The name Belichka comes from the Russian word for "cute squirrel"––so you could say that we’re pretty picky about nuts!
But the nut we’re squirrelliest about is the almond.
With 2.5 net carbs per one ounce serving, and a majority mono-unsaturated fat, almonds are one of the most keto-friendly nuts. And to top it off, almonds have more dietary fiber than any other nut with 3.5g of dietary fiber per serving!
This fiber is important––there’s no shortage of recent arguments that focus on the benefits of a high fiber diet in reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Almonds have been shown to lower triglycerides in the blood, lower cholesterol, and help moderate blood sugar levels.
That’s not to mention the fact that almonds also have the highest concentration of vitamin E of any nut! You get 37% of your RDA of vitamin E from a one ounce serving! Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects the cell membranes in your body from oxidative damage. Perhaps more importantly for the keto community, it also plays a vital role preventing the breakdown of enzymes that are responsible for your body’s metabolism, so this is important to optimal ketogenic metabolic function!
And the benefits extend from inside to outside, like shinier hair and more nourished looking skin and even diminished wrinkles. That comes from the combination of the vitamin E and biotin present in almonds
So, eat some almonds and try to wrap your mind around all these benefits! It might be easier if you do, because the consumption of almonds is also well-documented to increase cognitive function and improve memory.
Almonds just have the all-around profile to make them the healthiest nut when you lay out all the important stats.
Some of the other nuts that appear on our keto-friendly nut list leave a little to be desired flavor and texture-wise. Sorry hazelnuts and brazil nuts, but there’s a reason you’re not sold in every gas station in a variety of roasted, salted and seasoned forms!
Almonds don’t need much to be enjoyed: they’re delicious plain or lightly salted. Roasting them adds a satisfying crunch and they can be good in all forms as nuts, butter, milk, and flour––this nut can literally do it all!
There’s just one dangerous thing about almonds: They’re so delicious that it’s easy to overeat them. Especially if they are heavily salted or seasoned, or in nut butter form.
One easy way to mitigate this very real danger of overeating almonds is to portion out the amount of almonds you feel beneficial to your diet so that you don’t run the risk of chomping them down by the delightful handful.
Or, that’s part of the glory of enjoying your almonds in a prepackaged form like a bar so that you’re not tempted to overdo the magic.
In fact, you might say that it was our love of almonds that caused us to create our own bar where they take center stage. Belichka Almond bars contain approximately 50% almonds, so that's about 0.7 ounces per bar. Enjoy!