Can you eat ice cream on a keto diet? Actually YES you can. I’m talking the real stuff, made with sugar. You don’t have to buy over-priced keto ice cream with an icky protein powder aftertaste or questionable artificial sweetener ingredients. You don’t need to spend hours making homemade keto ice cream (and buy an ice cream maker, a butter churn, or other odd equipment). You get to choose exactly what you eat on a keto diet and you never have to ask anyone’s permission. Lest you think I’m promoting Breyer’s mint chip ice cream on keto, I’m not. I AM promoting wise decisions that make both your brain and your body happy.

Can you eat ice cream on a keto diet? Actually YES you can. You don’t have to buy over-priced keto ice cream with an icky protein powder aftertaste or questionable artificial sweetener ingredients. You can choose exactly what to eat and don't need a…

Can I Eat Ice Cream On a Keto Diet?? And other insanely wrong questions to google.

Today I was sitting at the kitchen table, watching my dog scratch his bum on the rug, and enjoying a toddler-sized bowl of Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Since my dog inspires strange thoughts I suddenly wondered what “the keto experts” would say about me, a mostly keto eater, currently noshing on a bowl of ice cream.

So I googled: "Can I eat ice cream on a keto diet?" Just for sh*ts and giggles, mind you.

The top response, from Wholesome Yum states, and I quote:

"You can't eat regular ice cream on keto, but you can eat keto ice cream!"

I immediately dropped my spoon in indignation, causing the dog to briefly pause his butt-rubbing and look at me curiously.

I call bullshit.

Here's the deal... you can eat ANYTHING you want on a keto diet.

You can eat real ice cream on keto. You know the good stuff, made with cream and real sugar.

You don't have to spend hours searching for keto ice cream recipes on Pinterest, spend $50 on an ice cream machine you'll only use once, or spend your precious time creating some icy concoction that tastes sorta-kinda-maybe like ice cream if you look at it sideways and squint.

You don't have to buy or make ice cream with artificial sweeteners or odd tasting protein powders to “be keto.”

You can eat ice cream (or a cookie, or tortilla chips) and be legit keto.

Can I eat ice cream on a keto diet? And other insanely wrong questions to google.

You don't have to ask Google or ask anyone's permission what you can eat on your keto diet.

To be clear I am not talking about “is ice cream keto?” or “how many carbs are in Barefoot Red Moscato?” We definitely want to know how many carbs foods have when you’re on a keto diet.

I’m talking about the idea you need PERMISSION to eat a food. The idea that a certain food is taboo and if you eat it your keto card will be revoked. Or that you should feel guilty for “cheating” on your keto diet.

I could give you keto ice cream recipes or links to low carb frozen treats, but what I really want to give you is a zillion times more valuable. That is a reminder that YOU are the only one in charge of what you eat. And you never, ever have to ask anyone’s permission.

Maybe I get my keto knickers in a knot because I am DONE with diet rules and diet mentality and feeling guilty over eating a handful of fries with my bun-less cheeseburger because someone thinks it’s “not keto.”

I love eating keto, but I don't love anyone telling me what I can and can't eat.

There is one exception, and that is if your doctor tells you to never eat ice cream, or go over a certain number of carb grams, obviously listen to him or her. The rest of us have total freedom to eat whatever we want.

If I could give you a carb-free gift wrapped up in a pretty pink bow it would be this.... learn to think critically and do what is best for you and your body.

A sneak peek at the facts about keto and regular ice cream…

It’s really interesting when you take all the emotional drama about eating ice cream on a keto diet and just look at the facts. Let’s compare some nutritional information, shall we?

Armed with actual facts you can make a decision that feels good for YOU.

Breyer’s “real” ice cream has 14 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup serving.

A half-cup serving of my very favorite ice cream, Breyer's Mint Chocolate chip, has 150 calories and 14 grams of carbs.

Also a fact, 14 grams of carbs will not throw you out of ketosis unless you're eating a lot of other foods higher in carbs on a particular day.

Haagen-Dazs Mint Chip Ice Cream has a much higher carb count (25 grams) per half-cup serving, just as a comparison.

One vanilla keto ice cream recipe has 3 grams net carbs per 1/2 cup serving.

I am using the recipe from Wholesome Yum that sparked this whole blog post and you can find it here: Keto Ice Cream Recipe It is a vanilla keto ice cream made with cream, butter, erithrytol, vanilla extract, and MCT oil. A half-cup serving has 347 calories and 3 grams net carbs.

Just for fun I found a low carb mint chip ice cream recipe from Simply So Healthy for comparison. A half-cup serving has 255 calories, 6 grams carbs (3 grams net carbs).

There are tons of keto ice cream recipes on the web so, if making ice cream is your thing, you can likely find plenty of low carb recipes. Point is, carb counts will vary according to the recipe.

Keto Pint Brand mint chip ice cream has 9 grams net carbs per 1/2 cup serving.

I was a little flabbergasted when I checked out Keto Pint brand mint chip ice cream. It has 150 calories and 9 net grams of carbs (11 grams carbs total) for a half-cup serving. For me personally, I’ll take a few extra carbs and go with the real Breyer’s. It tastes better and is also way cheaper.

Halo Top, which many keto eaters enjoy, also has a mint chip ice cream. It has 14 grams total carbs per half-cup serving (11 grams net carbs). I have tried to like Halo Top but I can’t get past its protein powder aftertaste. So I’ll again stick to the real stuff.

These are just a few examples of “real”, keto homemade, and low carb purchased ice cream. If you like ice cream, just look at the facts and make a decision that is best for YOU. Or hell, don’t eat the ice cream if you don’t want to. YOU have all the power.

“I could give you keto ice cream recipes or links to low carb frozen treats, but what I really want to give you is a zillion times more valuable. That is a reminder that YOU are the only one in charge of what you eat. And you never, ever have to ask anyone’s permission.”

— The Keto Minimalist

The point of my rant is not to encourage you to eat ice cream on a keto diet, but to encourage you to THINK FOR YOURSELF.

I don't want you to think I'm constantly eating ice cream or bread or mashed potatoes and gravy, because I'm not. When I eat high carb foods then the dreaded carb cravings come back. So I try to be smart about my choices.

But I 100% give myself permission to eat ice cream or high carb foods if I really, really want them.

Here are a few strategies to deal with high carb foods like ice cream or chips or cookies on your keto diet:

Know the rules of keto and learn how your body reacts to certain foods and to the amount of carbs you eat every day.

How many carbs can you eat each day and still stay in ketosis? Do you know?

If you do, you can always budget in higher carb treats.

Pay attention to how foods feel in your body too. When I eat bread or gluten I get horrible heartburn. So even if I can budget in a slice of my favorite Chile Cheese Sourdough bread, I try to really, really limit those times.

Do you need a little help understanding the basics of keto? I took an awesome online course called Happy Keto Body to teach me HOW to adapt keto in a way that best serves me. You can check it out here: Happy Keto Body

Don’t be afraid to experiment with foods that are not considered “keto.”

If you want ice cream, eat a little. See how your body responds.

If you eat a small serving did you stay in ketosis?
Did you really, truly enjoy the ice cream?
Did it make you want to eat MORE ice cream or was it a nice, one-time treat?

Be honest with yourself (and make smart choices most of the time).

If you find yourself eating the entire container in one sitting while watching a "Love It or List It" marathon on HGTV maybe you should lay off ice cream for awhile and try again later.

Here's a secret.... if you're a person who overeats real ice cream, you're just as likely to overeat artificially sweetened "keto" ice cream. (This study found that "artificial sweeteners, precisely because they are sweet, encourage sugar craving and sugar dependence." ) So “keto ice cream” is probably not a good idea if you have trouble controlling yourself around sweets.

Listen to your body. And also let your ketone strips be a guide if you want to stay in ketosis.

It’s always, always, always YOUR choice what to eat or what not to eat.

Here’s the deal… If you find yourself asking "can I eat insert-your-food-of-choice on keto?" don't run to Google or Pinterest or Reddit. Answer that question for yourself. And the answer is always YES — if you want it to be.

Be a grown ass adult (or a Keto Minimalist like me!) and decide what you really want to do and then own that decision and learn from it.

It's really that simple.

—The Keto Minimalist

I'd love to hear your take on this notion so chat with me in the comments.... Do you eat ice cream? Do you google "can I eat SOMETHING" before you have it? Do you feel guilty when you eat something not on your keto plan?

Struggling with keto?

If you are not losing weight, or can't shake the keto flu, or are not getting the results you want, it might be time for a reset. To take the time to really LEARN not just what foods are keto (we all know bacon and avocados are keto foods), but how to choose foods that work best for you.

If you want to go back to the basics I highly recommend Happy Keto Body. It's a 12 week online course that you can take at your own pace to learn about keto and customize an eating plan that suits your tastes and your health issues. No crazy ass "must do this" rules. No restricting carbs to 20g a day. No jumping into intermittent fasting if you don't want to. It's all about healing your body and eating for good health.

You can check out the The Happy Keto Body program here: Happy Keto Body

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