Is Butter Keto

Butter is a very common food used in our daily life. Several people start their day’s first meal prepared with butter along with other ingredients.

On the other hand, the keto diet is a very popular low carb and high fat diet plan. But what about butter? Is butter keto approved?

With a very high amount of fat and a tiny portion of carbs, butter is a well-established keto food. This dairy product can be added to the majority of low carb dishes.

Why Is Butter Keto Friendly?

Like any other keto friendly foods butter is low in carbs and high in fat. A 100 gram serving of butter contains 81.1 grams of total fat and only 0.06 grams of carbs.

So, if you are asking is butter low carb? Yes, absolutely butter is both low in total carbs and net carbs. As butter does not contain dietary fiber its value of total carbs and net carbs are equal or 0.06 grams.

Is Butter Good for Keto Diet?

Butter is good for the keto diet because of its perfect macro nutrition value matched with keto requirements. The high fat and near about zero net carb formula of butter helps to maintain ketosis levels like a charm.

Moreover, butter is easily available and fits into the keto grocery list on a budget. It can be added to almost every keto dish for both cooked and no cooked versions.

Furthermore, butter is nutrient dense and provides several health benefits. The major health benefits of butter which make it a good choice for a keto diet are given below.

Butter may have relatively small or neutral overall associations with mortality, cardiovascular diseases (stroke, heart failure), and diabetes (1).

Butter contains little amount of carbs. Research indicates that low carbs foods are effective in reducing body weight and, in patients with type 2 diabetes & improving glycemic control (2).

Vitamin A rich butter consumption may have benefits over cancer. Studies have shown that a high dietary intake of vitamin A may lower the development of ovarian cancer (3).

Butter is a great source of calcium. This nutrient has benefits over skin problems. Research suggests that calcium can promote skin wound healing and skin barrier formation (4).

Butter may be able to reduce blood pressure because of its low carb and moderate high calcium formula. According to studies both low carb and calcium-rich diets can be able to reduce blood pressure (5, 6).

Is Butter Bad for Keto Diet?

Excess consumption of butter may be bad for the keto diet. The high amount of sodium, saturated fat, and calorie of butter may create adverse health effects.

Consumption of more than 30 grams of saturated fat causes constipation (7). A 100 gram serving of butter contains 51 grams of saturated fat which crosses the limit. Due to this butter have a tendency to promote constipation.

Furthermore, the high saturated fat of butter can increase bad cholesterol. As studies indicate that a surplus intake of saturated fat rich foods increases LDL cholesterol (8).

Moreover, the high sodium component of butter can cause hypertension for uncontrolled intake. According to the American Heart Association, the ideal sodium consumption per day is 1500 mg (9).

Only 250-gram consumption of butter breaks this limit which may cause adverse health effects like hypertension, heart disease, etc.

How Much Butter Is Ok on Keto?

1 tbsp of butter weighs 14.2 grams. It contains 11.5 grams of total fat and 0.009 grams of carbs. This is a more than perfect combination to stay in ketosis.

Moreover, you will get only 7.3 grams of saturated fatty acids and 91.3 mg of sodium from this serving size. This little amount of saturated fat and sodium will not create any adverse health effects.

That’s why 1 tbsp of butter per day is ok on keto as it contains the perfect amount of nutrients to stay in ketosis without any health risk.

Butter Nutrition Against 100 Gram Serving (10)

Butter is a great source of useful nutrients. Let’s check the most important nutrients i.e protein, fiber, fat, carbs along with minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

  • Calories: 717
  • Protein: 0.85 g
  • Fat: 81.1 g
  • Carbohydrate: 0.06 g
  • Fiber: 0
  • Sugar: 0.06 g
  • Calcium: 24 mg
  • Iron: 0.02 mg
  • Magnesium: 2 mg
  • Phosphorus: 24 mg
  • Potassium: 24 mg
  • Sodium: 643 mg
  • Zinc: 0.09 mg
  • Riboflavin: 0.03 mg
  • Niacin: 0.04 mg
  • Folate: 3 µg
  • Choline: 18.8 mg
  • Vitamin B12: 0.17 µg
  • Vitamin A: 684 µg
  • Vitamin E: 2.32 mg
  • Vitamin K: 7 µg