Blending up a quick smoothie is an easy way to simplify your low-carb lifestyle.

But it’s important to know which ingredients will keep your macros in check and which could unwittingly boost your carb intake. Two common culprits are peanut butter and whey.

READ MORE: Living Fit’s smoothie-making masterclass

Oh, nuts!

While peanuts are technically low-carb, they have a higher net carb content than other nuts. For example, a 2 tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains 4g of carbs, whereas the equivalent serving of almond butter has 3g.

That’s because peanuts are legumes. That makes them a seed rather than a nut, despite the nut nomenclature.

But don’t stress, you can still include peanut butter in your keto diet plan, just use it sparingly. Tree nuts like almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts have lower carb contents and are, therefore, ideal replacements.

READ MORE: Find more keto-friendly smoothie recipes here

Purer protein

In terms of whey, this dairy-derived powder is great for use in all smoothie recipes to boost your daily protein intake.

However, even dairy contains sugars in the form of lactose. And whey protein supplements often also include added sugars and sweeteners, which are often used in flavouring systems.

Read the label to find a product with a low sugar content, and opt for a whey isolate over a concentrate.

Whey isolates and concentrates that have gone through additional processing to remove more lactose. This means that have a higher percentage of pure protein and a lower carb content per serving compared to other whey proteins. This makes them ideal for use in keto-friendly recipes.

READ MORE: Support your keto lifestyle with supplements

Keto-approved nut butter smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk

2 tbsp almond butter

1 serving whey isolate, vanilla flavour

3 tbsp sweetener

¼ cup coconut cream

1 tbsp cacao powder

1 cup ice

READ MORE: The rise and rise of milk alternatives

Instructions

  1. Combine dry ingredients in a blender.
  2. Pour over milk and cream, then add nut butter and ice.
  3. Blend until you reach desired consistency.