You can't have dairy but you can eat butter—sort of
By Maxine Builder and Maxine Builder Updated February 13, 2018
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
EC: How to Eat Butter When You're Doing Whole30
Credit: Photo by vm2002 via Getty Images
If you're looking to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your everyday diet, trying Whole30 actually makes a lot of sense. The program focuses on incorporating more fresh, whole foods like vegetables and fruits into your diet, and eliminating processed sugar, carbs, and dairy. Yes, all dairy, which means regular old butter is off-limits when you're doing Whole30. But that doesn't mean you can't eat any butter when you're doing Whole30 or that you should start looking for some butter substitute. According to the program rules, the best—and only—way to eat butter when you're doing Whole30 is to eat clarified butter or ghee.
At this point, you might be wondering what is clarified butter. "Clarifiedbutter is butter whose water and milk solids have been removed, leaving essentially pure milk fat," writes Harold McGee in his book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. In the most simple terms, it's butter without particles like lactose or dairy protein, leaving just the actual fat. The way you make clarified butter is by essentially simmering butter so that whey proteins drift to the top and casein proteins sink to the bottom; you then skim off the whey and strain out the casein, leaving you with the pure butter fat. It has a slightly different texture and also a much higher smoke point, but still has the taste of butter, albeit more intense.
Ghee, a type of clarified butter that has roots in South Asian cooking, is also Whole30-approved for the same reason. The difference between ghee and clarified butter basically comes down to cooking time, and the longer cooking time of ghee causes this type of clarified butter to have a sweeter taste.
The reason clarified butter or ghee are allowed when you're doing Whole30 is exactly because of the removal of the proteins. As Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, the founders of Whole30, explain,the milk solids are the problem with conventional butter, not the fat. They write in The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, the "carbohydrate portion of milk (lactose) together with the milk proteins," also known as casein, "produce a surprisingly high insulin response, which could be inflammatory in our bodies and further promotes disorders like obesity and diabetes." Casein has also been "associated with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis," they continue.
The goal of cutting out dairy, and butter, when you're doing Whole30, is to reduce that internal inflammation. If you are going to make clarified butter at home, the Whole30 experts recommend using "pastured organic butter when making your own clarified butter or ghee." And honestly, given how good clarified butter tastes, especially when you're frying foods, you may want to consider making the swap even if you're not doing Whole30.
By Maxine Builder and Maxine Builder
FAQs
According to the program rules, the best—and only—way to eat butter when you're doing Whole30 is to eat clarified butter or ghee.
Can you eat butter on Whole30? ›
Clarified butter and ghee are the only sources of dairy allowed during your Whole30, as they've had their milk solids rendered out. Plain old butter is not allowed, as its milk proteins could impact the results of your program.
What happens if I cheat on Whole30? ›
Since the Whole30 diet is more of a food challenge than a long-term change, there are some hurdles. The Whole30 diet has strict rules. The overall goal is to restrict your eating. So, if you “cheat” on a day of your challenge, they recommend you start again from day one.
Can you have grass-fed butter on Whole30? ›
On the Whole30 and Bulletproof diets, you specifically avoid all grains, soy, legumes, alcohol, sugar, and most dairy. Whole30 allows ghee only, while Bulletproof allows grass-fed butter and ghee. Another notable exception: All sweeteners are blacklisted on the Whole30 while some can be eaten on Bulletproof.
Can you have butter on a whole food diet? ›
Dairy is considered a whole food if it's full-fat or whole-milk dairy with no added sugars and minimal processing. Whole milk, whole milk yogurt, and real butter (80% butterfat or higher) are considered whole food dairy products. Eggs fall into the category of whole foods.
How to clarify butter Whole30? ›
The way you make clarified butter is by essentially simmering butter so that whey proteins drift to the top and casein proteins sink to the bottom; you then skim off the whey and strain out the casein, leaving you with the pure butter fat.
Can you eat a whole block of butter? ›
Most likely nothing will happen, except risking an upset stomach, heartburn indigestion. The real risk is repeated intake, and at just over 800 calories for an average stick of butter, it will not take very long to start putting weight on.
Do you actually lose weight on Whole30? ›
Many individuals have reported successful weight loss outcomes while following the Whole30 guidelines. One key aspect of the Whole30 program is the elimination of processed foods and added sugars. By removing these from your diet, you are reducing your intake of “empty calories” and highly processed ingredients.
What is the one bite rule on Whole30? ›
Here's the rule in a nutshell: If you think your less healthy treat is going to be so delicious, so incredible, so worth it, and then you take your first bite and discover it's not… STOP EATING.
What is the 90 10 cheat meal rule? ›
While a good diet is crucial for health, bending the rules on occasion probably won't hurt. A tip you can try is the 90-10 rule. "Eat a healthy diet 90% of the time and splurge 10% of the time," McManus says. "Eating three meals a day for a week means 21 total meals: avoid splurging for more than two of those meals."
On the Whole30 diet, you can't have: dairy (say good-bye to cheese), legumes (so no beans, pea, chickpeas, lentils peanuts or peanut butter, soy sauce, tofu, and anything else soy-related), grains (wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, and even gluten-free grains like quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth), added sugars (from ...
Are pickles Whole30? ›
Yes, both pickles and bananas are allowed on Whole30. Yet if they are a potential trigger food for you (for instance, the sweetness of bananas sets off a craving for other treats or makes you want to binge on the fruit), then you may consider including them on your “don't eat” list.
Is canned tuna a whole food? ›
Processed foods: When ingredients such as oil, sugar or salt are added to foods and they are packaged, the result is processed foods. Examples are simple bread, cheese, tofu, and canned tuna or beans. These foods have been altered, but not in a way that's detrimental to health.
What is the food code for butter? ›
First quality butter is butter which scores not less than 92. The minimum requirements for first quality butter are as follows: (a) It shall be fresh, sweet and clean in flavor if of fresh make, or sweet and clean if storage. (b) The body shall be firm.
What butter is best for diet? ›
Grass-fed butter offers some health benefits to counteract the health risks it poses. It appears to have lower levels of saturated fats and more unsaturated fats than standard butter. This is because grass-fed butter is made from the milk of cows that are allowed to graze instead of being fed high-grain diets.
Is popcorn approved on Whole30? ›
IS POPCORN WHOLE30? No — popcorn is made from a whole grain (dried corn AKA popcorn kernels), and grains are eliminated on the Whole30 diet.
Is cheese OK on Whole30? ›
On the Whole30 diet, you can't have: dairy (say good-bye to cheese), legumes (so no beans, pea, chickpeas, lentils peanuts or peanut butter, soy sauce, tofu, and anything else soy-related), grains (wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, and even gluten-free grains like quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth), added sugars (from ...
What condiments can you have on Whole30? ›
Store-bought yellow mustard, hot sauce and vinegar are normally free of all sweeteners and are thus fair game on Whole30. Not all condiments are created equal though, so it's important to continue checking your labels.
