ratio: KETO Yogurt and ratio: PROTEIN Review

Ratio: KETO yogurt has been one of the most popular low-carbohydrate yogurts to hit the market in the last few years. Many of my patients of all ages enjoy ratio: KETO yogurt as part of their classical ketogenic, modified ketogenic, and modified Atkins diets. Despite rave reviews, I had never tried ratio: KETO yogurt myself until now.

For this review, I bought ratio: KETO yogurt in vanilla and ratio: PROTEIN, their newer product line, in vanilla and coconut flavors. Click here to check out the ratio: official page and other products.

ratio: KETO Yogurt

& ratio: PROTEIN Nutritional Facts

Ratio: KETO yogurt is a great product option for anyone on a medically prescribed low-carbohydrate diet because it has a decent amount of added fat (15g/serving from milk fat and avocado oil) and a good amount of quality protein (15g/serving) while providing only 3g net carbs as compared to the average plain Greek yogurt. Though it’s not listed on the nutrition facts label, ratio: KETO yogurt contains sucralose (more on that later.

Ratio: PROTEIN is a newer product and features many of the same flavors as ratio: KETO yogurt, but ratio: PROTEIN is 10g higher in protein (25g). All ratio: PROTEIN yogurt-like snacks contain <3g total carbohydrates, and <1g sugar alcohols. I found the low sugar alcohol content refreshing because too much low-carb sweetener can upset some folks’ stomachs.

Pros

I love that all ratio: PROTEIN and ratio: KETO yogurt flavors have the same nutrition facts, so with one recipe you can switch out any flavor using these products. Other pros include quality protein content, even more so in ratio: PROTEIN than in ratio: KETO yogurt. Also, the low artificial sweetener content is a definite pro, as some (myself included) may experience farting, cramping, or even diarrhea after eating foods that contain a lot of sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners. More on the sweeteners in ratio: PROTEIN and ratio: KETO yogurt in a hot minute.

Cons

Only cons include the need to add a lot of fat to make both high-fat, low-carb, especially for ratio: PROTEIN, which is low in fat. Another small con is that ratio: PROTEIN is technically not yogurt, while ratio: KETO is yogurt. Ratio: PROTEIN does not contain any live cultures like ratio: KETO yogurt does (L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus here), which is required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a product to be legally called yogurt. This matters because ratio: PROTEIN does not provide the health benefits of eating a probiotic live active culture (read: yogurt and related live culture products) that can be used in low-carb, high-fat diets where products such as Lifeway Plain Kefir, Chobani Triple Zero, or Two Good yogurts do.

ratio: KETO & ratio: PROTEIN Low-Carb Sweetener Deets

The two low-carb sweeteners in ratio: PROTEIN are erythritol and sucralose, whereas ratio: KETO yogurt contains only sucralose. Sucralose is a synthetic artificial sweetener known for its high intensity sweetness.¹ Contrary to popular belief, sucralose does not disrupt a healthy gut microbiome.^1,2,3 

In my practice as an experienced ketogenic dietitian, eating a lot of sucralose may lower ketosis. The amount of sucralose contained in keto: PROTEIN is low and is therefore less likely to throw ketosis much. The use of low-carb sweeteners should be like the use of sugar on a regular diet- To be used as a treat and/or to make a healthy food tastier.

Erythritol is a fabulous low-carb sweetener option for people on the ketogenic diet because less carbs are absorbed from it as compared to many other artificial sweeteners (0.2 kcal/g).⁴ Another reason why I think erythritol is great is that it tastes less artificial to me than many other low-carb sweeteners (it’s naturally present in some fruits), and it has less of an aftertaste as compared to many other low-carb sweeteners.

Flavor Review

All three flavors taste great! I was very pleasantly surprised by how little I noticed the taste of the artificial sweeteners. This may be because the sweetness comes from a combination of erythritol and sucralose in ratio: PROTEIN, and because of the higher fat content in ratio: KETO yogurt. ratio: KETO tastes creamier and has a thicker texture than ratio: PROTEIN.

Recipe Building Tips

Due to its high protein content and low fat content, Ratio: PROTEIN needs a fat to make it a good ketogenic or related diet meal or even snack option, and for many on the classical and modified ratio keto diets, you will need to add more fat, too. I built a few sample recipes for you that are a 2:1 ketogenic diet ratio using ratio: PROTEIN. See pic below for Sample Recipe One.

Sample Recipe 1

One recipe combo features ½ tub (75g) ratio: PROTEIN (any flavor), 62g unsweetened whipped heavy cream, 10g roasted almonds, 5g Dang Coconut Chips for some crunch, and 14g grapeseed oil to add some unsaturated fat to the mix. I prefer to take the oil as a shot so as not to mess with the yogurt-like texture of the ratio: PROTEIN, but it could be mixed in if you don’t mind the texture becoming a bit more liquidy.

Sample Recipe 2

For a simpler recipe, 60g whipped 36% cream + 60g 36% heavy liquid cream served on the side (add to coffee, serve alone, or watered down to achieve a more milk-like feeling).

Other recipe ideas include baking a keto yogurt custard using ratio: PROTEIN on a zero-carb bread (this would require a lot of fat to maintain a ketogenic diet ratio) but would be very tasty and easy-to-do for a modified Atkins diet meal.

ratio: KETO vs. ratio: PROTEIN- Which is Superior?

Each product has different benefits for those on a medically prescribed low-carbohydrate diet. Both product lines have the same nutrition profile no matter which flavor you choose, which means one recipe can be used with different flavor switch outs for taste variety. Ratio: KETO yogurt has a higher fat content and lower protein content as compared to ratio: PROTEIN.

Ratio: KETO yogurt is more useful for those on a lower calorie ketogenic diet, whereas ratio: PROTEIN is great for those on a higher calorie ketogenic diet, modified Atkins diet, or for those with high protein needs. Also, ratio: PROTEIN can be helpful for those who are physically active (and thus have higher calorie needs). Ratio: KETO yogurt contains lower total carbohydrates (2g) as compared to ratio: PROTEIN (8g).

Finally, for those interested in gaining the probiotic benefits a yogurt product provides, ratio: KETO yogurt contains live cultures and is a yogurt, while ratio: PROTEIN does not, which is why it is labeled “a dairy snack” rather than a yogurt.

Summary

1. ratio: PROTEIN is a great option to meet protein needs as a stand-alone with a fat added to it.
2. ratio: KETO yogurt is superior for a lower-calorie option.
3. Temper total daily low-carb sweetener intake while on low carbohydrate diets for best results and pay attention to when there may be a relation between lowered ketosis and eating products with low carb sweeteners.

References

1.      Manguson, BA; Roberts, A; and Nestmann ER. Critical review of the current literature on the safety of sucralose. Food and Chem. Toxicol. 106(2017): 324-355.

2.      Brusick, D; et al. The absence of genotoxicity of sucralose. Food Chem. Toxicol. 48: 3067-3072.

3.      Ahmad SY, Friel J, Mackay D. The Effects of Non-Nutritive Artificial Sweeteners, Aspartame and Sucralose, on the Gut Microbiome in Healthy Adults: Secondary Outcomes of a Randomized Double-Blinded Crossover Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2020; 12(11):3408. 

4.      Regnat, K; Mach, RL; Mach-Aigner, AR. Erythritol as a sweetener- wherefrom and whereto? Applied microbiology and biotechnology. (2018) 102: 587-595.