Have you noticed that natural butter tends to have a different color every time you get a new one?
It’s not something bad, the color is affected why the cow’s diet, and since butter is always a staple ingredient in the kitchen we know you’re wondering:
Is butter keto friendly?
You can freely pass the butter as it is indeed keto friendly and has many benefits, uses, and varieties.
Let’s jump into it!
Where does butter fit with the keto diet?
The basic requirements for the keto diet are low carb high fat foods that help bring the body to ketosis, a state in which you burn more fat than carbs.
Within keto meat, meat based meals high in fats are the most frequently used. Since butter is also high in fat it would only make sense that it’s ok on keto.
The truth?
Butter is absolutely keto friendly, and we recommend you use it in your diet. It’s even more highly praised because butter has even fewer carbs than other dairy products.
How is butter made?
The fatty part of the milk, also called butterfat, is what makes butter. Once it gets churned it becomes the butter we know.
What does this mean?
This process of making butter perfectly summarizes and showcases why butter can be used with the keto diet. Despite all this processing, butter is quite natural.
What is the nutritional value of butter?
Butter is virtually all fat, so it will not have many carbs or even protein. (*)
One tablespoon of butter contains:
- Total Carbohydrates 0 grams
- Sugars 0 grams
- Dietary Fiber 0 grams
- Protein 0.1g
- Calories 102
- Total Fat 12 grams
- Saturated Fat 7.3 grams
- Trans Fat 0.5 grams
- Monounsaturated Fat 3 grams
- Cholesterol 31 milligrams
- Potassium 3.4 milligrams
- Sodium 91 milligrams
What is butter used for on the keto?
Aside from its conveniently high levels of fat, butter is also praised for the many uses it provides for the keto diet.
We suggest you use butter for:
- Frying – wether for keto friendly meat based meals or other ingredients, butter offers practicality in cooking
- Browning meat – butter is great at replacing honey or sugar to obtain that brown crips crust on meats baked in the oven
- Butter for coffee – yes coffee, it may sound odd but bulletproof coffee is becoming more popular with the keto dieters
- Making sauces – butter can be used to thicken sauces or dips
- Butter as a spread – regular bread may be out of the question on the keto, but there are options for keto bread or crackers
Most uses for butter are fairly common but others will complement the keto diet very well.
What kind of butter can I eat on the keto?
Any type of butter is perfect for the keto and whatever you pick we encourage you to broaden your experience with many other available varieties.
So here we go:
We suggest opting for grass fed butter as it most often is touted as being of high quality.
- Salted or unsalted – if it’s a battle between the two we advise you to go for the salted one. The keto diet requires more salt as ketosis limits sodium.
- Clarified butter – known as ghee, clarified butter is made by removing all liquids through evaporation. The result is butter with a nutty and roasted flavor.
- Sweet cream butter – using pasteurized fresh cream, sweet cream butter usually contains salt that helps with the keto diet.
- Goat butter – as the name suggests this butter is made from goat’s milk and much like goat cheese it will have a stronger tangy taste.
- Grass fed butter – cows that only eat grass by roaming pastures freely will provide the milk to make grass fed butter, rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Cultured butter – another butter made from pasteurized milk but this time has bacterial cultures added to ferment before churning.
- Amish butter – although the name makes reference to the Amish community, Amish butter just means it’s made from fresh milk and hand-churned.
- European style butter – European butter offers a rich flavor along with less moisture and a higher level of butter fat.
Additional tips to choose butter:
- Unsalted butter will be better for recipes.
- Avoid any butter product that specifically states on the label that it contains oil. Most often these oils are hydrogenated and they have negative side effects. (*)
How much butter can you eat?
Even though butter is keto friendly, that doesn’t mean you can have unlimited butter while on the keto diet.
High amounts of fat from butter can nullify the weight loss benefits you may want from the keto diet.
What health benefits does butter offer?
Butter is very good for the keto diet and it also comes with quite a few health benefits.
What fatty acids does butter have?
Fatty omega 3 acids are but one component that can be found in butter. Other fatty acids are brought to meals with butter along with many health benefits.
- Lauric acid – great at treating fungal infections (*)
- Arachidonic acids – a pivotal element that make-up cell membrane and helps with brain function (*)
- Conjugated linoleic acid – provides positive effects on the metabolism (*)
- Butyric acid – offers protection for the digestive system while also having anti-inflammatory properties (*)
What healthy nutrients are in butter?
A few top nutrients and vitamins can be absorbed from butter. (*)
Vitamins in salted butter per 1 tablespoon:
- Vitamin A – 354.86 IU. Boosts the immune system and contributes to maintaining thyroid and adrenal health. (*)
- Vitamin D – 7.95 IU. Good at maintaining bone health. (*)
- Vitamin E – 0.33 mg – Great promoter of healthy hair, skin, and nail growth. (*)
- Vitamin B-12 – 0.02 micrograms. Helps create red blood cells as well as DNA (*)
- Vitamin K – 0.99 micrograms. Regulates calcium levels and maintains bone metabolism. (*)
Keto butter recipe:
Keto Butter Chicken Recipe (Keto, Paleo & Whole30)
Get recipe: thecoconutmama.com
FAQs
- Which butter is good for keto?
We recommend you pick grass fed butter as it’s one of the healthiest varieties of butter on the market.
- How much butter can I have on keto?
Generally, we suggest you eat only one stick of butter if you follow the keto diet. This is so that you can still exhibit weight loss from the keto diet.
- Is butter or olive oil better for keto?
If you have to choose a cooking oil for the keto we propose you choose either:
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
- Will butter take me out of ketosis?
Even if butter is keto friendly it still contains carbs. Eating too much of it can, in fact, take you out of ketosis, but luckily that amount of butter is hard to consume.
Conclusions
Butter is a part of cooking in general and following the keto diet you will inevitably wonder:
Is butter keto friendly?
With the utmost certainty, we can acclaim that, yes butter is keto friendly and you can put it to good use on your keto diet.
Not only that!
But its versatility and practicality make butter both delicious and highly useful in preparing food.
Up Next:
