I’m Lactose Intolerant and Keto – FML

I am lactose intolerant. There I said it. The question is can you do keto when you’re lactose intolerant? I was never lactose intolerant when I started keto. In fact dairy played a large role in how I got my fats in.

So the question remains. How then Sarah-Jane? How exactly does one “become” lactose intolerant, and girl (or boy, or they/them I don’t want to assume) — If I knew, I’d tell you.

The Facts – How I Found Out I was Lactose Intolerant While Keto

1. I went without substantial dairy in my diet for about a year

• • This was coincidental and I wasn’t doing any form of study. Just eating normally. This condition puzzles me and if I said it wasn’t affecting my ability to keto I’d be lying. You want to know how hard it is to get your fat in when you can’t douse everything in cream sauce? Yeah, It’s kinda hard.

2. I found out in the beginning of the year.

• • So let’s talk about how I discovered I was intolerant in the first place. I was doing a keto restart after my carbfest during the holiday season and realized I was experience some serious discomfort (let’s just say I was runnin’ – to save us some time and words).

3. I still want to keto.

• • It’s when I feel and look my best, and summer is fast approaching and I need to snap back stat. This lovely winter weight needs to go.

If you know me, you know that I’m constantly experimenting with my diet, health and fitness. I went vegetarian for 40 days  once. When it comes to things of the body I won’t talk anybodies word for it, I’ll just do it myself and form my own opinions.

The thing is, I don’t like bodily discomfort. I am not the type of person who will say YOLO, eat the ice-cream (or in this case the fathead pizza) and then spend the next day doubled down in pain. It just doesn’t seem worth it to me. This leaves me with a problem. How can I keto when I can’t eat dairy? Here’s how I plan to tackle this problem while keto:

1. Get Majority of my Fat from Meat

   • This means lamb and steak are going to the top of the food chain for me. I can’t afford to be eating chicken breast and chicken thighs when I could be eating naturally fattier sources of meat like red meat.
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2. Start Cooking All my Vegetables in Fat

   • People often say that vegetables are just another medium of getting fat into your body, and in the past I thought it was theatrics, but this is becoming a reality for me. Now that I can’t just whip up a bunch of whip cream and eat it with a spoon to meet my fat macro. I’m going to have to start being more responsible and intentional about where my fat comes from.

3. Start using MCT Oil Powder

   • When I keto I usually keep it as clean and simple as possible. Fatty cuts of meat, veggies, salads, diet soda and that’s about it. I don’t usually use supplements or pills, I think it kind of defeats the purpose. Since I can’t get majority of my fat from dairy, I’ll be adding MCT oil powder in my drinks to make sure I stay full.

For full transparency, I’ll occasionally be eating aged cheddar cheese as a snack. I’ve done some research and apparently fresh cheeses (mozzarella and other soft cheeses) have more lactose than aged cheeses.  I won’t be eating entire bars of the thing but I thought it’s be important to mention y’know — for science.

I won’t look at this like a stumbling block. I’m going to use this as motivation. Can you do keto without eating dairy? Others may say no, but I say yes, and I won’t go down without a fight. I’ll see you in 90 days.