Can you drink alcohol on keto? Yes, but you have to be careful what you drink. These tips will help you stay in ketosis while enjoying keto alcoholic drinks!
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This is your one-stop guide to drinking alcohol on keto. If you’ve been researching a ketogenic diet, you likely have come across no alcohol advice. Generally, you’d be correct.
Can You Drink Alcohol on Keto?
Alcohol and keto don’t mix well, and that’s because of the carb content of some alcoholic drinks along with the high sugar in others. It’s not so much about the carbs and sugar but what your body does with alcohol.
The object of keto is to use fat as fuel, not carbs, and certainly not sugar. Alcohol prevents your body from metabolizing nutrients.
As soon as alcohol enters your system, your liver uses it for energy, stopping fatty acid oxidation (which is how the body breaks down fats for energy and thus puts the body into a ketogenic state).
When you drink alcohol, your body uses the calories for energy, so you immediately fall off the keto diet wagon!
Bearing the above in mind, does that mean that when you choose keto, you must completely avoid alcohol? After all, everyone enjoys a glass of wine now and then!
Even more so when there’s a celebration, and someone pops open a bottle of champagne – not many people want to miss out on that opportunity!
The truth is, you can have a drink now and then. It is not the worst thing you can do but as long as it is in moderation and you jump straight back onto the keto wagon the next day.
Also, don’t go mad! The problem with one drink is that it usually leads to another – and if you’ve deprived your body for a while, that temptation can be difficult to resist.
Having said that, don’t drink alcohol initially, even if you have a great family celebration! If you’ve decided to go on a ketogenic diet, then time it.
There’s no point if it’s your best friend’s wedding or your brother’s bachelor or stag party. Wait until afterward.
If you want to lose weight for a wedding or similar, start your keto diet a few months before, and then you can allow yourself that wedding champagne indulgence.
That way, you’ll see results, and the odd drink won’t make much difference. So, it is very much about timing. Some people like a drink two or three times a week, and if you’re one of those people, you might think keto isn’t for you.
Well, there is an alternative. You can even enjoy keto cocktails! You do need a little fun now and again, and some drinks are suitable (on occasion).
Here are some easy tips for drinking alcohol on keto, but please remember that serious moderation is the key to a successful keto diet.
1. Avoid Huge Amounts of Wine
OK, apart from that wedding celebration and promising yourself you will go straight back onto keto the next morning, wine and beer are simply not keto-friendly.
It’s best to avoid them and stick to a spirit instead. This is because of the carb content. Spirits don’t contain carbs. Their calories come from alcohol rather than carbs.
As a guide, there are around 7 calories per gram of spirit. Wine isn’t high in carbs, so a small glass (5 ounces has around 6g) or a spritzer won’t do too much keto-diet damage – don’t overload, though!
2. Say No to Beer
Beer is a no-go area on keto, and that’s because it’s high in carbs, so it really will ruin your ketogenic diet. Did you know that a pint of beer contains up to 15 grams of carbs?
That’s more than your daily allowance? If you have to have a beer (maybe you’re out with the boys for a night!), try a low-carb beer but check the ingredients. Some low-carb beers have around 2 grams of carbs per serving.
However, we are not saying go out and drink beer. It’s best to avoid it altogether unless you’ve been on the keto diet for a while and you’ve seen great results.
Just promise yourself you’ll get straight back into your keto-eating routine the next morning and stick to it before your next low-carb beer.
3. You Can Drink Spirits – Straight
Don’t mix your spirits unless it’s with plain soda (sugar-free). Drink them straight, which means you’ll get merry quicker, so you will be less likely to have more than one or two.
Did you know that alcohol on a keto diet makes you more susceptible to feeling tipsy or drunk? So do go easy if you have to have an alcoholic drink.
4. Research Your Spirits and Alcoholic Drinks
Before you go to an event that serves alcohol, for example, that family celebration or a night out with your friends, why not do your research first? That way, you know exactly what the carb and sugar content is.
For example, one spirit serving is just 1.5 ounces and has zero carbs (around 95 calories). If you’ve been strict while on keto, you’ve likely seen some great results, and that research alone might put you off!
Even if it doesn’t, you will be aware of what you’re consuming and hopefully keep a lid on it. Remember, while vodka is fine (a small amount of this spirit occasionally), mix it with orange juice (full of calories and sugar), and you’re straight off keto.
Stick to straight vodka if you feel you have no alternative but to have a glass of something naughty! You could also order a whiskey or a Tequila shot.
While the shot slips down fast, the whiskey (with added water) could last a while and won’t cause havoc with your body metabolizing fat.
5. Alcoholic Drink Ideas for Keto
Are you having a party? Need a few good keto alcoholic drinks?
Try some of these but remember, this is by no means an invitation to drink lots of them all night. Then, you will ruin your keto diet!
- Vodka (2oz) with soda, a dash of lime, and a couple of slices of cucumber served with ice.
- Rum (2oz) with sparkling water (4oz) and a dash of lemon or lime served over ice.
- Vodka (2oz) with fresh mint and a squeeze of lime. Add soda water and crushed ice – if you need sweetener, add a quarter of a teaspoon.
- White wine spritzer (3 ounces of dry white wine) – mix with soda water, and you have a relatively keto-friendly drink.
We also have a great collection of low carb cocktail recipes you can make at home. Here are some of our favorites:
- Keto Cosmopolitan Cocktail
- Keto Classic Margarita
- Elderflower Gin Cocktail
- Cucumber Gin Cocktail
- Avo Keto Margarita
- Va-Va-Voom Cocktail
- Candy Cane Vodka Cocktail
- Rum Eggnog Cocktail
- Hot Buttered Rum Cocktail
Complete Keto Alcohol List
Here's our keto alcoholic drinks list with a huge collection of different types of alcoholic beverages and their net carb content.
Richard
Very good section on keto alcoholic drinks