When you need a quick and easy low carb snack on-the-go, nuts are a popular choice for those embracing healthy eating. But a nutritionist has highlighted one particular nut said to have a host of health benefits.
Anita Wong, a nutritionist and mother of four, has taken to TikTok under her account @nutritionuncovered to share the benefits of Brazil nuts. Anita lauded these nuts for being “jam-packed” with antioxidants and delivering a “really yummy” buttery flavour.
“But what’s great about them is that they are actually high in fat and low in carbohydrates,” Anita said “So if you’re on a keto diet, this is the nut for your snacking.”
Elaborating further, Anita mentioned that with every 100g of Brazil nuts comes 67g of fat but a mere 4.5g of carbohydrates, making them an ideal low-carb snack choice.
“It also has 14g of protein,” Anita explained. “And they’re a great source of selenium, which is great for your brain, heart and immune system. She also noted that Brazil nuts have anti-inflammatory properties.
Wrapping up her advice, Anita suggested: “So if you’re on a keto diet or you want to lose weight then eating Brazil nuts actually might help you because even though they’re high in fat, they’re low in carbs – which means your body will start burning the fat first and it won’t have any sugars to burn.”
One of Anita’s followers asked: “Can you have them if you are diabetic? ” She responded promptly saying: “You can as they are primarily fat based and not sugar based. Maximum two a day due to the selenium levels, so I’d break one up and see how you go. Nuts overall are a good source of snack as they’re fat heavy.”
Another user on TikTok queried, “Do they have to be organic to reap the benefits? ” To which Anita clarified, “It’s best to check the source and growing conditions and maximum three per day depending on size as this can affect the selenium levels.”
BBC Good Food has further information on these nuts and their health benefits: “Brazil nuts are actually edible seeds from the Brazil nut tree they can be eaten raw or blanched. The nuts grow inside a round, coconut-like shell in segments of about 12-20 Brazil nuts.”
The health benefits of Brazil nuts include:
- Rich in the mineral selenium
- Source of mono-unsaturated fat
- Good for the brain
- May support healthy cholesterol levels
- Good for thyroid health
- Strong anti-inflammatory properties
- May support mood balance
- May support the immune system