Is this cheese bad for keto? “Happy Farms” cheddar jack

(Ashley ) #1

Hello I just looked at the ingredients and seen they have corn starch and potato starch… will this throw me out of ketosis? I am a a beginner. Just completing my first week

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

What kind of ‘cheese’ contains corn starch and potato starch? Cheese is made from milk, cream and one or more assorted bacterial cultures. You still have to choose carefully and read labels, because lots of real cheeses contain plenty of carbs. Generally, aged and hard cheeses contain the fewest. There are multiple brands of aged/old cheddar that contain zero carbs.

(Ashley ) #3

It’s from Aldi market. Their “brand” I believe. It’s called “anti-caking” blend On the ingredients about the reasoning for corn and potato starch, not sure why they would use that or if it’s any cause of concern - it’s shredded. You’re right though - why would
It have anything else in it besides milk. Odd…

(Jane) #4

Starch is added to shredded cheese to keep it from sticking together.

Buy block cheese and grate your own as needed. Don’t pay for the convenience in carbs! Use them for something yummier.

#5

I am with Jane. Maybe a little starch don’t get you out of ketosis but why to spend your carbs on such useless things? Buy normal block cheese. But it’s up to you, of course. I spend some of my carbs on carby things sometimes and they worth it to me.

I personally am already so not used to starch that I am sensitive to the taste. I find shredded cheese with starch quite bad, I hate eating raw flour tasting stuff and that kind of cheese definitely has it to some extent (I often eat shredded cheese raw). So the decision is very easy for me despite I dislike grating anything.
I am lucky as I love harder cheese and those often have zero carbs. But a little carbier cheese is fine too. But starch? Nope, not that.

(Allie) #6

Cheese should have one ingredient only, not nasty fillers.

(Ellenor Bjornsdottir) #7

that doesn’t even leave room for the rennet wtf

(Diana) #8

Agreed. Never buy shredded cheese it always has filler. Buy the blocks and shred. I shred the whole block at a time and put it in a bag for use throughout the week. Same difference. Yes it may stick a tiny bit but nothing you can separate with your hands. Way healthier.

(Allie) #9

You can keep it frozen and shred as needed too.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

Just how much starch will be in the size portion you want to eat? If it is a significant chunk of your 20 g/day of carbohydrate, you may want to forgo using that brand. If it’s a very small amount, you may not have to worry too much. For example, if I want to eat 20 grams of cheese, and the starch amounted to 10 of those grams, then I’d probably not buy that brand, but if it amounted to only 1 g of starch per 20 g of cheese, then I probably wouldn’t worry. It all depends on the quantity per serving, and how realistic the serving size is, versus how much I’d really be using.

The starch is added to keep the shredded cheese from clumping. Your choices are to go with a commercially available brand that does not add starch, or to grate your own cheese. Either will work.

(Joey) #11

Yup, for sure - what @PaulL said above ^^^

A little corn starch tagging along for the ride and the convenience of being able to sprinkle some cheese on your delicious green salad is NOT going to knock you out of ketosis. Nor will it produce metabolic syndrome or other much-feared ailments arising from one’s diet.

It’s a perfectly good question. But take some of these replies as just well-intended (and over-zealous) dogma from the Carb Resistance. :wink:

#12

No, not really. Probably shredded I assume? Usually shredded cheese put those in so they don’t turn into a brick. Many will tell you to grate your own, that’s great and all but I know for me, I got better things to do when I’m flying around my kitchen making 6 things at once to pull out a cheese block and start grating. The reality is there’s not enough in there to matter, many will be very against anyways. Things like that are very opinionated.

#13

Yeah, it’s probably a minimal amount, I don’t know the numbers. I still hate starch in my cheese but a I wrote, it ruins the flavor for me.
I am usually against added sugar too and I don’t care if it’s tiny. Especially that sometimes zero tolerance (or very very very close to it) works better, makes things cleaner, easier. I was close to the IIFYM attitude and still have it to some extent but it’s common that we are just intolerant in something, don’t find it a good idea for some (not necessarily widely understandable) reason. It may be different for another person.
So it’s good to make our own decisions.
Grating some cheese is an insignificant amount of cooking/eating/kitchen work, I rarely need it, I can use the cheese I like and not what is available grated - and the flavor problem so it’s clear to me what to do but it’s my situation. Of course it’s not simple in general.

(Jane) #14

I grate my own not to avoid the starch since I am not that strict on maintenance but if a brick of cheese molds I can slice it off and keep using. If my bag of shredded cheese molds then I have to toss it.

Yeah, I know some here eat enough cheese it never molds LOL. But not me. YMMV

(Ashley ) #15

Thank you everyone for the helpful replies! I am new here and I appreciate this forum. :)))

(Bob M) #16

Shoot, we’re already in dairy. Talk about a subject that elicits strong opinions. (OK, maybe not as strong as CICO…:wink:.)