For people following a strict Paleo diet almonds get all the love. Owing to the restriction on legumes peanuts and cashews are out so almonds figure prominently in snacks whether eaten as is or as almond butter with fruit or ground up almond meal in an endless variety of grain-free cookies cakes and other baked goods. As for other nuts low carbers with the financial means may make pricey macadamias a regular staple in their snacking. (Dr. Robert Atkins called macadamia nuts a low carb dieter’s best friend!) Besides being just plain delicious these nuts are high in monounsaturated fats and are rich sources of micronutrients. Another nut that fits all these criteria is the hazelnut.

Hazelnuts also called filberts consist primarily of monounsaturated fat with tiny amounts of saturated and polyunsaturated fats. One ounce provides about 13 grams of monounsaturated fat with just 1.3 grams saturated and 2.2 grams of polyunsaturated. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is a whopping 87 but with the total amount of polyunsaturated fat at just over 2 grams this really isn’t an issue as long as someone isn’t getting the vast majority of their caloric intake from hazelnuts. (Anyone who can afford to do that should share their investing tips!)

These delicious orbs are high in thiamin magnesium copper and manganese and provide small amounts of folate iron and B6. They’re also a good source of vitamin E which isn’t easy to come by in the modern food supply. And like any nut or seed hazelnuts are at home in many different dietary approaches including Paleo ketogenic low carb vegetarian and vegan.

What else do hazelnuts have going for them? Like other nuts they seem to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. In a small study of hypercholesterolemic adults four weeks of a “hazelnut-enriched diet” improved endothelial function (as measured by flow mediated dilation) reduced triglycerides and total cholesterol and reduced hs-CRP and oxidized LDL. In the interest of full disclosure the hazelnut-rich diet used in this study had hazelnuts accounting for 18-20% of total daily energy intake which is not exactly something people would readily do in “the real world.” That said they might be inclined to swap out a high-carbohydrate food or a source of less wholesome fats in favor of a handful of hazelnuts.

Another study this one looking at hypercholesterolemic men consuming 40g of hazelnuts per day (11.6% of total energy) showed that compared to baseline (a low fat low cholesterol high-carb diet) hazelnut consumption resulted in decreased VLDL cholesterol triglycerides and apolipoprotein B (apoB) by 29.5% 31.8% and 9.2% respectively with a 12.6% increase in HDL. Not bad for a handful of nuts!

Similar results were found in healthy normolipidemic subjects consuming a hazelnut-enriched diet for four weeks (1g hazelnuts/kg body weight per day) – total cholesterol LDL and apoB were significantly reduced as was LDL oxidation. There was also an increase in the ratio of “large fluffy” LDL particles to “small dense” particles with the larger particles currently believed to be less atherogenic than the smaller ones.

So how to incorporate more hazelnuts into your diet? It’s perfectly fine to snack on raw or toasted hazelnuts right out of the bag but for something a little more interesting how about salads? Hazelnuts could easily be substituted for cashews in this watermelon and fig salad and they’re a crunchy flavorful addition to this colorful and savory endive radicchio and apple salad with porkitos.

Hazelnuts can be used in savory dishes but they’re probably best known for desserts especially in Italy. For grain-free options try these cookies made with a combination of hazelnut and almond flours or this low carb grain-free chocolate hazelnut mousse cake. Thank goodness for creative food bloggers! And if you’re thinking a nice cup of coffee would be the perfect accompaniment to these treats for those that miss a hazelnut flavored creamer in their coffee (typically loaded with corn syrup and soy oil) there’s even a Paleo-friendly homemade version with just one tablespoon of optional honey or maple syrup.

Now no article about hazelnuts would be complete without mentioning chocolate hazelnut spread beloved by children and adults alike all over the world. No Parisian crepe cart would be caught without it and breakfast and brunch menus offer it over pancakes for something truly decadent. But what’s a health-conscious chocolate lover to do? Surely they can’t be expected to forgo this irresistible indulgence forever. Good news! There are low-carb and Paleo-friendly recipes for homemade chocolate hazelnut spread such as this one from Civilized Caveman Cooking which calls for just 2 tablespoons of maple syrup for the whole recipe or this one made with 2 tablespoons of coconut palm sugar.

And here’s some quick trivia in case you’re ever on a game show: Turkey accounts for over 60% of world hazelnut production with Italy the U.S. Azerbaijan and Georgia (the nation) making up the majority of the remainder. In the U.S. 99% of hazelnuts are grown in Oregon. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that Oregon is also famous for coffee roasting!