Here's why dairy is a secret ingredient to keto diet success
When it comes to healthy eating, there are endless diet and lifestyle plans that you can follow. What works best for you depends on your personal health goals and how accessible certain foods are to you.
The ketogenic or keto diet is one of the most popular today — and dairy pairs perfectly with this diet.
Discover how incorporating dairy products into a low-carb lifestyle can support a keto diet and your overall health.
What is Keto?
The ketogenic or keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that aims to shift the body's metabolism away from carbs and toward fat. The goal is to induce a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose, which we get from carbs and sugar. This can potentially lead to weight loss and improved metabolic efficiency.
Foods typically included in the keto diet are rich in fats, such as meats, fatty fish, nuts and high-fat dairy products. Keto rules restrict high-carbohydrate foods like grains, sugars, fruits and starchy vegetables.
The keto diet is not only popular for weight management but also for its potential benefits in improving certain health conditions, although it's always recommended to consult with a physician or qualified health care provider before starting any new diet regimen.
How does dairy fit into the Keto diet?
To satisfy the keto rules, foods must be low enough in carbs to promote ketosis. Ketosis is the fat-burning state driving the potential benefits of this particular diet. For your body to enter ketosis, your carb intake should not exceed 10% of your daily calories.
Including dairy in your keto diet gives you plenty of delicious options to liven up your menu with keto fats (hello, cheese!). Not only that, the naturally occurring nutrients in dairy products help you stay nourished while limiting your intake of other food groups.
There are a few caveats, however. Products with added sugar such as ice cream or flavored yogurt and flavored milk are off the list. Additionally, since lactose is processed as sugar, it’s wise to keep an eye on your milk intake in general. Especially pay attention to whole milk, half-and-half and evaporated milk, which each contain about 10 grams of lactose per serving. Unlike added sugars, lactose in milk is a naturally occurring sugar, but it can still take you out of ketosis.
More importantly, here’s what you can eat as a part of a keto diet. Remember, high-fat and high-protein options, like the low-carb dairy choices listed below, are key to keto success.
Dairy products you can enjoy as part of the keto diet:
- Butter: With about 11 grams of fat per tablespoon and zero carbs, butter is an ideal source of fat on the keto diet
- Ghee, also known as clarified butter: Free of the milk protein casein and the milk sugar lactose, ghee is ideal for those who are extra cautious about their lactose intake or who are sensitive to it
- Plain Greek yogurt: If you love yogurt, plain Greek yogurt is your best option for enjoying this breakfast staple while following a keto diet. It’s lower in carbs compared to other yogurts because more of the liquid whey is strained out, which contains lactose
- Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream: Made from pure milkfat, heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are high in fat and low in carbs — the keto dessert-lover’s dream! An important note: This product is very high in calories, so indulge mindfully!
- Sour cream: Perfect for use in dips, dressings or as a thickener, full-fat sour cream fits into the keto diet as it contains about 19 grams of fat and 4.6 grams of carbs per 100-gram serving
- Most cheeses: Dairy lovers ask the same questions when considering a ketogenic approach: Is cheese keto or are there carbs in cheese? Never fear, many cheese varieties are ideal keto foods due to high fat, moderate protein and low carb content. Mozzarella, Gouda, brie, Muenster cheese, Monterey Jack, mascarpone cheese, provolone, cheddar, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and ricotta are all considered keto-friendly. You might be wondering, is cottage cheese keto? Unfortunately, it contains more carbs than the keto diet typically allows. If you do choose to enjoy it, make sure to pick the full-fat variety
There are other keto-friendly dairy foods you can incorporate into your diet, but they have slightly higher carb counts. These options boast lower carbs while providing delicious taste and dense nutrition.
Incorporating low-carb dairy into recipes you love
Changing your diet can be hard. Especially when you get a craving for a food that might not fit into the confines of your high-fat, low-carb goals. We rounded up four delicious dupes that incorporate keto dairy options into recipes you know and love, so you can stay on track without missing out.
- Keto pasta: Noodles made out of cheese? Yes, please! This two-ingredient keto pasta recipe creates a delicious pasta noodle alternative using the minimal carbs in mozzarella. No more missing out on pasta night
- Keto pizza: Similar to the texture and flavor of a real pizza crust, but made with almond flour and mozzarella, you can still enjoy a slice on the keto diet with this keto pizza recipe
- Low-carb cinnamon muffins: Start your morning off with this delicious low-carb cinnamon muffins recipe — made keto friendly using heavy cream and almond flour and topped off with cream cheese frosting. With options this tasty, you’ll hardly feel like you’re dieting!
- Low-carb sour cream biscuits: When every carb counts, biscuits are probably out of the question, right? Not when they’re made with a low-carb dairy product like sour cream in this low-carb sour cream biscuits recipe
Benefits of eating dairy while on the keto diet
The keto diet can be beneficial for many people. Some people follow the diet strictly for weight management, while others are interested in its potential protection against certain health conditions.
While more research is needed to understand the long-term effectiveness of a high-fat, low-carb diet, work with your health care team to understand its potential benefits for you.
Even when following a diet, it’s important to ensure you aren’t missing out on any micro-nutrient needs. Including dairy in your keto plan is a great way to meet your daily dose of nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, high-quality protein and more.
The proof is in the low-carb pudding!
- Cheese for muscle mass: A 12-week study in adults over 60 years old found that those who ate 7 ounces of ricotta per day experienced less loss of muscle mass and muscle strength than those who didn’t eat this amount of cheese
- Vitamins in butter: Butter is a rich source of several fat-soluble vitamins — great news for followers of a high-fat, low carb diet like keto. The most abundant vitamin found in butter is vitamin A. One tablespoon provides about 11% of your daily needs. Followed closely by vitamins D, E, B12 and K2
- Greek yogurt is high in protein and fat: Yogurt lovers on the keto diet will be happy to know that Greek yogurt (unflavored, of course), is a great source of protein and fat with minimal carbs. Even better, Greek yogurt is a fermented dairy product and can also keep your gut happy with loads of probiotics
Atkins diet vs. keto diet
The keto diet may have risen in popularity in recent years, but it’s similar to an older diet plan known as the Atkins diet. Both diets work by restricting carbs, and, consequently, calories to induce weight loss. These plans do have differences, though.
On the keto diet, the goal is to keep your body in the fat-burning state of ketosis by extremely limiting your carb intake. The Atkins diet involves a gradual increase in your carb intake over the course of your time on the plan, which would not allow your body to stay in a state of ketosis.
You would, however, have more flexibility to enjoy foods higher in carbs, such as fruits, vegetables and higher-carb dairy products like milk. If you prefer a less restrictive approach to dieting, Atkins may be for you.
For those who are up for the challenge of monitoring ketosis, which is an important part of optimizing this diet plan’s impact, or are seeking specific health outcomes, the keto diet is a great choice.
Making your diet work for you
With all the naturally occurring nutrients, vitamins and minerals found in dairy products, it’s easy to see why they can benefit almost any kind of diet plan.
While managing your weight is important, your body needs certain nutrients from foods, too. The good news is many dairy products fit into the keto diet, so you don’t have to miss out on the wholesome nutrition of dairy.
At Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), we are a Cooperative owned by family dairy farmers who produce high-quality milk that gets turned into a variety of products that can fit into any diet or lifestyle plan. Find a DFA farmer-owned brand near you.