Alcohol is a calorie dense drink which is not stored by any mechanism in the body. Your body will aim to get rid of this energy so it will start to metabolise this energy before breaking down fat.
This means Alcohol slows down Ketone production
Now this is not good because alcohol has no nutritional benefit. Particularly on a keto diet, you are expected to watch the foods you consume and count calories as much as possible not for an immediate fix but an ongoing lifestyle for overall physical health.
consuming alcohol will NOT take you out of ketosis but it will inhibit or temporarily slow down fat burning by the liver. The liver will immediately consume quick burning alcohol energy
But we’re sure you’ve heard “maybe stop drinking…” at some point in your life and that’s not a good enough reason – why be the weirdo at the party right?
Some people rationalise drinking once in a while as their cheat meal and this is perfectly okay. You only need to take away some key tips when you do have a drink
Best types of alcohol to drink on a keto diet
Even though hard liquors still begin as carb sources, the sugars are changed to ethyl alcohol during distillation and fermentation. They’re basically just alcohol and water, so they don’t affect sugar and insulin levels like the drinks mentioned above. The best options include:
Hard liquor : These should be your top choice because even though they contain sugars, they are distilled to ethyl alcohol during distillation and fermentation meaning they are basically alcohol and water mixtures with very little effect on blood sugar levels.
- Tequila: 0g carb. Perfect for a night out. Usually not made with added sugars or flavorings.
- Whiskey, scotch, or bourbon: 0g carb dark whiskey. 64 calories PER OUNCE
- Vodka: your vodka of choice should be unflavoured or unsweetened. each shot is about 96 calories.
- Rum: You’ll get a richer flavor the darker it looks, but all forms are zero carb unless they’ve been flavored.
- Brandy
- Gin: Look out for flavored gins or those made with mixers in cocktails, as they have added carbs.
- Cognac
Wines: Not all wines are created the same. The same grape in two wines can have very different sugar levels and they are usually made visible the sugar content in grams per litre. My rule of thumb is: the cheaper the wine, the higher the sugar content.
Red Wine
| Varietal | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Merlot | 120 | 3.7 |
| Pinot Noir | 121 | 3.4 |
| Cabernet | 120 | 3.8 |
White Wine
| Varietal | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Chardonnay | 118 | 3.7 |
| Pinot Gris/Grigio | 122 | 3.2 |
| Riesling | 118 | 5.5 |
| Champagne/Sparkling whites | 96 | 1.5 |
Beer: Beer should really be your last resort because it is very rich in carbohydrate especially anything red, amber or dark. It contains mainly barley, hops, yeast, and water. Barley being the main ingredient in high concentration is broken down to the sugar maltose, which is what the yeast acts on. If you absolutely have to, here ais
Beer
| Beer | Calories | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Bud Select 55 | 55 | 1.9 |
| MGD 64 | 64 | 2.4 |
| Rolling Rock Green Light | 92 | 2.4 |
| Michelob Ultra | 95 | 2.6 |
| Bud Select | 99 | 3.1 |
| Miller Lite | 96 | 3.2 |
| Natural Light | 95 | 3.2 |
| Michelob Ultra Amber | 114 | 3.7 |
| Coors Light | 102 | 5 |
| Amstel Light | 95 | 5 |
| Bud Light | 110 | 6.6 |
European beer
| Heineken light | 95 | 3.2 |
| Grolsch beer | 95 | 3.2 |
| Corona light | 99 | 3.7 |
| Kirin lite | 96 | 5 |
| Molson canadian | 67 | 5 |
Alcohol tips on a keto diet
- Stay on top of your daily ketone measurement by always testing your ketone levels using keto sticks
- Alcohol is the equivalent of drinking calorie dense sugar water, anything sweet really isn’t good for you on a keto diet
