It’s no secret. Kids and adults alike love chocolate hazelnut spreads like Nutella. And what’s not to like? Delicious hazelnuts and cocoa are a delicious flavor combination.
However, there’s a glaring problem in the ingredients list. Neither hazelnuts nor cocoa are the primary ingredient. Instead, it’s sugar.
While the flavor may be great, eating spoonfuls of sugar is not. Not only will commercial chocolate hazelnut spreads kick you right out of the Keto Zone®, they’ll promote inflammatory processes in your body.
What can you do instead? We’ve got a great solution: Keto Zone® Chocolate Hazelnut Spread! All the flavor with none of the sugar. What’s more, every ingredient is upgraded to deliver amazing nutrients to your body. Try it today and kick sugary spreads to the curb!
Keto Zone® Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Ingredients
1 cup organic hazelnuts
¼ cup organic coconut oil
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter, melted
3 tablespoons organic raw cacao powder
1 scoop MCT oil powder (Hazelnut)
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 teaspoon organic liquid stevia (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets by placingsilicon mat or parchment paper on 1-2 large baking sheets.
- Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on sheet(s).
- Place hazelnuts in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, checking them periodically to insure they do not burn.Once roasted, remove nuts from the oven.
- Place roasted nuts on a clean kitchen towel.Agitate and rub the hazelnuts with the towel to remove the shells. Continue to remove all fragments until completely shelled.
- Combine the shelled nuts with the remaining ingredients in a blender or a food processor.Blend until smooth and creamy. Makes 14 (2-tablespoon) servings. Enjoy!
Nutrition info (per 2 tablespoons): 117 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 1 grams net carbohydrates (3 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber), 1 grams protein
More Hazelnut & Hazelnut MCT Oil Powder Recipes
Want more ways to use delicious Keto Zone® MCT Oil Powder (Hazelnut)? Try:
Hazelnut Iced Mocha
Hazelnut Holiday Fudge
Keto Zone® Hazelnut Chocolate Bars
7 Proven Benefits of Hazelnut MCT Oil Powder
Why add Hazelnut MCT Oil Powder to your diet? There are many proven benefits. They include:
1. Brain Health and Focus
Hazelnut MCT oil powder is a great ingredient to use to get into, and stay in the Keto Zone® (ketosis). When consumed, MCT oil powder will encourage ketone production.
Currently, scientists are studying the effects of ketones, like those from MCTs, in preserving healthy brains and inhibiting degradation from aging (1).
Additionally, researchers have found that ketones are usable fuel for the brain in those with degenerative brain conditions, similar to young healthy brains. (2). In these cases, there’s an impairment in the use of glucose by the brain. Utilizing ketones in the brain rather than glucose may result in memory improvements and brain function (3).
2. Heart Health Support
Medium-chain triglycerides in MCT oil have been shown to improve cholesterol profiles by decreasing LDL cholesterol, decreasing the number of LDL particles, and increasing HDL cholesterol (4,5).
There are three primary ways MCT oil supports cardiovascular health.
First, MCTs encourage healthy cholesterol profiles by decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL (good cholesterol). In turn, this improves the total cholesterol ratio.
In one recent study, 17 overweight women were given MCTs for 27 days. When tested, their LDL cholesterol decreased, HDL increased, cholesterol ratio improved, and plasma glutathione increased (a powerful natural antioxidant). Researchers stated that their cardiovascular risk profile was improved (6).
In another 2018 study, 96 adults consumed butter, coconut oil, or olive oil. When tested, LDL remained unchanged with coconut oil and olive oil. HDL significantly increased with coconut oil. This change improved the cholesterol profile in the coconut oil group (7).
3. Health Weight
Amazingly, MCTs can encourage healthy weights and BMI. This is great news since even moderate weight improvements support healthy cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugars, and inflammation levels.
What’s more, since MCTs and fats in general, promote satiety. This means you’ll feel less hungry even while improving weight (8, 9).
4. Improved Inflammatory Responses
Inflammation is at the center of most chronic health issues, and is linked to heart conditions, impaired blood sugars, cognitive decline, and more.
MCTs promote less inflammationin the body. In 2014, 30 adults with high cholesterol and inflammation consumed MCTs for 30 days. When retested, scientists found significant reductions in LDL, increases in HDL, and reductions in C-reactive protein (a marker for inflammation) (10).
This is just one study among many that show MCT oil’s effect on inflammation.
5. Optimized Blood Sugars
MCTs also support optimized blood sugars with a decreased insulin output. The outcome is improved health and fat metabolism (11).
In fact, MCTs can help promote healthy blood sugars by:
- Encouraging insulin sensitivity
- Providing an alternate energy source to carbohydrates
- Preserving beta-cell health (decline in these cells contributes to diabetes)
- Promoting healthy weight
In one recent study, scientists concluded that MCT oils provided benefits to beta cells in both mice and humans. One key to combating diabetes is improving the health of these cells (12).
Additionally, a 2016 animal study showed that MCTs improved both insulin resistance and inflammation. (13).
While more human studies are needed, MCT oil powder is a promising supplement to help improve blood sugar outcomes.
6. Healthy Digestion
Amazingly, MCTs can fight unhealthy yeasts while supporting an increase in healthy bacteria and absorption in the digestive tract (14). Unhealthy yeasts plague many people and cause a myriad of digestive and health issues.
Digestive diseases can affect the body in many ways, including:
- Poor absorption, stunted growth, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and low energy
- Direct digestive symptoms such as constipation, bloated, and cramping
- Declining digestive tissues with the risk of ulcers, hemorrhoids, decreased healthy bacteria growth, fungus and yeast overgrowth, and diverticular diseases
MCT oil powder eases digestion, since bile isn’t needed to digest MCTs. In fact, MCTs go from the intestines directly to the liver, and the body quickly uses them as energy or storage. MCTs can nourish those who can’t digest nutrients well.
In one 2018 study, MCT supplementation decreased intestinal candida overgrowth in preterm infants. The candida decreased during supplementation, then increased again once it was stopped (15).
MCTs can improve healthy bacteria levels, fat-soluble vitamin absorption, and energy metabolism (16).
7. Energy and Athletic Performance
If you’re looking for a fuel that increases energy, MCTs are one such fuel. Once delivered to the liver from the intestines, MCTs increase energy output in the mitochondria, which are the energy producers in cells (17).
In addition, athletes typically look for ways to decrease lactate levels. When recreational athletes consumed MCTs, they experienced lower lactate levels during moderate and intense workouts than they did with other fats. This may lead to improved endurance and performance (18).
Other researchers found that MCTs reduce high-temperature exercise performance issues and improve overall performance (19).
BOTTOM LINE
Autumn is a wonderful time to add more hazelnuts to your diet. In fact, you can add the nuts AND Keto Zone® MCT Oil Powder (Hazelnut) for the most benefit. We’ve got delicious recipes, and 7 incredibly convincing reasons to add them today!
