Snacking? Honestly? I’m not a big fan.
Whenever I start snacking, I can’t lose weight, even if it’s “healthy” like a carrot or a little salad. Why? Because your body needs space between meals to burn fat. Grazing all day keeps insulin levels up, and that switches off fat-burning mode.
That said, life happens.
Maybe you're on the move, anxious, or just too busy to cook lunch. If you have to snack, and I mean really have to, I’ll tell you my go-to choice: Nuts!
They’re filling, satisfying, packed with healthy fats and nutrients. And yes, every supermarket now has organic nut mixes that taste amazing.
But here’s the catch, and it’s a big one: nuts still spike insulin. Some more than others.
Let’s talk numbers for a second.
I have a pack of mixed nuts here: Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and cashews. Altogether, it adds up to about 11.7 grams of carbs per 100 grams. That’s quite high for a so-called low-carb snack.
Guess which nut is the biggest carb culprit?
Not the Brazil nut, even though it’s the chunkiest.
It’s the cashew.
Cashews come in at a whopping 27 grams of net carbs per 100 grams. That’s higher than most people expect, especially in a low-carb diet. Meanwhile, Brazil nuts are almost pure fat and low in carbs, packed with selenium and healthy fats.
So what’s the trick?
Eliminate the cashews.
Give them to your spouse or your child. By removing just the cashews from your mix, you reduce the carb content from 11.7 grams down to just 2.4 grams.
Now you’ve got a fat-rich, nutrient-dense snack that will keep you full until your next proper meal, without the sugar spike or crash.
To recap:
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✅ Stick to Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts
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❌ Skip the cashews
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✅ Enjoy healthy fats and micronutrients
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✅ Feel full and focused without disrupting your fat-burning window
I hope this helps the next time you’re reaching for a snack. A little nut wisdom goes a long way.
-- Written by Hala, founder of Dietapplements
