Can We Drink Milk When On A Ketogenic Diet?

A person must be conscious of milk and milk derivatives while on a keto diet. You may wonder if you can drink them while following the keto diet. The keto diet is characterized by reduced carbohydrate intake and increased high fat with moderate protein intake.

Most persons following the ketogenic diet must limit their daily carbohydrate consumption to between 25 and 30 grams of net carbohydrates. As a result, the ketogenic diet requires low-net-carb milk. Some types of milk are not appropriate for a ketogenic diet, but many others are keto friendly.

When I was on a keto diet, I was in a dilemma about which milk was appropriate for my health. However, I had to do a lot of research to find out which milk was best for my health during the keto diet.

You may be interested to know, can we drink milk when on a ketogenic diet? Don’t worry. I will guide you to have a clear idea about it. Read this article carefully to know more.

Milk To Avoid When On The Ketogenic Diet

Those on a ketogenic diet should avoid moderate or high-carb milk. If you’re following the ketogenic diet, you should stay away from these milk:

Cow’s Milk

First of all, whenever people ask, is milk keto friendly? they’re likely referring to cow’s milk. High quantities of lactose, a form of sugar, are found in cow’s milk.

A single glass of cow’s milk may contain one-third of your daily carbohydrate intake. There are several other methods to get calcium in your diet.

However, if you must take cow’s milk for any reason, full-fat milk is preferable for keto since it includes a greater fat content. There are 12 grams of net carbohydrates in one cup (around 244 milliliters) of 2% milk.

Oat Milk

Is oat milk keto friendly? Oat milk is not recommended for those who are on a keto diet. Oat milk has a very high carbohydrate content, and drinking oat milk will prevent your body from entering the metabolic state of ketosis. One cup of oat milk includes approximately 17 grams of net carbs.

Rice Milk

Rice milk has the same problem as oat milk. Rice is heavy in carbs; hence, rice products will be high in carbohydrates. One serving of rice milk has more carbs than oat milk, at around 21 grams per cup.

Condensed Sweetened Milk

Condensed milk is a form of milk from which most of the water is extracted. This type of milk is used in desserts. However, its high sugar content makes it inappropriate for a ketogenic diet.

One serving of condensed milk may contain around 166.5 grams of net carbs. However, being keto does not preclude you from enjoying sweets; there are methods to make your own keto condensed milk without carbohydrates or sugar.

Non-Lactose Milk

You may think you can drink lactose-free milk because it doesn’t have high carbohydrate content. No, unfortunately. Lactose-free milk is produced by adding enzymes that break down the lactose in milk.

While lactose is broken down and eliminated, the lactose-containing carbs remain. And, as we all know, carbs disturb ketosis, so lactose-free milk for keto is regrettably not an option.

Milk That Is Compatible With The Ketogenic Diet

The question is, can we drink milk when on a ketogenic diet? is often asked by individuals beginning the ketogenic diet; thus, this section will explore which milks are keto friendly.

Full Cream (Or Double Cream)

Heavy cream is an excellent substitute for keto milk. It is a dairy product; therefore, it is ideal if you are unsure about trying a non-dairy substitute. Cream instead of milk on keto may not seem like an obvious substitution.

Though these two products are comparable, heavy cream has trace carbohydrate levels, making it ideal for the ketogenic diet. It is a suitable milk replacement since double cream is rich in fat, often measuring between 38 and 40% fat while containing less than 1 gram of carbs.

Macadamia Nut Milk

The first non-dairy milk alternative on this list is macadamia nut milk. You are likely acquainted with macadamia nuts in their solid form, which is relatively sweet and has a buttery, creamy texture and flavor. These characteristics make them an excellent option for keto milk.

Like other milk alternatives, macadamia nut milk is produced by mixing the nuts with water and then straining the resulting mixture to obtain a milky liquid. Unsweetened macadamia nut milk is excellent for ketogenic diets because of its low carbohydrate content. The serving size of 240 ml contains 0 grams of net carbs, 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 50 calories.

Flax Milk

On keto, flax milk is another non-dairy milk. It is produced from flax seeds. It is far less sweet than other non-dairy milk. Depending on your tastes, this might be good. Like macadamia nut milk, flax milk is created by blending ground flax seeds with water and then straining the mixture.

Flax milk is deficient in carbs and abundant in fatty acids such as omega-3. Omega-3 is very beneficial to the body and may help prevent heart disease. The serving size of one cup of unsweetened flax milk contains 1 gram of net carbs, 3 grams of fat, 8 gram of protein, and 70 calories.

Almond Milk

Almond milk is one of the most used milk alternatives on the ketogenic diet. It is inexpensive compared to other nut milk and has very few carbs. Almond milk is a better option than cow’s milk for keto dieters. Almond milk includes a high vitamin-D concentration, which is excellent for bone health.

Almond milk is available in both sweetened and unsweetened varieties. Unsweetened kind of almond milk is a keto alternative and a serving size of 240 ml contains only 1 gram of net carbs, 3 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 30 calories. The sweetened version has a lower fat level and more carbohydrate content, indicating that it is not an actual keto diet milk.

Soy Milk

Soy milk is a non-dairy milk alternative. This alternative keto milk is manufactured from soybeans, which have various culinary applications. Soybeans are soaked in water, crushed, then cooked to make soy milk. Soy milk is a keto friendly alternative that tastes the most like regular cow’s milk.

Soy milk is available in both sweetened and unsweetened varieties. Sweetened soy milk has around 6.5 grams of net carbs per serving; thus, it is still keto friendly, but you will need to monitor your consumption. Unsweetened soy milk for a serving size of 240 ml has 2.8 grams of net carbs, 7.5 grams of fat, 6.5 grams of protein, and 117 calories.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is another alternative to cow’s milk in keto diet, and it is frequently used in desserts and sweet, rich curries and stews. But is coconut milk allowed on keto? Fortunately, coconut milk is also an excellent choice for ketogenic diets.

However, you should avoid sweetened coconut milk. Unsweetened coconut milk for a serving size of 240 ml contains 1 gram of net carbs, 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 60 calories and is an excellent option for the ketogenic diet.

Pea Milk

Pea milk is another alternative to cow’s milk if you’re searching for lactose-free milk to drink on keto. This keto diet milk has little carbohydrates and provides additional nutritional advantages.

Pea milk is prepared from yellow split peas. Use unsweetened pea milk to maximize its ketogenic advantages; otherwise, you will need to alter your carbohydrate intake to account for pea milk. The serving size of 240 ml of unsweetened pea milk contains 0 grams of net carbs, 4.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, and 70 calories.

Various Sweetened Milks

As previously discussed, numerous keto friendly milk alternatives are available in sweetened varieties, such as sweetened almond milk and sweetened pea milk. The sweetness is obtained by adding sugar, increasing the milk’s carbohydrate content and making it incompatible with a ketogenic diet.

Some keto milk substitutes are sweeter than others, such as macadamia nut milk and coconut milk, so if you want the sweetness of regular milk, one of these will be preferable.

How Many Carbs Does Milk Contain?

Each glass of 2% milk includes 12 total carbohydrates and 0 fiber. Though many keto dieters take fewer than 20 grams of net carbohydrates daily, milk is not an appropriate dietary option. A single serving would consume more than half of one’s daily carb allowance.

Substitutes For Keto Milk In Recipes

Milk’s taste and creaminess may be replicated with the correct alternatives. If you’re on a keto diet, consider one of these milk alternatives:

Almond Vanilla Milk Without Sugar

Vanilla almond milk without sugar is delicious and contains 0 grams of net carbs, 2.5-3.5 grams of fat, and 1-2 grams of protein. You can purchase it from the market. Some of the best brands are Silk, Kirkland Signature, and Mooala.

Heavy Cream

Heavy cream is the closest thing to a “genuine” milk alternative on the ketogenic diet.

Coconut Milk

Full-fat coconut milk is the most keto friendly, but coconut milk, even low-fat beverages, is OK.

Keto Coffee Creamer

Keto coffee creamer is the best ideal alternative if you want sweeteners in your coffee. You can easily find it in any grocery shop near you or an online shop.

Tips For Incorporating Keto Friendly Milk Into Your Diet

Keto friendly milk may be used identically to regular milk. For example, you can drink a glass of it, put it in your cereal, blend it into a smoothie, or use it to dip keto friendly cookies.

Keto milk that isn’t sweetened or flavored can also be used for cooking, but if you can handle dairy, heavy cream or sour cream may work better if you want to add creaminess to a cooked dish.

How Much Milk Are You Permitted?

Well, that’s a tricky topic to answer since there’s a wide variety of keto diet milk options. When it comes to keto friendly alternatives like almond milk or heavy cream, you may drink as much as you want without worrying about your carbohydrate intake.

Remember that while on a ketogenic diet, you will significantly cut your carbohydrate consumption but not eliminate it. One could continue to have one glass of cow’s milk daily and be within your carbohydrate allotment on the ketogenic diet.

However, it would use a significant portion of this allocation, and you may have to sacrifice something else. Different ketogenic diets may impact how much or what kind of milk you can drink. The following are a few:

The Standard Ketogenic Diet (Also Known As SKD)

The standard ketogenic diet restricts your daily carbohydrate consumption to 20-30 grams, computed as 70% fat, 20% protein, and just 10% carbs. For this diet, it would be better to stick to a keto friendly milk substitute such as cream or almond milk.

A High Protein Ketogenic Diet

The high protein ketogenic diet enables you to eat 35% protein, 60% fat, and just 5% carbohydrates, as opposed to the regular diet’s 20% protein and 70% fat intake.

High-protein milk, such as hemp milk, would likely be ideal for this ketogenic diet.

Therefore, the appropriate option for milk on the ketogenic diet will depend on the kind of diet you are following.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may want to know the answer to frequently asked questions about “can we drink milk when on a ketogenic diet?” I have talked about some frequently asked questions regarding this topic.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you are now adequately informed about “can we drink milk when on a ketogenic diet?” and the types of milk that may be consumed without interfering with ketosis.

Don’t drink milk from a cow or a goat since they naturally have sugar, and stay away from sweetened milk because they have a lot of sugar added to them. If your objective is to reduce weight, these low-sugar and low-carb solutions will modestly assist you.