In the carb-eating world, protein powders are big business. But in keto… things are a little bit different. Our team at Konscious Keto has some reliable information on how to include protein powders in your new lifestyle.
Rather than looking for a high-protein powder, you’re going to want to look for a lower protein, low-carb formula that meets your keto macros.
We’re not saying finding a keto friendly protein powder is hard, but we are saying there are a few things to look out for if you want to make the right impression.
Many companies are starting to make keto friendly protein powders without really putting in the time or effort.
They’re turning a quick buck by jogging around the macros on carb-heavy powders in the hopes of making something that will fly on Carb Manager, but really, is that what you want? A half-assed approach to keto? We didn’t think so.
If you are serious about your macros and love to eat clean keto (or wish you knew where to start), we have some great pointers on what ingredients to look out for in a keto friendly protein powder (both the good and the bad and the sweeteners).
Yes, there’s a whole minefield of things to look for when shopping for the ideal keto protein powder, but we’ve got your back!
We’ll also reveal what our favorite keto-friendly protein powder is and why we love this super versatile and tasty addition to our keto pantry.
Having this secret weapon on hand ensures you stay in ketosis and enjoy the food and snacks you bring into your home.
So kick back, relax, and know that your keto journey is about to get a whole lot more awesome just by being here.
What is Keto-Friendly Protein Powder?
Traditional protein powders often contain sugar, carbs, and other fillers. These are what give athletes energy.
If you eat an athlete-focused high-carb diet, these aren’t the worst things to eat, as you’ll be running them off pretty quickly, but in keto, you want to avoid carbs in most cases.
High-carb protein powders can cause inflammation, bloating, and weight gain and will kick you out of ketosis right away.
In keto, we rely on fat, so you want to look for a protein powder that has no added sugars or carbs, and instead relies on fat for fuel.
Fat is a fantastic fuel source and despite what you may have heard, will not make you fat.
Running on fat is called ketosis, and is what the keto diet is all about: in ketosis, you have more energy, more fat-burning fuels, and more control of your hormones.
The bonus to running on fat is that you can get into ketosis and you don’t need an elliptical or gym membership to shed fat, it just happens easily and naturally.
The keto diet sounds too good to be true, but you can read the science behind it over here in this in-depth article: it’s incredible!
The problem is that currently, keto protein powders are not widely known. That’s why we created our own. The ones on the market right now are just reimagined protein powders with too much protein and fewer carbs. Where's the fat?
They don’t tap into the magic of eating a high-fat ketogenic diet, and while they might be macro friendly, they’re not genuinely keto.
And for that reason, we created one that is, and we are very proud of it and hope you’ll love it as much as we do.
Why We Made a Keto Friendly Protein Powder
Now, we’ve started to touch on some of the reasons why we wanted to create a genuinely keto shake, but the main reason is we couldn’t find one that we endorsed 100%.
Keto Shake is unique because it’s the first keto-friendly protein powder with a moderate amount of protein, low carbs, and a high-fat profile.
It’s made with premium fats and oils, and we took no shortcuts in building the best-tasting keto shake available.
We love it so much we stand by it 100% and have a 30-day money back guarantee. Even if you send back an empty container, we’ll still give you your money back, that’s how much we are in love with this shake.
Let’s break it down into sections so you can see what you’re getting:
Fats
First and foremost, most people on keto don’t eat enough fat.
We use avocado oil and MCT oil, which are the best oils for fat-burning. This gives you the most bang for your buck. We only use non-heat treated, premium oils that are sustainably sourced.
Avocado oil gained prescription status in France, as it’s known for it’s proven ability to reduce inflammation and arthritis.
MCT oil is the superstar of the keto world and is a medium chain triglyceride, which merely means its absorbed quickly and gives you a quick boost.
This is just one of the many reasons to start stocking this oil alongside coconut oil in your cupboard, for both cooking as well as raw foods.
Avocado oil is produced from the fruit of the avocado tree. Avocado oil is pressed from the fleshy pulp surrounding the avocado pit, making it one of the few edible oils not derived from seed.
This pulp produces an oil full of healthy fats, including oleic acid and essential fatty acids.
Avocado oil can help:
- Reduce inflammation
- Alleviate arthritis symptoms
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce psoriasis
- Lower cholesterol
Eating a high-fat diet helps you to get into ketosis and naturally crushes your sugar cravings and helps you to feel fuller for longer. This means less intense cravings and no more feeling deprived like you’re on a calorie-restricted diet.
And fat is flavor. If anything, drinking high-fat shakes is like cheating the system because they taste so incredible and amazing it feels like cheating. You get to eat these desert-like drinks without the need to cut calories or go on a crazy low-fat diet.
Protein
Next up, protein. So this is where things get interesting. In other diets, you’re told to focus on getting more protein, but on keto, you can overeat.
Most women under 200 pounds will eat about 100g of protein per day. You can use a keto calculator to work out your specific macros.
As the name suggests, protein is usually the focus of nutrition goals. In a keto friendly protein powder, you want to find fat first. Then a moderate amount of protein, and of course, low carbs.
Protein comes in all types. We prefer to use a plant-based protein as these are less inflammatory and support the keto diet.
Typically, whey protein dominates on the protein powder science, but many people avoid whey on keto due to its inflammatory response.
At Konscious Keto, we love to use natural, vegan plant sources when possible as these are what your body loves to run on. Using vegan proteins is a great way to ease digestive issues and avoid inflammation.
Plus, they taste great and give your shakes and smoothies a nice light and sweet taste, which is exactly what we wanted.
Carbs
Finally, unlike other protein powders, Keto Shake is low-carb because it doesn’t depend on any sugars or glucose for energy. This is 100% fat-based fuel and designed with a ketogenic lifestyle in mind. We do not recommend drinking Keto Shake on a standard diet.
Carbs are a fantastic starting point when looking for keto protein powders, but there is so much else going on. Make sure to stay under 6g net carbs per serving. Anything over this is very high for a meal replacement.
Keto Shake only contains 2 net grams per serving, and we packed in a ton of nutrition into each shake so you can feel and look your best. Simply add one scoop to 6-10oz of water or nut milk for a deliciously, creamy keto milkshake.
Where else can you get such a low-calorie, low-carb blend of deliciousness in one place? You will be hard pushed, that’s for sure.
Keto Summary
When looking for a keto friendly protein powder, be sure to look at the label. Avoid fluffy fillers and other artificial junk.
Look for quality fat sources - is it high-fat? Is it healthy fats? Are you confident this is a natural product?
Consider if the product was designed for carb-eating people and modified for a quick sale.
In many cases, protein powders are usually secondary thoughts to most manufacturers. Are they people you can trust with your nutrition?
And finally, be cautious about what sweeteners people choose. We did a lot of testing and research to find the ultimate keto sweeteners.
Eating the wrong sweeteners can cause bloating, weight gain, and may even kick you out of ketosis. While they are low carb, they are not all created equal, and some are worse than regular sugar.
We only use monk fruit, which is the most natural and lowest GI sweetener ever. Most manufacturers will skip monk fruit as it’s not the cheapest option.
But if you are sensitive to sweeteners, and don’t want to miss out on the great flavor, we highly recommend looking for monk fruit.
Don't forget to read up on the benefits of choosing quality sweeteners on a keto diet here!
Keto Sources
- Angermann P.; Avocado/soybean unsaponifiables in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis, PubMed - NCBI. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16109242
- Appel LJ, Sacks FM, Carey VJ, et al. Effects of Protein, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate Intake on Blood Pressure and Serum Lipids: Results of the OmniHeart Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2005;294(19):2455–2464. doi:10.1001/jama.294.19.2455
