Keto acceptable alcohol or not?
While it is obvious that sweet mixed drinks and beer are full of sugar and carbohydrates that can immediately get you out of ketosis, pure liquor and dry wine can also cause problems with the ketogenic diet in some people. Keto acceptable alcohol or not?
When we talk about drinking alcohol during the keto diet, we need to take into account the processes that take place in our body to metabolize alcohol, and how that can disturb our bodies in ketosis.
Your health and body are unique, so it is important to understand that even if you drink a low-carbohydrate alcoholic drink, your reaction may differ from that of your counterpart. Therefore, listen to your body and act accordingly.
Alcohol has about 7 calories per gram, so it is sometimes classified as the fourth macronutrient. But unlike carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, it is not essential. You don’t need him to survive.
With the keto diet, your body uses fat to generate energy instead of carbohydrates. In the absence of carbohydrates, your liver turns fat into energy molecules called “ketones”. When you drink alcohol, your body starts to metabolize the alcohol — that is, it reduces it.
The thing is, when you live keto, your liver focuses on metabolized alcohol instead of fat. As long as all the alcohol has not been processed, your body cannot produce ketones from fat. This slows down the fat-burning process and may slow down your weight loss goals.
The quintessence: If you are a very occasional spirit drinker, alcohol will probably not let your Keto lifestyle derail. But if you find yourself drinking carbohydrate-rich drinks frequently during the week or every weekend, it could slow down the fat burning you want to achieve with Keto.
What are the best and worst alcoholic beverages in a keto diet?
First of all, the obvious: Alcohol does not help with weight loss. The more alcohol you drink, the more difficult it is to lose weight, as the body tends to burn alcohol especially others.
In addition, alcohol consumption can also cause you to eat more.
However, there is a big difference between the different alcohols when it comes to how many carbohydrates they contain. Some are fine, others are a catastrophe.
The short version: Wine contains much fewer carbohydrates than beer, so most keto followers choose wine.
Pure spirits such as whiskey and vodka contain zero carbohydrates. Watch out for sweet mixed drinks — they can contain large amounts of sugar.
WINE
Even with a keto diet (less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day), you can probably drink a glass of wine more or less regularly. And with a moderate low-carb diet, wine is no problem.
- Dry wines usually contain less than 0.5 grams of sugar per glass.
- Fermentation by-products in wine, such as glycerol, should have a minimal influence on blood sugar or insulin levels.
- The estimate of 2 grams of carbohydrates per glass of dry wine is very conservative. Fortunately, all dry wines fit well into a keto diet.
- Sweet dessert wines, however, contain much more sugar.
BEER
Beer is a problem with keto diet. There’s a reason people talk about beer bellies. Beer is made from grain that supplies a lot of quickly digestible carbohydrates. It is sometimes referred to as “liquid bread.”
- For this reason, most beers (about 13 grams of carbohydrates per 500 ml) are bad for weight control and should be avoided with keto.
- Note that the amount of carbohydrates in beer varies depending on the brand. There are a few possible low carbohydrate options for keto diet
SPIRIT DRINKS
When it comes to spirits, it’s pretty simple: Pure spirits such as whiskey, brandy, cognac, vodka, gin and tequila do not contain carbohydrates and are all fine in the keto diet.
But avoid sugar-sweetened drinks. Do not add juices, soft drinks or sweet flavorings in spirits. Adding the carbohydrate-free gin tonic increases the number of carbohydrates to 16 grams per serving! Instead, take vodka, soda water, and a splash of lime for a refreshing carbohydrate-free drink.
The worst of all options is to mix alcohol with lemonade or juice. It’s a sugar bomb!
THE TOP 5 KETO ALCOHOLICS
With a keto diet, you can still enjoy one or two delicious alcoholic drinks on special occasions. Although many alcoholic beverages contain a lot of sugar, there are still some great keto options, with little or no sugar or carbohydrates.
Here is our list of the 5 best alcoholic keto drinks:
- Champagne or sparkling wine (extra dry or brut): a glass contains about 2 grams of net carbohydrates.
- Dry wine, red or white: A glass contains about 2 grams of net carbohydrates.
- Vodka, club soda, and lemon or lime: a long drink contains 0 grams of carbohydrates.
- Whiskey: one drink contains 0 g of carbohydrates.
- Dry Martini: a cocktail contains 0 g of carbohydrates.
With a keto diet, some people are intoxicated by significantly less alcohol! So be careful when drinking Keto alcohol for the first time and note the following points:
- Alcohol still counts as calories and will slow down fat loss. Alcohol is primarily burned by the body.
- Tolerability. Most people on a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diet have much less tolerance to alcohol than usual. Be careful with consumption.
- Many people feel an increased feeling of hunger when they drink — this can lead to poor choices (eating of carbohydrate-rich foods) or simply excessive consumption in general.
- Since Keto is a natural diuretic, you have to pay attention to how much water you drink next to the alcohol. Try to drink 1 glass per alcoholic drink and additional water before bedtime.
- Added sugar. Blenders, liqueurs and many alcohols contain some kind of flavoring or added sugar. While many providers publish nutrition information, try to be prepared and research the nutritional values in advance.
Be very careful about anything where sensory impairment could increase the risk of accidents or injuries. Never drink and drive and always take care of you and your fellow human beings!
Note: If you are on a ketogenic diet for weight loss, consider avoiding alcohol altogether. While you can consume low-carbohydrate alcohol and remain in ketosis, the body prefers to burn ethyl over all other nutrients consumed. In other words: Alcohol slows down the fat loss process because a lower amount of free fatty acids is converted into ketones.
In addition, alcohol has an effect on hormone levels associated with belly fat and weight loss — so if you are a strong drinker, you can expect a very slow or no weight loss. There is also a condition called alcohol ketoacidosis that can be fatal. It usually occurs in people who have not taken food for a longer period of time and who drink large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. This can lead to dangerous levels of ketone in the blood, which can lead to fatal consequences.
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