Ground Nutmeg
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
A cozy baking spice that’s completely safe in normal amounts, but genuinely not something to eat by the spoonful.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Flavor compounds released): Chewing or grinding releases nutmeg’s aromatic compounds, including myristicin.
- Stomach (Digested with the meal): Nutmeg moves through digestion alongside the rest of the food.
- Small intestine (Partial absorption): A portion of its compounds is absorbed into the bloodstream.
- Liver (Myristicin metabolized): The liver processes myristicin and related compounds before they’re cleared.
Timing
A pinch, freshly grated, into food or a warm drink.
Time to effect
- Not applicable: No cumulative effect at culinary doses; toxicity, where documented, follows a single large dose.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Pricey — roughly £18 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 499.5
- Protein: 5.8g
- Carbohydrate: 28.5g
- of which sugars: 3g
- Fat: 36.3g
- of which saturated: 30.5g
- Fibre: 20.8g
- Sodium: 16mg
Food vs. supplement
There’s no case for taking more nutmeg than a pinch — unlike most spices, a large dose (several teaspoons) has documented toxic effects, so more is genuinely not better here.
Kitchen tip
Grate nutmeg fresh from the whole seed just before use rather than buying it pre-ground, for both flavor and naturally small portions.
Common myth
"Nutmeg is just a harmless kitchen spice — you can’t really overdo it." In reality: Nutmeg contains myristicin, documented as toxic and mildly hallucinogenic at doses of several teaspoons eaten at once. Kitchen amounts, a pinch, are safe and nowhere close to that threshold.
Recipes that use it
More in Vegetable
In the glossary
Sources