Is Cheese Keto?

Having friends on the Keto Diet, they would ask: “Is Cheese good for the Keto Diet?” I was curious myself and decided to find out. Here is what I found.

Cheese is great for the Keto Diet. Some cheeses are better than others, and some are not so good. Some of the good cheese choices are: Cream Cheese, Pepper Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella.

A bad cheese choice would be any of the processed cheeses. Cottage Cheese is good in moderation. A good rule of thumb is hard cheeses are better than softer. Good hard cheeses are: Parmesan, Romano, and Vintage Gouda. These have less carbs than softer cheeses.

Here is a comparison of the carbs in a cup of cheese: Cream Cheese 0.45 grams of sugar, Pepper Jack 0g, Cheddar 0g, Mozzarella 1.4g, Cottage Cheese 6g, Processed Cheese 19g. Why do most of these cheeses have low carbs? Cheese is the product of fermentation. Bacteria are added in the cheese making process and they end up eating most of the milk sugar and a lot of lactose (sugar) is being lost with the whey (the protein part) as it’s coming out of the cheese.

As an example cream cheese is less than one gram of carbs. It’s 0.45 grams per cup! That’s pretty good. Pepper Jack is zero grams of sugar. Awesome! Cheddar is zero grams! In fact the more aged the cheese is the better or less sugar it has. Mozzarella 1.4g of sugar per cup. Still not bad but has a little bit more carbs. Remember to get cheese that is grass-fed organic. How much cheese? 3-4 ounces per meal is enough. So if you need a cheese fix on Keto go for it!

But BEWARE: Not all cheese are created the same. Natural vs. Organinc vs. 100% grass-fed cheese. How much nutrition is in cheese. Also check out my list below for more cheeses to choose from. Also what other dairy is low carb? And how cheese is made. Keep reading for more information.

Keto Diet and Cheese Detailed-

There are more varieties of cheese that are open to the keto diet than I thought before researching this topic. What about low fat or fat free cheese? Be sure to look at the ingredients list on the label. These cheeses often have a whole lot of added sugar or starchy fillers added to spruce up the flavor and make them more palatable. The natural flavor is destroyed when you remove the fat, not to mention the change in consistency. Sugar is added by food companies to make up for it.

Don’t shy away from fat! Embrace it on the keto diet! Some advice on choosing the right cheese is to look for aged cheese, like parmesan, gouda, or blue cheese. Their carb content will be lower. This is from the same bacteria-eating process that works for fermented yogurts and other foods. Many more hard and semi-hard cheeses fall in this no carb or lower carb, keto-safe zone. Such as: cheddar, swiss, provolone and colby.

There’s even soft cheeses to add to the list for your snack or meal pleasure. Such as: brie, monterey jack, muenster and mozzarella all make a good choice. Creme fraiche, cream cheese and cottage cheese are good options as well, for a creamer, richer flavor. 100% grass fed cheese is a great source of nutrition as well. The cheese has fat-soluble vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K2. Along with CLA, DHA, EPA, and ALA. And includes bio-available Calcium, and protein.

Cheese	Grams of Carbs per Cup*
Cream Cheese	0.45 grams
Pepper Jack	0 grams
Cheddar	0 grams
Colby	0.6 grams
Gouda	2.4 grams
Mozzarella	1.1 grams
Parmesan	0.1 grams
Provolone	0.6 grams
Ricotta	0.7 grams
Swiss	1.4 grams
Brie	0.7 grams
Feta	6.1 grams
Blue Cheese	8.5 grams
Cottage Cheese	6 grams
Processed Cheese	19 grams

*Carb information provided by https://www.nutritionix.com

What nutrition is in Cheese?

What is funny is when you see the word “Natural” on a product it means nothing. Organic means without pesticides. But then you have grass-fed which is even better, but even better than that is 100% grass-fed.

This is what you want to shoot for because you are going to get the maximum fat soluble vitamins, like omega-3 fatty acids. You will be getting vitamins A, B-12, D, E and K2. K2 is a real important vitamin, especially for the transportation of calcium into the bones and out of the soft tissues.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) which is great for weight loss and even is great for the immune system and inflammation. Also you will find Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). DHA is a type of omega-3 fat. Along with Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA). DHA and EPA are good for the brain and for your hormones. Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) is also in there which is great for the brain and the nervous system.

Bio-available calcium is also a great reason to make cheese a part of your keto diet, for those strong bones. 100% grass-fed cheese is also a good source of B vitamins including B12. A healthy amount of cheese would be 3 to 4 ounces per meal.

Other Dairy Products that are Keto:

Below is a list of other dairy products such as Yogurt and Milk, that you might be curious about. Most are high in carbs and should be avoided on the keto diet. But there are a few gems, that you might not have thought of in the group including: ½ and ½ and Whole Cream.

Yogurt:	Grams of Carbs per Cup*
Fat Free Fruit	47 grams
Fat Free Plain	19 grams
Fat Free Greek	9 grams
Fat Free Vanilla	34 grams
Goat Milk Kefir	7 grams
Blueberry Kefir	20 grams
Low Fat Plain Kefir	12 grams
Low Fat Plain Kefir (Lactose-Free)	11 grams
Whole Milk Plain	11 grams
2% Milk	12 grams
Half & Half	.36 grams
Whole Cream	0.1 grams
Butter	0.1 grams
Ghee	0 grams

*Carb information provided by https://www.nutritionix.com

How cheese is made:

Quick guide:

Step 1: Add Milk
Step 2: Pasteurize/Heat Treat Milk
Step 3: Cool Milk
Step 4: Add Starter and Non-Starter Bacteria
Step 5: Add Rennet and Form Curd
Step 6: Cut Curd and Heat
Step 7: Drain Whey
Step 8: Texture Curd
Step 9: Dry Salt or Brine
Step 10: Form Cheese into Blocks
Step 11: Store and Age
Step 12: Package

Detail:

Cheese is made using either pasteurized or raw milk. Using raw milk imparts different flavors and texture characteristics to the finished cheese. Raw milk cheeses must be aged for at least 60 days, as defined in the CFR, section 7 CFR 58.439. This reduces the possibility of exposure to pathogens that may be present in the milk.

There are broadly 4 categories for cheese, Acid or Rennet Cheese, and natural or process cheeses. Cheeses such as Cheddar or Swiss, use rennet (an enzyme) in addition to the starter cultures to coagulate the milk. “Natural cheese”, an industry term, is used for cheese that is made directly from milk. Process cheese is part natural cheese plus other ingredients that are cooked together to change the textural and/or melting points and increase shelf life.

Milk is the main ingredient in cheese. The milk can be cow, goat, sheep, water buffalo or a blend of these milks.

With rennet cheeses, a rennet produced through microbial bioprocessing is used. Some common other ingredients include herbs, spices, hot and sweet peppers, horseradish, and port wine.

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) cultures are used for cheese making, because their primary source of energy is the lactose in the milk. Their primary metabolic product is lactic acid. Starter cultures are used early in the cheese making process. This helps with coagulation prior to rennet addition.

Molds and Yeasts are used in some cheeses to provide characteristic flavors and colors for some cheese varieties.

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