Is Margarine Keto | Margarine Vs Vegan Butter

Margarine is a processed food used for baking, cooking, and flavoring. This spread is widely used throughout the world.

But is margarine keto? With less than 1 gram of carbs and more than 80 grams of fat make margarine keto.

However, margarine is a rich source of both saturated and trans fat which may not be beneficial for health.  That’s why this low carb spread is avoided in clean keto which prefers healthy foods.

A very high amount of trans fat and saturated fat makes margarine a dirty keto food.

A 100 gram serving of margarine contains 15 grams of trans fat. It also contains 14.2 grams of saturated fat (1).

However, some well-processed margarine may not contain trans fats. This type of margarine may be helpful for keto, but you should check the nutrition values before buying margarine.

Is Margarine Ok for Keto?

A healthy keto diet contains foods that are high in fats and low carb. You will get 80.3 grams of total fat from margarine(100g serving).

It is also very low in carb i.e 0.77g. Considering these two facts we can say that margarine fulfills the criteria of the keto diet.

However, margarine may increase your LDL cholesterol levels due to its high saturated fat component (2). Which will cause heart disease. Because of this, we suggest you avoid margarine on keto.

If you are wondering why no margarine on keto. The answer is the high trans fat of margarine lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels.

This HDL is considered good cholesterol. It will decrease the risk of heart disease. That’s why no margarine on keto.

Is Margarine Keto Friendly?

If you are looking for the answer is margarine keto then yes, margarine is keto friendly. However, margarine is dirty keto friendly and not suitable for clean keto. Seems confusing? Well, let’s discuss margarine keto.

There are two types of the keto diet. Clean keto and dirty keto.

The clean keto promotes a healthy lifestyle. It asks to eat highly nutritious whole foods. Clean keto’s main aim is to avoid processed foods while keeping your carb counts low.

Whether dirty keto allows to eat processed foods at a maximum. It keeps the daily carbohydrate level below 20 grams.

Margarine is a processed food that falls under the dirty keto category. So, margarine is dirty keto friendly.

Is Margarine Good for Keto Diet?

Margarine is high in fats and contains very low carbs which fulfill the standard keto diet formula. That’s why margarine is good for the keto diet.

However, margarine is a rich source of saturated fat which is not healthy at all. Saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol.

Also, excess intake of saturated fat promotes constipation (3). Moreover, the high sodium component of margarine may cause high blood pressure.

So, is margarine bad for keto? No the high fat and low carb combination of margarine will keep you in ketosis.

That’s why margarine is not bad for keto. But although margarine is theoretically good for the keto diet, actually it may be harmful to health.

You should avoid margarine on keto to avoid health problems like

• Keto diet high blood pressure
• Constipation
• Heart problems 

Will Margarine Kick You Out of Ketosis?

Absolutely not. Margarine will not kick you out of ketosis. Ketogenic low carb and high fat foods will never kick you out of ketosis.

If you think that margarine kicks you out of ketosis, you are wrong.  You need to eat high carb foods for at least 7-10 days to get out of ketosis.

Although margarine is unhealthy it still contains less than 1 gram of carbs and 80 grams of fat. The low carb and high fat margarine are perfect to stay in ketosis.

Is Margarine Carb Free?

People often ask “does margarine have carbs” or is it ok to eat “margarine on keto”. Well, margarine is not always carb free, it depends upon the used ingredients.

Some margarine brands do not contain carbs. You will get 0 grams of carbs or net carbs from these types of keto margarine which are prepared from palm oil and soybean oil(4).

Some other types of keto margarine main ingredients of which are soybean oil and butter are not carb free. So, how many carbs are in margarine?

You will get 0.77-gram carbs from a standard serving of 100 grams (5). If we subtract the sugar and fibers we will get the same net carb figure as 0.77 grams.

Moreover, all of the major margarine brands available in the market are sugar free and fiber free spread.

As we have seen, margarine is either carb free or has zero carbs we can say some types of margarine have carbs and some are zero carbs. 

Can You Use Margarine Instead of Butter on Keto Diet?

You can eat a limited amount of margarine instead of butter on the keto diet. Margarine is a very low carb food but it’s rich in trans fat and saturated fat.

Margarine is most commonly used as a substitute for butter.  It is primarily prepared from animal fats. However, most of the margarine consumed nowadays is made from vegetable oil.

You eat either coconut butter or almond butter instead of margarine. Both of these butter are keto friendly.

Although margarine fulfills all keto food criteria it is better to avoid this unhealthy food. The trans fat and saturated fats of margarine will cause harm to your heart.

But if you are fond of margarine you use tub margarine instead of butter on the keto diet. Because tub margarine contains less trans fat than stick margarine.

For pregnant women, butter can cause weight gain and margarine may create heart issues. Pregnant women should choose nutritious and homemade pregnancy smoothies instead of butter and margarine.

Is Margarine Allowed on Keto?

If you are following dirty keto then margarine is allowed as dirty keto allows processed foods. Dirty keto mainly focuses on the macronutrient ratio.

Actually, dirty keto is actually a modified and spicy version of plain keto. It is very famous to fast food lovers. If you love fast food and are also eager to follow keto then dirty keto is the only option.

In that case, margarine is perfectly allowed on keto.

But if you want to live a healthy lifestyle then you should not go for dirty keto. Dirty keto friendly margarine can cause several heart-related issues like stroke, blockage, heart failure, etc.

Because of this clean keto does not allow margarine.

Why Is Margarine Worse Than Butter?

Margaine is high in sodium and contains an unhealthy combination of both saturated and trans fat compared with butter. These nutrients cause several health problems. Due to this margarine is worse than butter.

Margaine has 719 mg of sodium and butter contains 643 mg sodium (6). The American heart association recommends no more than a daily 1500mg sodium intake for adults (7). It keeps our hearts healthy.

Surplus intake of sodium rich margarine promotes high blood pressure and heart problems. Moreover, high trans fat decreases HDL cholesterol, and saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol.

Also, a high saturated fat component of margarine causes constipation.

However, sodium rich margarine and butter can easily break the daily recommended level, which is not good for heart health. Also, the high amount of saturated fats of both margarine and butter can damage our hearts and promotes constipation.

That’s why it’s best to avoid both margarine and butter to live a healthy life.

What Type of Butter to Use on Keto Diet

The best type of butter to use on the keto diet is vegan butter. Vegan butter is low in carbs and contains high fat which is perfect for maintaining ketosis levels.

The top 5 keto butter to comply with low carb nutrition plan are:

•  Almond Butter
• Coconut Cream
• Chia Butter
• Macadamia Butter
• Peanut Butter

But you should not eat an excessive amount of coconut butter. As coconut cream causes constipation. Also, too much peanut butter cause constipation.

However, almond butter is the best option to use in the keto diet. Almond butter is prepared from keto almond nuts and has several health benefits.

FAQ of Dirty Keto Margarine