When it comes to a keto diet, choosing dairy is a tricky option. The focus of the keto diet is to bring you into ketosis, and this is possible only if you are following a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet, and unfortunately (if you like carbs), it means limiting your carbs is important.
And, while cheese is encouraged on the keto diet as it is very low carb and high fat, milk is more in carbs and less in fat. So, the question is, can you drink milk on a keto diet?
If not, then what are the low carb substitutes for milk?
Is milk low carb?
What kind of milk is Whole milk?
It means milk with no fat removed.
While whole milk offers many nutritional benefits, the question remains: Is it low-carb friendly?
Macronutrients for 8-ounce cups of whole cow’s milk are 8 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein and 12 grams of net carbohydrates. Unfortunately, this high-carb count excludes milk from the race to have a low-carb friendly drink.(*)
Can you drink milk on the keto diet?
If the dairy you choose to eat contains minimal carbohydrates and is without sugar, you can enjoy it within the range of the keto diet. But if your dairy products are rich in too many carbs (coming from lactose) or excess sugar, it can get you out of ketosis and set you back in your goals.
However, you should note that only unsweetened versions of milk are suitable for keto.
Also read: best low carb drinks for keto diet
Low carb alternative milk
A great option for those who crave a cup of milk, who don’t want to use their carbs, try these unsweetened low carb milk options.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is a delicious option, but you would like to make sure that you are taking an unsweetened product if you are looking for the least possible carbs. One cup of sweet coconut milk is about 6.66 grams as compared to 1 cup without sugar, which contains 3.38 grams of carbs. A cup of unsweetened coconut milk contains 11.86 grams of fat, so you are adding to the keto cause.
Soy milk
Unsugared soy milk contains 1 gram of fiber and 3 net carbs per cup (240 ml). Also, it provides 7 grams of protein. (*)
Cashew milk
The carb content of nuts is highly variable. Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts and brazil nuts contain less than 2 grams of digestible carbs per serving, while cashew nuts contain about 8 digestible carbs per serving. Being said that, nuts to eat on low carb diets are usually an excellent food.
Must read: high protein low carb foods
Flax milk
Linseed/Flax milk is plant-based milks made from whole linseed or ground linseed. Flax milk is an affordable vegan, keto and gluten-free option – it is also nut-free as flax is classified as seed.
Almond milk
Unsweetened almond milk contains only 1.4 grams of carbs and is rich in important nutrients when fortified, making it a nutritious, keto-friendly option. On the contrary, sweet almond milk is too high in carbs and sugar to fit into a healthy keto diet.
Hemp milk
A cup of unsweetened hemp milk contains about 1.3 grams of carbs and 7.3 grams of fat, compared to sweetened ones which contain about 7.2 grams of carbohydrates. So, unsweetened hemp milk goes a long way and keeps carbs to a minimum.
Pea milk
As a legume, peas are naturally high in protein, and pea milk contains 8 grams of protein and 2 grams of net carbs per 1 cup (240 ml). (*)
Heavy Cream
With only 1.75 grams of carbs per 1/4 cup (59 ml), both heavy and whipping creams can be considered keto-friendly. For this reason, many people on the keto diet rely on whipping creams or heavy creams as sugar-free coffee creamer or make keto-friendly desserts like chocolate mousse.
Half and Half
Plain half and half without additives contain only 0.6 grams of carbs per teaspoon, which can be easily worked into the low carb ketogenic diet of 50 grams of carbs per day.
Types of milk you should avoid on keto
- Any variety of grain-based milk (oat milk, rice milk)
- Lactose-free milk
- Any sweetened products (Ingredients like Cane sugar, Cane syrup, evaporated cane juice, dried cane syrup)
- Most flavoured milk products
- Chemical thickeners, stabilisers, and artificial preservatives
Bottom line
There are a lot of low carbs keto-friendly options.
Your best options are unsugared plant-based milk alternatives.
Avoid cow’s and goat milk as they contain natural sugar, and avoid sweet milk because they contain excess sugar.
Also read:
best multivitamins for keto diet
Low carb free keto Indian diet plan for weight loss
keto diet plan for vegan and food lists
Coconut milk contains one-third of cow’s milk calories, half fat and much less protein and carbohydrates. In fact, coconut milk contains the lowest protein and carbohydrate content of non-dairy milk.
Full fat, skimmed and semi-skimmed milk is not the best type of milk for low carb diet. However, if you need to use cow’s milk for any reason, full-fat milk is best for keto or low carb as it is high in fat content.
Compared to cream, milk has higher amounts of lactose, which is the natural sugar found in milk.
