Hey guys, welcome to yet another exciting and informative article on keto. In a bit, you’ll get to learn a whole lot of things about keto alcohol.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
There are a lot of misconceptions as to whether alcohol is ketogenic, I have had a couple of my friends ask me, can you drink wine on keto? Can you drink alcohol on keto? What alcohol can you drink on keto? And a lot more questions, so, this is me trying to fuse all the answers in one big article.
Don’t be scared, I won’t bore you with long talk or gibberish. After reading this, you will be well informed about keto alcoholic drinks.
Is there even such a thing as low carb alcohol? Can it affect your progress in any way? Uhm, first off, being on a ketogenic diet isn’t a death sentence, I understand that they are times when we’d get alcohol tasty and crave for a sip at least.
The good news is, drinking alcohol on keto is totally fine. The bad news is, you might not be able to drink to stupor.
Moderation is key here.
They are a lot of keto friendly alcohol drinks that can be taken on moderation and won’t pose a threat to your keto progress.
How about keto cocktails? There are okay to take too, as I said earlier, moderation is key. I might just go ahead to list some amazing low carb vodka drinks or low carb cocktails to order at a bar.
Does Alcohol Affect Ketosis?
Unless the alcoholic drink you are taking contains sugar, the answer is NO! Alcohol doesn’t stop ketosis. Alcohol isn’t sugar, sugar is basically what can stop your ketosis immediately.
But there’s something else worthy of note. Alcohol un-prioritizes the use of fat to create ketones.
Sounds confusing? I’ll break it down.
Whenever we are on a keto diet, the body automatically burns fat and produces “ketones”.
Now, whenever you take alcohol while on a keto diet, your body will treat the alcohol as poison, and then your body goes into defense mode by trying to metabolize it. When this happens, your body will stop the breaking down of fat and sugar so as to break down the alcohol. This then gives room for the storage of any excess sugar or fat, it is then as glycogen in your liver, and also body fat.
Keto Lowers Alcohol Tolerance And Here’s why
People tend to become drunk quicker while on keto than when not. It’s the liver’s fault guys, trust me, it is.
Basically, the human liver has a lot of great functions, but the ones that are related to alcohol and keto are;
- Processing of alcohol by detoxifying and purifying blood.
- The storing of glycogen (extra glucose) and it’s release.
The liver stores a lot of glycogen whenever we eat diest that have high carb content. Alcohol metabolism is slowed down when the liver is doing its business of storing and releasing glycogen.
Whenever you are on a ketogenic diet, your liver will store a very small amount of glycogen, and of course, this will make the alcohol absorbed quicker. When this happens, alcohol will get into your bloodstream faster and this lowers alcohol tolerance.
What Is The Best Alcohol For Keto
Looking for the right keto liquor? I got you, trust me.
Check out the table below.
| Alcohol | Type |
| Hard Liquor | Brandy, tequila, whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and just about any kind that has 0 carbs. |
| Beer | Go for light beers only and if you must take your favorite brand, make sure the carb count is low. |
| Dry Wine | Dry rose wine, dry sparkling wine, Dry white wine, and others. |
Alcohol Drinks You Need To Stay Away From
Don’t get too excited and drink all the alcohol you can lay your hands on without reading this article to the end. If you ever heard someone said they had keto mixed drinks, don’t trust them, they might be doing the wrong thing.
- Some mixed drinks might be keto friendly, but mixed drinks that fall under vermouth, sweet and sour mix, agave, simple syrup, and margarita mix category are the ones you should run 1000 miles away from.
- Also, stay away from drinks that have soda and juice. (cola, cranberry juice, orange juice, and the likes.)
- Sangrias, great wine but they have added sugar.
- Liqueurs.
- Sweet wines.
- Wine coolers.
Is Drinking Beer On Keto Okay?
If you asked this question, then you must really have a serious love for beer. I am sorry to say you can’t.
Just kidding, you can but make sure you do on moderation. There are actually carbs in beer. if I were to give a piece of honest advice, I’d tell you to stay off beer. If you must, make sure you take light beer and check the carb count before drinking it.
Check out this table below, so, you know what you’re up against.
| Beer | Calories(Kcal) | Carbs(grams) |
| Bud select 55 | 55 | 1.80 |
| Bud select | 99 | 3.09 |
| Becks | 64 | 3.20 |
| Bud light | 103 | 4.60 |
| Bud light Platinium | 137 | 4.40 |
| Coors light | 102 | 5 |
| Corona light | 99 | 5 |
| Keystone light | 101 | 4.70 |
| Michelob ultra | 95 | 2.60 |
| Busch light | 95 | 3.20 |
Is Drinking Wine Okay On Keto?
Yes, it is okay to have some wine on keto, however, do so on moderation and drink dry wine, not sweet wines.
Below is a list of some wines with their calorie and carb count.
| Wine | Calories(Kcal) | Carbs (grams) |
| Chardonnay | 122 | 3.4 |
| Champagne | 125 | 4 |
| Cava | 128 | 2.5 |
| Dry sparkling wine | 125 | 4 |
| Merlot | 123 | 3.7 |
| Syrah | 123 | 3.8 |
Reasons To Stay Off Alcohol
- Alcohol has a negative impact on self-control.
- Alcohol can affect weight loss.
- It contains a lot of calories.
- Alcohol increases the urge to eat.
- Hangovers.
Best Way To Have Alcohol While On Keto
- Drink a lot of water alongside the keto alcohol.
- Go for low carb alcoholic drinks.
- Drink on moderation.
Final Words
If you ask me, I’d tell you to stay true to your ketogenic diet and resist the urge or craving to drink alcohol while on a ketogenic diet. But then, my husband struggles with this, so, I know it isn’t easy to stay without alcohol, but it is possible!
If you must take alcohol, make sure it is keto diet alcohol and you are drinking it moderately.
