Keto and Low-Carb Dairy: The Best and the Worst - Diet Doctor (2023)

what is milk

Dairy products are foods or beverages made from the milk of mammals. In the US and Europe, dairy products made from cow's milk are consumed much more commonly than other types. In some cultures, however, goat and sheep milk are also very popular.

Milk is a relatively nutritious food that contains protein, fat andcarbohydrates:

• Protein:The two main proteins in milk are casein and whey. About 80% of the protein in milk is casein and the rest is whey.³
• Fett:Milk contains mostly saturatedSlices. Milk fats are 70% saturated, 25% monounsaturated, 2.5% polyunsaturated, and 2.5% naturally occurring trans fats.⁴⁵
• Carbohydrates:Lactose (milk sugar) is the type of carbohydrate found in milk. In your digestive tract it is broken down into the individual sugars galactose and glucose. Glucose then enters your bloodstream and increases blood sugar levels.⁶

Dairy products made from milk include cream, cheese, butter, and yogurt—and their carb counts are quite different.

Carbohydrate counts of different dairy products

Why are some types of dairy products high in carbohydrates and others low? It depends on how they are processed and how much lactose is left afterward.

In general, milk that has been fermented with bacteria contains fewer carbohydrates than unfermented milk.

The following list includes the number of net carbs per 100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of various dairy products unless otherwise noted.⁷

For example, in making cheese, milk is treated with bacteria that causes the lactose (sugar) to ferment into lactic acid, removing most of the carbohydrates. In addition, the liquid whey produced during processing – which contains protein, water and lactose – is drained off, leaving mainly casein.⁸

Similarly, when making yogurt, milk is treated with different strains of bacteria that ferment most of the lactose into lactic acid. However, it has slightly more carbs than most cheeses due to some lactose remaining.⁹

The amount of carbohydrates a yogurt contains is mainly influenced by the fermentation time. The longer it ferments, the more lactose is consumed and the fewer carbohydrates the end product has.

Here are the carb counts for some of the most common dairy products:

Lowest Carbs: (0-3 grams per 100g/3.5 ounces)

• Butter and Ghee:Butter is made from milk fat and contains only traces of lactose (sugar) and whey (protein).Ghee, also known as clarified butter, has all lactose and whey removed. Butter has only 0.1 grams of carbohydrates and 0.1 grams of protein per 100 grams. So, like ghee, it is essentially carbohydrate-free.
• Soft-ripened cheese:Velvety brie, camembert, and similar soft-ripened cheeses are among the lowest-carb of all cheeses, with just 0.5 grams of carbs per 100 grams.
• Hard (aged) cheese:Flavorful hard cheeses like Cheddar, Swiss, and Provolone are very low in lactose. They are extremely keto friendly; Most provide around 1 gram of carbs per 100 grams, although some can have as much as 3 grams.
• Semi-hard cheese:Halfway between hard and soft cheeses in texture, semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Havarti are versatile and widely available in the United States. They have slightly more carbohydrates than most hard cheeses: about 2-3 grams per 100 grams. Veined blue cheeses like Gorgonzola and Stilton also fall into this category.
• Plain Greek Yogurt:If you're a yogurt lover, plain Greek yogurt is by far the best choice for a low-carb or ketogenic diet. It has fewer carbohydrates and is thicker than other yoghurts because more liquid whey (which contains the milk sugar lactose) was sieved during processing. Although the number of carbohydrates varies slightly between different brands, Greek yogurt contains about 3 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams (just under ½ cup) and 5 grams per 170-gram container (¾ cup).¹⁰
• whipped cream:Cream is made by skimming the fat from milk. Although it contains far fewer carbohydrates than milk, it is not a carbohydrate-free food. Whipped cream contains about 3 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams (about 0.5 grams per tablespoon).

Medium carbohydrates: (4-7 grams per 100g / 3.5 ounces)

• Feta and Parmesan Cheese:Despite being slightly higher in carbs than other cheeses, feta and parmesan can still pair well with a ketogenic or low-carb diet. Both contain about 4 grams of carbs per 100 grams (about ⅔ to 1 cup), or just over 1 gram of carbs per ounce (30 grams).
• Light cream:Similar to heavy cream but with a lower fat content, light cream provides 4 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams, or 0.5 grams per tablespoon.
• sour cream:The addition of lactic acid bacteria to light cream produces a pleasantly tart sour cream. It also thickens the end product without changing the carbohydrate content: 4 grams per 100 grams.
• Cottage cheese:Cottage cheese is made by adding acidic bacteria to milk, causing the casein to coagulate and creating curds, which separate from the whey. This curd gives cottage cheese its lumpy appearance. It contains about 4 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams (about 1/2 cup).
• Half and half:This popular, aptly named milk jug contains 50% milk and 50% cream. It provides about 5 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams, or 0.6 grams per tablespoon.
• Whole milk natural yoghurt:Like Greek yogurt, whole milk plain yogurt is made with bacteria that ferment most of the lactose in milk into lactic acid. Because it's not strained, it retains slightly more carbs than Greek yogurt: about 5 grams per 100 grams, or 9 grams per 170-gram container (¾ cup). Exact carb numbers vary from brand to brand.
• Kefir:Similar in taste to yogurt, kefir is a thick drink made by fermenting milk with a combination of bacteria and yeast. The carbohydrate content varies between 4 and 7 grams per 100 grams depending on the production.
• Ricotta Cheese:Smooth, slightly sweet ricotta was traditionally made from the liquid whey left over from making hard cheese. Today it is made from fresh whole milk and vinegar. Whole milk ricotta contains about 4 to 7 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams (about ½ cup), although this can vary by brand. Low-fat guys usually have more carbs.
• Cream cheese:Although its name might suggest that it's extremely low in carbohydrates, cream cheese actually provides around 5-7 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. It's made by adding lactic acid bacteria to a combination of milk and cream and then heating the mixture, creating a rich , creamy texture is created. It can be a good choice for a keto diet when consumed in modest amounts.

Highest carbs (12-25+ grams of carbs per cup)

• Milch:Although the amounts of fat vary, the carbohydrate counts are the same for all milks: whole, low-fat, and non-fat (skimmed) milk: about 12 grams per cup (250 mL).
• buttermilk:Despite its name, buttermilk is actually pretty low in fat — and high in carbohydrates. In fact, it contains the same 12 grams of carbs per cup as other milks.
• Sweetened or fruit-flavored yogurt:Unsurprisingly, sweetened yogurts are very high in carbohydrates: 20+ grams per 170-gram container (¾ cup).
• Light yoghurt:What about "light" or "light" yogurt? Although marketed to health-conscious consumers, many light yogurts contain added sugars. Be sure to read labels. Some brands of "light" yogurt contain 18 or more grams of carbohydrates per 170-gram (¾-cup) container.

What are the benefits of consuming dairy on a ketogenic or low-carb diet?

There are many reasons to include dairy in a low-carb lifestyle.

Many low-carb dairy products are high in protein

Get Appropriateproteinis important for good health. Eating more protein — including milk protein — can help you feel full and can slightly boost your metabolism, making it easier to achieve and maintain weight loss.¹¹Additionally, high protein and dairy diets show promise to help lose fat mass while building lean muscle mass.¹²

Most hard and soft cheeses are good options for protein, as they contain about 6 to 8 grams of protein per ounce (30 grams), or 18 to 25 grams per 100 grams.

Which cheese has the highest protein content? That honor goes to Parmesan, which packs an impressive 35 grams of protein per 100 grams of cheese.

Greek yogurt is also quite high in protein, with many brands providing 15 to 18 grams of protein per 175-gram (¾ cup) container.

Milk provides important vitamins and minerals

Cheese and yogurt are high in several important nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin K2, vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc.

Dairy products have a reputation for being an excellent source of calcium, although some types contain more than others. Getting enough calcium from dairy products has been shown to reduce the risk of fractures.¹³

Hard cheeses contain the most calcium, with parmesan providing about 1,000 mg, and Swiss and cheddar closely following with 720 to 790 mg per 100 grams each.¹⁴

Nevertheless, all types of cheese and yoghurt provide decent amounts of this important mineral. So choose the dairy products that you like to eat the most. You can also get calcium from non-dairy foods.¹⁵

Milk consumption has been linked to good health

For the past several decades, we've been advised to limit our intake of butter, cream, and cheese, as they're high in themsaturated fat, which has been thought to increase the risk of heart disease.

However, based on most research to date, this recommendation appears to have been largely unfounded.¹⁶

In fact, high-fat fermented milk products like cheese and yogurt appear to have neutral effects on heart health and may even reduce the risk of heart disease.¹⁷

Full-fat dairy also provides conjugated linoleic acid, a naturally occurring trans fat that early research suggests may improve cardiovascular risk markers.¹⁸However, more studies are needed to confirm this positive association.

Finally, a 2017 systematic review of 52 clinical trials concluded that consuming dairy products may help lower inflammatory markers in people with metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity.¹⁹A similar 2020 review found that dairy products have neutral-to-positive effects on inflammatory markers in healthy people and those with metabolic diseases.²⁰

Milk is tasty and filling

There's no denying that many dairy products are delicious and can even make other foods taste better. For example, topping vegetables or lean steak with butter or a cream sauce can make a huge difference in the palatability and flavor of your meal.

IfDr Bret Scher, Medical Director of Diet Doctor, likes to say, "If you don't like broccoli or spinach, I think you probably haven't cooked them properly in butter and sprinkled with real salt!"

Cheese can not only taste good, it can also be very filling. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), cheese was found to reduce hunger and trigger the release of "satiation hormones" more than cream or whipped cream.²¹

Interestingly, a 2017 systematic review of 13 RCTs in adults found that although all types of dairy products appeared to increase satiety and reduce hunger, this did not result in decreased mealtime intake later in the day.²²However, these studies were conducted on people who ate a high-carbohydrate diet.

Unfortunately, no studies have compared a low-carb, dairy-containing diet to a dairy-free diet at this time.

What are the potential downsides of eating dairy on a low-carb or ketogenic diet?

Some dairy products can raise insulin levels

Of the three macronutrients - protein, carbohydrates and fat - carbohydrates have been shown to raise blood sugar levels by far the most.²³And when blood sugar rises, it causes your pancreas to release insulin.

Because lactose (milk sugar) is broken down into glucose during digestion, eating dairy products high in lactose can increase both blood sugar and insulin levels.

So if your goals include keeping insulin levels low, it's probably best to avoid milk, flavored yogurt, and other types of dairy products that are high in lactose.

But even some keto-friendly dairy products, like cheese, raise insulin levels a bit. In this case, it's not the carbs, but the protein - or more specifically, the amino acids - that are causing insulin levels to spike.

Why is this happening? During digestion, protein is broken down into individual amino acids, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. This causes your pancreas to release insulin, which helps the amino acids get into your muscles.

In fact, this happens with all protein foods, albeit some more than others. For example, hard cheese raises insulin more than eggs but less than fish and beef. Yet all four of these protein foods raise insulin levels far less than carbohydrate foods.²⁴

Also, the whey protein in dairy products absorbs faster than the casein.²⁵Therefore, consumption of whey-containing milk products can increase blood insulin levels faster than fermented milk products that no longer contain whey.²⁶

What about butter and cream? Because they're very low in protein, they have minimal to no effect on insulin levels.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that small, transient insulin spikes after protein-rich meals are unlikely to have the same negative health effects as chronically elevated insulin levels.²⁷

Dairy products can cause cravings

Although dairy products are often viewed as filling, some people find that consuming them triggers cravings for more.²⁸One piece of cheese leads to the next, then to the next. For some, it may seem almost impossible to stop eating.

This doesn't happen to all, or probably even most people. And there isn't much high-quality research on the subject.

Still, there is some debate as to whether dairy products have addictive tendencies.²⁹

While the science is inconclusive, clinical experience shows that dairy products can make some people want to eat more and effectively avoid hunger stimuli.³⁰

Too much dairy can lead to weight loss³¹

Cheese, cream and whole milk yoghurt are very tasty. Unfortunately, the downside to being so delicious is that they can be overconsumed very easily.

Yes, these foods generally go well with a low-carb or ketogenic lifestyle. But eating too much of it can potentially cause aweight loss stall– whether through too many calories, too many carbohydrates or a combination of both.

Some low-carb clinicians advise their patients to eat these foods in moderation. For example, Dr. Eric Westman on his No Sugar, No Starch Diet to limit cream of all types to less than 2 tablespoons per day and all types of cheese to less than 4 ounces (116 grams) per day. Those are still pretty generous amounts.

For some people, it may be helpful to further limit or even eliminate dairy products when weight loss is slowing or faltering.

Dairy products can make acne and other skin problems worse

Can dairy cause or worsen acne? For some people it might be. Dairy has been shown to increase insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that increases sebum production and has been shown to play a major role in acne.³²

Observational studies in children, adolescents, and young adults suggest that all types of dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, can be problematic for those struggling with acne.³³

Read our full guide,Can ketogenic or low-carb diets improve acne?

Some people may be sensitive to dairy products

Dairy products can cause digestive problems or other symptoms in certain people.
The most common problem associated with dairy products is lactose intolerance, which occurs in people who lack the enzyme lactase.

Without this enzyme, lactose cannot be properly digested and absorbed. Instead, it enters the colon and causes abdominal pain, bloating, gas, nausea, and/or loose stools.

Lactose intolerance is widespread. It is believed to affect up to two-thirds of people worldwide. However, it is significantly less common in people of European descent.³⁴

People with lactose intolerance can usually tolerate low-lactose dairy products like cheese or yogurt without any problems, although some may be sensitive to even the small amounts of lactose in these foods.

Sometimes people develop an allergy to one or more proteins in milk. Although somewhat common in children, true cow's milk allergy is rare in adults.³⁵Those with milk allergies may experience symptoms such as hives, indigestion, vomiting, and even anaphylaxis after consuming dairy products.

There is evidence that certain individuals may be sensitive to A1 beta-casein, the most common type of protein in cow's milk, which can lead to digestive symptoms similar to those of lactose intolerance.³⁶

Sheep and goat milk products, as well as dairy products from cows that produce A2 beta casein milk, may be easier to digest for people with an A1 beta casein sensitivity. However, this topic requires further studies.

Should You Eat Dairy While on a Ketogenic or Low-Carb Diet?

As with many foods, the reaction to dairy products is very individual.

Most people can easily include cheese, butter, Greek yogurt, and other low-carb dairy on a keto diet. And there's a wide range of keto-friendly dairy products to try and enjoy.

Of course, if you have a milk allergy, which is rare in adults, you should avoid dairy products.

If you're lactose intolerant, you may be able to enjoy small amounts of cheese, butter, and other low-lactose dairy products. However, if you are already reacting to small amounts of lactose, it may make sense to avoid dairy products altogether.

Trying dairy-free can also be a good idea if you find that dairy triggers cravings, is difficult to eat in moderation, or seems to cause a rash or other symptoms. Wait about three to four weeks as it may take some time before you notice any improvement.

During your milk break you can enjoy coconut cream or almond cream in coffee or tea. Diet Doctor also has several delicious onesdairy free recipesAnddairy free meal plans.(Not a member?Sign up for a 30-day trialto try our meal plans and get access to other great member content.)

If you've experienced weight loss but don't want to completely eliminate dairy, try limiting yourself to a few tablespoons of heavy cream and a few ounces of cheese a day.

With a little experimentation, you'll soon find out what types and amounts of dairy products work best with your own ketogenic or low-carb lifestyle.