Unlock the Secrets: Keto Diet Tips for Those with Lactose Intolerance!

The ketogenic diet, or "keto" diet, has gained immense popularity in recent years. It's a high-fat, low-carb diet designed to shift the body's metabolism away from carbs and toward fat. This shift induces a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose derived from carbs and sugar. This can potentially lead to weight loss and improved metabolic efficiency. However, following a keto diet can present challenges, especially for those with lactose intolerance or dairy sensitivities. This article explores how to navigate the keto diet while managing lactose intolerance, providing comprehensive guidance on dairy alternatives, meal planning, and potential benefits.

Understanding the Keto Diet

The keto diet works by restricting the number of carbs you eat. Under these guidelines, a person who needs 2,000 calories daily can only eat 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates. The keto diet restricts carbohydrate intake to a maximum of 50 grams per day, so it’s best to select foods with very low amounts of carbs. When you deprive your body of carbs, it enters ketogenesis, which means that it starts producing ketone bodies as an alternate energy source. 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 Role of Dairy in a Keto Diet

Dairy products such as cow’s milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt are good sources of fat and protein on a keto diet. Including dairy in your keto diet gives you plenty of delicious options to liven up your menu with keto fats. Not only that, the naturally occurring nutrients in dairy products help you stay nourished while limiting your intake of other food groups.

However, there are a few caveats. 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.

Keto-Friendly Dairy Options

Here are some dairy products you can enjoy as part of the keto diet:

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Butter: With about 11 grams of fat per tablespoon and zero carbs, butter is an ideal source of fat on the keto diet. Organic, grass fed butter is one of the best reasons to stay on keto. Again, if weight loss is your goal, the only reason to limit your butter consumption is due to calories.
Ghee (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. Ghee also boasts another added benefit over butter: 25% more short-chain and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Swap ghee for butter in all your meal plans.
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. 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.
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. Stick with hard and long-aged dairy products.

Lactose Intolerance: Understanding the Basics

The majority of the human population - approximately 65 percent - has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. Conversely, the prevalence of lactose intolerance is lowest in people with ancestors who depended on unfermented milk products as a primary food source. In other words, if your ancestors didn’t drink a lot of milk, then you probably have some form of lactose intolerance. Throughout our evolutionary history, we rarely encountered lactose unless it was from our mother’s milk. Without the lactase enzyme, lactose is metabolized by gut bacteria, which can cause stomach upset, flatulence, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, and a host of familiar but unwelcome gastrointestinal symptoms. If you find that you feel worse after eating a dairy-heavy meal, then you may have some degree of lactose intolerance.

Identifying Lactose Intolerance

The simplest way to test for lactose intolerance is by mixing lactose powder with water and drinking it to see if digestive issues emerge. To do this, start with 25 grams of lactose first thing in the morning or 3 hours after your last meal. If one or more of these symptoms occur after drinking the lactose-drink, then you have some degree of lactose intolerance. For those who have minor symptoms during the lactose powder test, you can probably handle the amount of lactose you’ll be getting with the ketogenic diet. The good news is that the ketogenic diet tends to be much lower in lactose than any other dairy-containing diet, so you may only get minor side effects with some keto meals.

Cow's Milk Allergy vs. Dairy Protein Intolerance

According to population-based studies, cow’s milk allergy is the most common food allergy in infants and young children. As many as 2 in every 100 children under 4 years old are allergic to milk. Dairy allergies commonly provoke immediate and unmistakable immune response. Dairy protein intolerances, on the other hand, are a bit more confusing and nuanced. Some of the symptoms are similar to and milder than those of allergic reactions. For some people, it can manifest as constipation or diarrhea. For others, they will get joint pain or brain fog. Whatever the symptoms, they usually take longer to appear, making identification difficult. Plus, little scientific consensus exists on the nature of dairy protein intolerance.

Think of dairy allergy and intolerance as being on the same spectrum. All the way to the left of the spectrum, you have someone who has no problem with dairy proteins at all - they can them all day and have no issues. Where you fall on this spectrum depends on your genetics, your gut health, your diet, your lifestyle, and your upbringing. Thus, some people may move to the left or the right of the dairy intolerances and allergy spectrum throughout life or on any given day.

Should You Do an Elimination Diet?

Whether you have some degree of lactose intolerance, dairy protein intolerance, or dairy allergy, it is up to you how much dairy you include in your diet. Obviously, if the consumption of lactose or dairy protein sends you into anaphylaxis or makes you feel absolutely dreadful, then you should convert to a dairy-free diet.

I’d suggest figuring out if dairy is truly an issue for you. Although there are a couple of allergy tests that test for dairy allergies, they tend to be inaccurate. A much more telling method is following a dairy elimination diet. In other words, you must eliminate all dairy from your diet for about a month.

Steps for a Dairy Elimination Diet:

Eliminate all dairy from your diet for at least a month. Do you feel better without dairy in your diet?
After going dairy-free for a month, reintroduce dairy into your diet one dairy product at a time.
Begin by introducing casein-rich, low-lactose and whey foods back into your diet. This means dairy products like cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, swiss cheese, and casein protein powder. After one day of eating these foods, assess how you feel. If you notice any negative symptoms emerge, then you are most likely intolerant to casein.
Let another 2-3 days pass without dairy and test your lactose tolerance to other common keto foods. You can do this by having keto meals that contain half and half, heavy cream, sour cream, whole milk and/or cream cheese. How do you feel with this amount of lactose back in your diet?
If you feel worse when adding any of the dairy products back in, then take them out of your diet again to see if you feel better once again without them. For those who fare poorly with low-lactose cheeses and most other dairy products, they will feel best when they remove all dairy from their diet.

Think of this dairy elimination diet as a brief experiment - a way to get in tune with your body and what will make you feel at your best in every way.

Keto Without Dairy: Is It Possible?

Yes, it is entirely possible to follow a ketogenic diet without consuming dairy. While dairy products can be a convenient source of fat and protein, they are not essential. By making informed choices and utilizing dairy alternatives, individuals with lactose intolerance or dairy sensitivities can successfully maintain ketosis and enjoy the benefits of the keto diet.

Why Go Dairy-Free on Keto?

Increased fat loss: Dairy products are easy to overeat, especially on keto.
Clearer skin: Recent research has found a link between dairy intake and acne.
Decreased inflammation
Improved gut health: Consuming foods we are sensitive to or allergic to can damage our gut and cause GI issues.
Increased energy and reduced stress levels
Better thyroid health: Those with autoimmune-related thyroid issues are more likely to have dairy protein sensitivities.

Dairy Alternatives for the Keto Diet

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of dairy substitutions and dairy-free recipes that will allow you to live a dairy free keto lifestyle, regardless of what diet you are on. What do you do if you there are one or two dairy ingredients in your favorite keto recipe? Here are keto-friendly dairy alternatives for the most common dairy products that you will encounter on the ketogenic diet.

Milk: Luckily, there are many types of low-carb milk that you can safely drink on the keto diet.
- Almond milk: This faintly nutty-tasting milk is made from almonds. A 100-gram serving of plain, unsweetened almond milk contains 0.67 grams of carbohydrates, making it a great choice for a keto diet. The most reliable whole milk alternative is coconut milk. If the recipe calls for a lower fat milk, then use light coconut milk.
- Cashew milk: This milk is made by blending wet-milled cashews and water.
- Soy milk: 100 grams of soy milk include 3 grams of carbohydrates.
- Avoiding: To ensure that you stay within your daily carb allotment, you only need to avoid types of milk that contain high amounts of carbs and added sugars. Rice is a carbohydrate-rich starch, so rice milk contains more sugar than cow’s milk. Avoiding these milk varieties can help ensure that you consume an appropriate number of carbohydrates while on the keto diet.
Cream:
- Coconut Cream: You can either allow a can of full-fat coconut milk to settle (about 1/2 hour) and scoop the cream off the top or purchase coconut cream online or from the store. To substitute cream in recipes, use equal parts coconut cream for the dairy cream. Allow a can of full-fat coconut milk to settle in the fridge for about 1/2 hour and skim the cream off of the top or buy coconut cream.
- High-Protein Soy Cream Alternative: Blend Silken Tofu until smooth. This pureed tofu can be substituted for heavy cream using a 1:1 ratio. It works as an excellent cream substitute when a thickener is needed in sauces and soups.
- Milk + Oil Heavy Cream Replacement: Blend 2/3 cup of soy or rice milk with 1/3 cup of oil (extra light olive oil is best for cooking). This will replace 1 cup of heavy cream for your recipes.
Sour Cream:
- Vegan Yogurt: Use a plain unflavored and unsweetened variety of dairy-free yogurt as a 1:1 sour cream substitute.
- Soy Sour Cream: Blend up some firm Silken Tofu for a wonderful sour cream like consistency.
- Nut-based Sour Cream: For a delicious soy-free sour cream alternative, you can make your own sour cream using cashews or sunflower seeds as the base.
Cheese: There are plenty of dairy-free, vegan cheeses on the market right now that are made from soy, coconut, cashew, or other dairy-free ingredients. My personal favorite dairy-free cheese-making companies are Treeline and Miyoko’s Kitchen. If Treeline or Miyoko’s Kitchen doesn’t have the cheese you are looking for, then try Follow Your Heart’s dairy-free cheeses. My favorite dairy-free cream cheese is Treeline’s‘s cashew-based soft cheese. It is so delicious and savory and has almost the same texture as cream cheese. Another popular alternative to cheese is to use nutritional yeast to get a similar flavor profile.
Protein Powder: The most common protein powders are whey and casein - both of which are derived from milk. To eliminate dairy from your diet completely you must remove all whey and casein protein sources. Fortunately, there are so many different types of dairy-free protein powder that you will have no problem finding one.

Dairy-Free Keto Meal Planning

The easiest way to cut dairy products out of your diet is by looking for dairy-free keto recipes and making a shopping list based on the ingredients. Once you get the hang of dairy-free shopping and cooking, feel free to experiment with different dairy substitutions to make your favorite dairy-heavy keto recipes into 100% dairy-free meals.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

Grocery List Essentials

Meats: Red meat, poultry, and seafood.
Fish & Seafood
Animal fats and plant-based oils: You can also use olive oil for baking as well.
Low-carb vegetables: Stick with above ground vegetables, leaning toward leafy/green produce. Stock up on eggs, spinach, and olive oil. Chicken breast, mixed greens, and avocado are key ingredients that can be bought in bulk. Salmon, broccoli, and tuna are often cheaper when purchased in larger quantities.
Low-carb fruits: Although most fruits are not keto-friendly, there are a handful that make a great addition to the ketogenic diet. Some examples of keto-friendly fruits are avocados, berries, and some citrus fruits.
Nuts and seeds: Eat nuts and seeds in moderation as some contain a decent amount of carbs.
Dairy alternatives: There are plenty dairy alternatives that you can use to replace common keto foods like heavy cream, cheese, sour cream, half and half, and yogurt.
Fresh grocery
Spices & sauces
Plant based

Foods to Avoid

Dairy Products: Avoid traditional milk, cheese, and yogurt containing lactose.
Butter: Opt for lactose-free or ghee as an alternative to regular butter.
Ice Cream: Choose dairy-free or lactose-free ice cream options.
Cream-based Sauces: Substitute cream-based sauces with dairy-free alternatives.
Cottage Cheese: Limit or avoid cottage cheese due to lactose content.
Processed Foods with Hidden Dairy: Check labels for hidden sources of lactose.
Milk Chocolate: Opt for dark chocolate or chocolate with lactose-free options.
Whipped Cream: Choose non-dairy alternatives or lactose-free versions.
Luncheon meat, hot dogs, and sausages that use the milk protein casein as a binder. Also, deli meat slicers are often used for both meat and cheese products, leading to dairy contamination. Shellfish may be dipped in milk to reduce the fishy odor.

Sample Dairy-Free Keto Recipes

Dairy-Free Keto Waffles
Keto Brownie Muffins: with only ~4 grams of net carbs per serving.
Keto Zucchini Bread
Keto Pumpkin Spice French Toast: Feel free to top it with a bit of extra keto maple syrup for the finishing touch.
Sesame Tofu and Eggplant: The eggplant is julienned then tossed with a spicy Asian style marinade before it’s cooked down into soft noodles.
Tofu Salad
Dairy-Free Keto Pizza: For the crust, you will be using coconut flour instead of parmesan cheese, and for the toppings, make sure you are using dairy-free mayonnaise and vegan cheddar cheese.
Keto Fried Noodles with Chicken
Thai Curry
Keto Broccoli Slaw
Bacon and Brussels Sprouts
Keto Fried Rice
Keto-Friendly and Dairy-Free Dessert Balls
Berry Bomb Pops: The combination of raspberries, blueberries, coconut cream, and stevia make this a delicious and healthy keto sweet treat.
Keto-Friendly Macaroons: With the perfect combination of sweetness, coconut, and chocolate, these keto-friendly macaroons are the ideal dessert for coconut lovers.

Potential Benefits of a Keto Diet (With or Without Dairy)

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.

Weight Loss: The keto diet doesn’t have to include fats from dairy in order to promote better health, especially for those who are sensitive to dairy. Dairy can knock you out of ketosis if you don’t watch your carbs. Cutting dairy from your diet could lead to weight loss. That’s because dairy, which contains both fat and carbohydrates, can quickly increase your calorie intake. A lot of keto dieters love adding dairy products like cheese, butter, and milk to their meals and beverages, and do so in excessive amounts. When consumed in excessive amounts, yes, dairy can cause you to gain weight. To increase your fat intake the dairy-free way, focus on eating a variety of meats, seafood, low-carb veggies and fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Improved Gut Health: Whether you’re sensitive to dairy or not, there are many health and anti-inflammatory benefits of doing keto without dairy.
Nutrient Intake: 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! Make nutritious swaps to avoid nutrient deficiencies - When replacing dairy, pack your keto diet with alternatives (that are excellent sources of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and vitamin K). Just because you’ve decided to do keto without dairy, doesn’t mean you’ll have limited options.

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