Do you find yourself wondering if you can drink alcohol on the keto diet? We’ll break down which alcohols make the best choice and when as well as which to avoid.
After following a keto diet for a bit, you may come upon a time when you want to celebrate at happy hour with co-workers or enjoy a glass of wine at dinner with family and friends. So it’s natural to wonder about alcohol on the keto diet.
While imbibing in alcohol isn’t something you partake in on a regular basis, you can still drink some alcohol while adhering to a ketogenic lifestyle. Just like anything else you put into your body, you need to know how many grams of carbs are contained in the alcoholic beverage you’re reaching for.
Here are some a few things you should know about drinking alcohol on the keto diet.
Stick to the Clear Liquors
The first thing you’ll want to do if you want to drink alcohol while going keto is to identify your liquor of choice. Clear liquors do tend to be a better choice than other the alcohol options when looking at the the carb and calorie count.
So, when selecting a liquor, the easiest thing to do is choose one of the clear liquors. Keep in mind that it’s typically what you choose to mix with your liquor with that will increase the carb count. So either drink your liquor straight, or combine is with some sparkling water (not tonic).
Some clear liquors to consider are gin, rum, tequila and vodka. Some of the darker liquors like dark rum or whiskey are okay as well, but only consumed in lesser quantities.
Stick to White Wine
When it comes to wine on the keto diet, the amount you want to consume will determine whether or not you can imbibe. For the most part, all of the wines average around 3-3.5 carbs per serving.
However, white wine does tend to be lower in carbs than red wine. Sauvignon blanc, coming in at 2.7 carbs per glass, is the wine containing the fewest carbs. Other white wines that make a good choice are pinot grigio, chardonnay and dry champagne.
Be sure to stay away from Riesling, which is a popular sweet wine, as it contains more than 5 carbs per glass. If you only want a red wine, the best options are pinot noir and merlot.
Light Beer on Occasion
If you’re more of a beer drinker, you can still enjoy a cold beer once in a while. However, like anything with the keto diet, you need to be sure you know the carb count of the beer and make sure you’re tracking your consumption.
It’s best if you can make a plan for when you want to have a beer so that you can be sure to even more heavily restrict your carb intake that day. You’ll find that a lot of the light beers contain around 3-5 net carbs per beer can or bottle, so it can add up quite quickly when you’re only allowed a total of 20 carbs for the whole day. That’s why tracking your carbs while on the keto diet is so critical.
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