down safely.
Over a quarter of deaths worldwide are due to heart disease and so effectively managing our cholesterol levels—especially as we get older—is a vital part of fighting it.
2. Lose weight
Because almond butter is high in soluble fiber and protein, it will increase your feeling of being full for longer [2]. This will make it less likely you’ll snack as often and creep over your daily calorie goals.
The same can be said for its high monounsaturated fat content, which makes up two-thirds of its total fat. Since the body takes longer to digest it, you gain longer lasting energy and can curb your hunger.
There are also nutrients in almonds that our bodies struggle to break down for digestion, meaning we won’t really absorb all of the calories. Finally, the fatty acids in almond butter can help boost the metabolism, breaking down fats and burning calories more effectively and leading to more weight loss.
3. Keep your eyes healthy
Almonds, and therefore almond butter, boast incredible benefits for ocular health due to their high antioxidant [3] and vitamin E content. Due to the delicate nature of our eyes, any damage they take can be extremely difficult to repair. It’s crucial we protect them in any way we can.
The abundant antioxidants in almonds defend our eyes from the toxins and pollutants they have to deal with every day, prolonging optimum eye health and reducing the risk of infection.
The vitamin E in almonds has numerous health benefits, but when it comes to our eyes, it can reduce the risk of developing cataracts and prevent abnormal changes in the lens.
4. Enjoy radiant skin
The powerful antioxidants and rich vitamin E content of almonds aren’t just great for your eye health. They also play a huge part in keeping your skin looking and feeling great.
The vitamin E helps to reduce signs of aging and nourishes your skin, protects against the damage from harmful UV rays, and even improves the healing speed of wounds.
The other antioxidants found in almonds, like catechin, epicatechin, and flavonol can help reduce the risks of skin cancer and work with the vitamin E to break down cell-destroying free radicals.
Get Hold of Almond Butter
While getting your hands on some almond butter is pretty easy, nut butters can be notoriously pricey sometimes. So what can you do if you’re dieting on a tighter budget? Luckily, it turns out that all you need to make your own almond butter at home is almonds and a reliable food processor.
About three cups of almonds should make enough for a 25-serving jar of butter, and you can start by warming them in the oven at 250 degrees for around 15 minutes to soften them up. After, simply add the almonds to the food processor bit by bit, stopping from time to time to scrape the sides down.
This process will take up to 25 minutes, but when you’re finished, you’ll have beautifully creamy almond butter that you can store for at least a month.
You shouldn’t need to add anything more than a pinch of salt to your butter for flavoring.
Conclusion: you can add almond butter to your keto shopping list!
Whether you go for store-bought almond butter or fancy having a go at making your own at home, it’s definitely worth introducing into your ketogenic diet.
Check out the full list of foods to introduce into your keto diet here.
Just be sure to pay attention to how much you’re consuming daily. Alongside the high-calorie count, ingesting too many almonds can mean introducing an excess of phytates into your system. This could prevent your body from effectively absorbing the nutrients and minerals it needs to stay healthy.
Aside from that, there’s no reason you shouldn’t buy or make almond butter to start reaping its health benefits and tasty flavor!
References:
[1] Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, Parker TL, Connelly PW, Qian W, Haight JS, Faulkner D, Vidgen E, Lapsley KG, Spiller GA. Dose response of almonds on coronary heart disease risk factors: blood lipids, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, and pulmonary nitric oxide: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial. Circulation. 2002 Sep 10;106(11):1327-32.
[2] Tan SY, Mattes RD. Appetitive, dietary and health effects of almonds consumed with meals or as snacks: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Nov;67(11):1205-14. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.184. Epub 2013 Oct 2.
[3] Bolling BW, McKay DL, Blumberg JB. The phytochemical composition and antioxidant actions of tree nuts. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2010;19(1):117-23.