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A common question for people on a keto diet is, “is sour cream keto or not?” To answer this question, you must first understand what a keto diet is.
A ketogenic diet is a high-fat, extremely low-carb eating plan that causes your body to burn fat instead of glucose for energy. The ketogenic diet’s primary goal is to limit carbohydrate consumption while increasing fat intake.
This diet kick starts weight reduction by putting the body into fat-burning mode. Consuming low-carb meals may also help decrease the symptoms of chronic diseases. That’s why, under the keto diet, you should limit your carb intake and opt for high-fat foods instead.
This article will help you clear your doubts on whether sour cream is keto or not.
What is Sour Cream?
Table of Contents
Sour cream is a fermented dairy product derived by either introducing lactic acid bacteria or adding lemon juice or vinegar to regular heavy cream. Both ways yield a thick, tangy cream with a yogurt-like consistency and can be consumed in various ways.
The least amount of milk fat required to make sour cream is 10%. Though most sour cream products have up to 20% fat content. Low-fat variants, on the other hand, only contain 12% fat. While nonfat sour cream, as its name suggests, has at most 0.5 grams of fat per ¼ cup.
An interesting fact about the full-fat sour cream is that its high-fat content can help absorb micronutrients from other meals. Some of the most common fat-soluble micronutrients include vitamin A, D, and K which all depend on dietary fat to get absorbed in the body.
The gut microbiome, or the bacterial community that grows in the human digestive system, also benefits from the probiotics in sour cream. Probiotics can help restore gut health and reduce inflammation in those suffering from gastrointestinal illnesses.
Is Sour Cream Keto?
Sour cream can be keto or not, depending on the sour cream variety you opted for. Full fat sour cream is keto because it is loaded with saturated fats. However, other low-fat or fat-free sour cream varieties are not keto-friendly due to their low-fat content.
You can eat sour cream as a base for your keto dips or as the main ingredient in delicious keto recipes. But before delving deep into the question of “is sour cream keto,” we need to know how it impacts your ketogenic diet. Here are some sour cream nutrition facts:
1. How Many Carbs Are in Sour Cream?
The amount of carbs in sour cream is pretty opposite of what we expect. The full-fat sour cream has the lowest amount of carbs. This type of sour cream has only 4.6 grams of carbs compared to 19 grams of fat per 100-gram serving.
The low-fat sour cream has 7-gram carbs and 14-gram fats in a 100-gram serving, making it keto-friendly. However, the non-fat sour cream doesn’t have any fats and a staggering 16 grams of carbs. The nutrition content of nonfat sour cream makes it unfit for a ketogenic diet.
2. How Many Calories Are in Sour Cream?
A 100-gram serving of full-fat sour cream supplies 198 calories. At the same time, the same quantity of low-fat alternatives gives 181 calories. The least number of calories in all types is present in the nonfat variety, only 74 calories per 100-gram serving.
3. How Does Sour Cream Impact Ketosis?
If you’re taking sour cream as a fat source in your keto diet, it will trigger your body’s ketosis cycle. It means that your body will start using ketones as an energy source instead of carbohydrates.
Benefits of Sour Cream
Whether you’re on a ketogenic or regular diet, sour cream has many potential health benefits if you incorporate it into your diet wisely. Here are some of its benefits:
1. Excellent Source of Calcium
A 100-gram serving of sour cream supplies 116 mg of calcium. Calcium is an essential mineral that helps maintain bone health in the human body. Apart from bones, calcium also helps regulate muscle function and blood clotting.
If you are on a low-fat diet, you can take low-fat sour cream to get the calcium you need. In contrast, you can take the traditional sour cream on a keto diet.
2. Non-Fat Sour Cream Is a Healthy Diet Choice
While the keto-friendly nature of a regular sour cream is already established, we cannot ignore the weight loss benefits of the non-fat sour cream variety. You can incorporate it into your diet when you’re following a low-fat diet.
3. May Help Absorb Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins are a group of vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, that need fats for their absorption. While sour cream is not a direct source of these vitamins, eating it with fruits and foods that carry these vitamins enhances their absorption.
Storing and Freezing Sour Cream
You can store sour cream in a refrigerator for up to three weeks. Freezing sour cream is another great storage option too. You can either put the package of sour cream into the freezer or empty its content in another container and freeze it.
Frozen sour cream stays good for up to six months. After that, you only need to take it out and thaw it at room temperature to use it. But make sure to avoid heating the sour cream as it can split if overheated.
Best Ways to Incorporate Sour Cream into Your Keto Diet
Sour cream has a variety of options in the kitchen. You can use it in:
1. Sandwiches
Sandwiches are versatile, and so is sour cream. You can use the sour cream keto alternative or the low-fat sour cream to make a delicious sandwich spread.
2. Savory Dips
Making savory dips is another excellent way to incorporate keto-friendly sour cream without disturbing the net carbs. You can enjoy these dips with your freshly baked potato or a delicious potato salad.
3. Salad Dressings
One of the most common ways to incorporate sour cream into your diet is using it as a salad dressing. You can cut fresh vegetables and add some soured cream to give your salad a fatty kick.
4. Add to Smoothies
Blend your fruits or vegetables with a dollop of sour cream to get the most delicious smoothies.
Mistakes to Avoid While Consuming Sour Cream on a Keto Diet
While you can use sour cream in both keto and non-keto diets, there are some points to remember when you consume it on keto:
- Always calculate the carb percentage of sour cream to avoid getting knocked out of ketosis.
- Do not take low-carb sour cream on a keto diet.
- The lactose in sour cream can break down into sugar, so diabetic people should avoid sour cream or keto altogether.
Alternative Recipe for Sour Cream on the Keto Diet
Sour cream is usually made by mixing lemon juice or vinegar with heavy cream. However, there is an alternate way to produce keto sour cream, which is as follows:
1. Ingredients
- 1 cup of heavy cream at room temperature
- A tablespoon of fresh yogurt.
2. Instructions
- Take a jar and put the fresh yogurt in it. Make sure not to use pasteurized yogurt for this method because it will not work.
- After adding the yogurt, add the heavy cream to the jar.
- Close the jar’s lid and place the jar in a warm place for eight to twelve hours.
- Your delicious, creamy sour cream is ready to get gobbled down.
Conclusion
Sour cream has three variants: full-fat, low fat, and nonfat sour cream. Only full-fat sour cream is truly keto-friendly due to its fatty nature. Low-fat and nonfat sour cream does not help you get the required fat content on keto, so they are not a good choice.
With full-fat sour cream, you can make as many dips and salad dressings as you like. However, it is essential to keep calculating your carb intake while taking sour cream in keto. You can easily go overboard with the delicious fatty food.
FAQ
1. Is Sour Cream Okay For A Low-Carb Diet?
Only full-fat sour cream is Ok for a low-carb diet because it has much more fat content than its carb content. However, if you’re following a high protein, low carbs diet, even a full-fat sour cream is not a good choice.
2. Are Chickpeas Okay For Keto?
Chickpeas are not suitable for a keto diet. They are loaded with carbohydrates. Therefore, avoiding them while on keto is the safest choice. However, you can consume them with caution by correctly using your carb allotment for the day.
3. What Dip Can You Eat On Keto?
You can eat any dip made with sour cream on keto. The high-fat content of sour cream makes it suitable to use as a base for savory dips. However, sweet dips do not have a chance in keto because they’re overflowing with carbohydrates (you cannot take more than 50 grams of carbs in a day on a keto diet) and throw you out of ketosis.
[su_panel] Looking for more healthy recipe inspirations? Then have a look at our other articles:- Is Honey Keto? Keto Diet Questions Answered
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