Alcohol on Keto.
The Keto diet is one of the most widely accepted and scientifically proven diets that promote losing weight efficiently and improving health.
The Keto diet is all about getting maximum calories from protein and fats and minimum to no calories from sugar or carbs, this means giving up on sweetened soft drinks and alcohol.
No doubt you can drink as much water as you wish on keto diet. But the question is
Can you drink alcohol on a Keto diet?
Well, there is some good news for our readers who like to savor on some hard drinks and are wondering how to couple their much-cherished drinks with a Keto diet. There are plenty of alcoholic beverages that are low on carbs and can be very well be enjoyed in moderation even while being on a Keto diet.
So in simple words, alcohol can be consumed during ketosis. However, some basic things should be kept in mind.
Drinking alcohol does not throw you out of ketosis but it impacts the rate of ketosis. It simply slows you down. The body produces ketones from alcohol and hence, the process of ketosis does not stop. Now you will have the question ” what is the catch with alcohol if it produces ketones?”
Well, guys the ethanol present in the alcohol is considered toxic by the body and it is excreted by the body as soon as possible.
hence, slowing down the rate of ketosis.
This article will give you an idea about what drinks to chose and what drinks to avoid while being on a Keto diet.
What alcohol can I drink on a Keto diet?
There are plenty of no to low carbohydrates containing alcoholic drinks like Rum, Whiskey, Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Wine and Light Beers to choose from whole being on a Keto diet.
Below is a table depicting the best alcoholic beverages to choose from while on a Keto diet according to the USDA Food Composition Databases
Type of alcohol
Rum
1.5 ounces (44 ml)
Carbs content 0 grams
Vodka
Serving size 1.5 ounces (44 ml)
Carbs content 0 grams
Gin
Serving size 1.5 ounces (44 ml)
Carbs content 0 grams
Tequila
Serving size 1.5 ounces (44 ml)
Carbs content 0 grams
Whiskey
Serving size 1.5 ounces (44 ml)
Carbs content 0 grams
Red wine
Serving size 5 ounces (148 ml)
Carbs content 3–4-gram s
White wine
Serving size 5 ounces (148 ml)
Carbs content 3–4 grams
Light beer
Serving size 12 ounces (355 ml)
Carbs content 3 grams.
As shown in the table above pure alcohol variants like whiskey, Vodka, Rum has no carbs in them. Wine and light beer do have a certain amount of carbs in them but it’s very negligible.
Other low carb soft drinks
Keto-friendly mixers are just as dangerous as alcohol for the keto practicers. Mixers such as juice, soda, sweeteners, syrups are full of carbs which are often used in cocktails.
One thing that should be kept in mind is that alcohol during keto gives you the worst hangovers. To avoid this a little amount of carb-rich food is advised to be taken earlier before having drinks. This, however, can cause problems for your ketosis.
The take-home message.
There are plenty of low carb-containing alcoholic drinks available to consume without compromising on the Keto diet.
It is ideal to stick to high alcohol-containing drinks like Gin, Rum, and Whiskey which contain no carbohydrates or low carbohydrates containing lighter variants like wine or light beer.
Irrespective of one’s diets it is better to keep alcohol consumption in check since excessive consumption of alcohol may lead to adverse effects on one’s health.
