How Much Cheese Can You Eat on Keto? - Kaze Blog (2024)

How Much Cheese Can You Eat on Keto? - Kaze Blog (3)

Cheese is a staple on the keto diet since it’s low in carbs, high in fat, and has a moderate amount of protein. Not just that, but cheese is also versatile. This is especially true with cheddar cheese, which goes well with any food. The question is, how much cheese can you eat on keto?

In this article, we’ll give you all the information you need about cheese on keto — how much is allowed in a day, whether it contributes to weight gain, and what to eat and avoid when you’re on a low-carb lifestyle.

Can You Have Cheese on Keto?

Cheese is great to have on the keto diet. Adding cheese to your grocery list, whether that’s cheddar, gouda, pepper jack, or parmesan, will help meet your daily nutritional requirements while keeping carbs low.As a rule of thumb, natural cheeses or whole blocks of cheese are better for you than processed ones.

How Much Cheese Can You Eat on Keto?

If you’re able to tolerate dairy on keto and love cheese, you can have 1-3 ounces of cheese in a day. Keto-friendly cheeses have similar amounts of carbs, fat, and protein per ounce. For example, cheddar cheese has less than 1g carbs, 9g fat, and 7g protein while gouda cheese has less than 1g carbs, 8g fat, and 7g protein per serving.

That means it’s okay to have up to three servings of gouda or cheddar and still say within your daily keto carb limit of 20-50 grams[*]. With regard to fat and protein, this will depend on your personal needs. Use a keto calculator to figure out your daily fat and protein macros.

Will Eating Too Much Cheese on Keto Affect Weight Loss?

Any food on keto supports weight loss but it may also do the opposite if you consume more calories than you need. Dairy-based foods, such as cheese, can make you gain weight by overeating them because they’re energy-dense.

For example, a 1 oz serving of cheddar cheese already contains 115 calories. Although it’s very low in carbs, a person can consume large amounts at once because cheese tastes so good.

Moderation is key. So, if you’re having cheese as part of a weight loss strategy like keto, make sure you know your daily calorie limit along with your protein and fat macronutrient needs. As mentioned earlier, 1-3 ounces should fit well into a keto diet plan. Eat cheese as a snack, quick post-workout fuel, add it to your salads, or use it as a topping for steak!

Best Cheese to Eat on Keto

When you’re on a keto diet, the best types of cheese are cheddar, pepper jack, gouda, blue cheese, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Here are the macros for each cheese:

  • Cheddar (1 oz): Calories 115 | Carbs less than 1g | Fat 9g | Protein 7g
  • Pepper jack (1 oz): Calories 106 | Carbs less than 1g | Fat 9g | Protein 7g
  • Gouda (1 oz): Calories 101 | Carbs less than 1g | Fat 8g | Protein 7g
  • Blue cheese (1 oz): Calories 100 | Carbs less than 1g | Fat 8g | Protein 6g
  • Cream cheese (1 oz): Calories 99 | Carbs 2g | Fat 8g | Protein 7g
  • Parmesan (1 oz): Calories 122 | Carbs 1g | Fat 8g | Protein 11g

Additionally, we recommend choosing grass-fed dairy. Study shows that grass-fed dairy products have higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids[*]. CLA and omega-3 are types of fat with cardiovascular benefits.

Cheese to Avoid on Keto

Pre-shredded and processed cheeses contain extra ingredients, such as food dyes, whey powder, starches, emulsifiers, and other artificial stuffs that extend their shelf life. Steer clear of the following cheeses:

  • Spray-can cheese (1 oz): Calories 83 | Carbs 3g | Fat 6g | Protein 6g
  • Pre-sliced cheese “singles” (1 slice): Calories 60 | Carbs 2g | Fat 4g | Protein 3g
  • Vegan cheese (1 oz): Calories 70 | Carbs 7g | Fat 4g | Protein 3g

Like spray-can and pre-sliced cheeses, many vegan cheese options contain highly processed ingredients. Canola oil, for example. Vegan cheese is made with nuts and seeds, which are keto-friendly, but it should be consumed minimally or avoided if it also contains large amounts of artificial preservatives.

The Bottom Line

Cheese is delicious and supports a healthy keto diet. To maintain ketosis and weight loss, limit yourself to 1-3 ounces of cheese per day. It’s fantastic as a snack or ingredient in any recipe! Also, be sure to check out Käze cheese snacks. Made from 100% real cheese, our snacks are available in a 1 oz (individual) or 6 oz (for sharing) pack. We have cheddar, pepper jack, gouda, and other keto-approved flavors you and your kids will love.

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How Much Cheese Can You Eat on Keto? - Kaze Blog (2024)

FAQs

How Much Cheese Can You Eat on Keto? - Kaze Blog? ›

The Bottom Line. Cheese is delicious and supports a healthy keto diet. To maintain ketosis and weight loss, limit yourself to 1-3 ounces of cheese per day. It's fantastic as a snack or ingredient in any recipe!

What is a keto portion of cheese? ›

Per 1-ounce (28-gram) serving, a mild cheddar cheese provides 9 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, and less than 1 gram of carbs. This means it's a good fit for the keto diet ( 1 ).

Can I eat unlimited cheese on keto? ›

Enjoying cheese is one of the pleasures of the keto diet. But that doesn't mean it's unlimited and unrestricted. Nutritionists say that keto practitioners need to be selective with the cheese varieties they consume while on keto and enjoy them only in moderation to avoid disrupting ketosis and hampering weight loss.

What is the limit on cheese intake? ›

You don't have to cut cheese out of your diet, but if you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, use high-fat cheeses sparingly. A 30g portion of cheese provides seven per cent of your daily calories and there can be more salt in a portion of cheddar than in a packet of crisps.

Can you eat too much cheese on a low-carb diet? ›

Overdoing it on meat and cheese has its own health risks and may lead to weight gain, as these foods contain a lot of calories (primarily from fat). Going low-carb isn't a license to eat as much of these foods as you want.

Is there a limit to how much cheese on keto? ›

The Bottom Line

Cheese is delicious and supports a healthy keto diet. To maintain ketosis and weight loss, limit yourself to 1-3 ounces of cheese per day. It's fantastic as a snack or ingredient in any recipe!

What is a single serving of cheese? ›

Starters should never leave your guests feeling full, so make sure not to serve too much. If you are serving cheese at a dinner party, we recommend 1-1.75 ounces per person.

How much is 3oz of cheese? ›

A careful eye will notice that in the first section, we outlined that 1 cup of grated hard cheese generally converts to 3 ounces, which also corresponds to a medium grate. If not otherwise stated, a medium grate on a standard box grater is a good default to use.

What are big mistakes on keto? ›

Not watching your carb intake - Sugar and refined carbs are in many foods. You should be aiming to eliminate these from your keto diet. “Try to keep your net carb content under 20 grams/day or total carbs under 30 grams,” Dr Riggs says. Keep close track of your sugar and carb intake by reading nutrition labels.

Is eating the cheese off pizza keto? ›

Folks who love cheese and pizza together will be relieved to know that there are many cheese types that go well with a keto diet. Here are some of the cheeses you can add to your pizza without feeling guilty: Mozzarella cheese (shredded or fresh) Pepper jack cheese.

Is 4 oz of cheese a day too much? ›

If your diet, in general, is very low in saturated fats and sodium, having two to three ounces of cheese a day may be safe,” says Supan. “If you're trying to eat healthy or have any heart concerns, I would try to stick to one ounce of high-quality cheese a day, or maybe even less than that a few times a week.”

How many slices of cheese is 1 oz? ›

Cheese, cheddar, 1 slice (1 oz) - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center.

What is a good portion of cheese? ›

Try not to consume more than three 30g portions each day. Choosing low fat and fat free cheese options is a great way to reduce our saturated fat consumption whilst still enjoying the flavour and benefiting from the protein and calcium cheese has to offer.

Can I eat cheese every day on keto? ›

Any type of cheese can be included on the keto diet, as long as total dietary carbohydrate intake remains low enough to keep the body in nutritional ketosis (using stored fat instead of carbohydrate to fuel the brain and body).

Do you count cheese on keto? ›

Keep in mind that while all cheese can be keto it's not all carb-free. The way you buy cheese can determine its keto value because the nutritional profile of cheese varies. Soft and semi-soft cheeses often have more lactose (carbs), while semi-hard and hard cheeses usually have less lactose and are better keto cheese.

Can you overeat on keto? ›

Eating too many calories

On a keto diet, this often occurs naturally, but not always. It is still possible to overeat while following a low-carb, high-fat diet. For example, half a cup of almonds contains more than 400 calories.

Will I stay in ketosis if I eat cheese? ›

Any type of cheese can be included on the keto diet, as long as total dietary carbohydrate intake remains low enough to keep the body in nutritional ketosis (using stored fat instead of carbohydrate to fuel the brain and body).

Can you eat as much meat and cheese as you want on keto? ›

Not really! If you're embarking on a ketogenic lifestyle, you should know that you actually can't eat a ton of meat on the keto diet. In fact, eating too much protein can kick you out of ketosis, so while meats are definitely okay in moderation on a keto diet, they shouldn't be its number one staple.

What is a portion of cheese on Weight Watchers? ›

Your fist is about the same size as one cup of fruit or pasta. Your thumb (tip to base) is the size of one ounce of meat or cheese. Your palm (minus fingers) equals three ounces of meat, fish, or poultry.

How many net carbs are in an ounce of cheese? ›

American cheese, processed (1 ounce) contains 1.4g total carbs, 1.4g net carbs, 8.7g fat, 5.1g protein, and 104 calories.

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