Keto and Alcohol Let’s look into the properties of alcohol. Alcohol is commonly thought of as the 4th macronutrient because it does have calories in it but gives no real energy to the body. The body has no mechanism to store alcohol endogenously because it’s still toxic. Whenever you consume alcohol, the liver will prioritize getting rid of it over everything else. Meaning, while metabolizing alcohol, the body isn’t metabolizing anything else. You’re not burning fat or producing ketones either. Do you get kicked out of ketosis when drinking alcohol? Not entirely, but it can still have some effects on your metabolism, weight loss and overall health. Alcohol While Keto But not all alcohol is created nor metabolized equally. Alcoholic beverages consist of many ingredients. Ethanol, which is the alcohol molecule, is one of them. Additionally, nearly all drinks contain some sort of a sugar compound, which determines the carb content and metabolic effects. Alcohol to avoid on keto Beer is made of barley, hops, yeast, and water. Rich in carbs.

Ciders and long drinks are like alcoholic sodas.

Wine has grape juice, some sweeter than others. More carbs.

Cocktails and sugary mixers have soda, syrups, and juices.

Flavored spirits have added sugar and more carbs. In general, the sweeter something tastes, the more carbs it has. You won’t get kicked out of ketosis by drinking a glass of wine or even two. But you will definitely do so with beer, cider, and cocktails. Those margaritas aren’t good for ketones or your waistline. Don’t eat food while drinking alcohol . Because it’s still a toxin, the liver will prioritize metabolizing alcohol, making the calories from food more likely to be stored directly as fat.

. Because it’s still a toxin, the liver will prioritize metabolizing alcohol, making the calories from food more likely to be stored directly as fat. Getting drunk may prone overeating . It’s common for people to binge on junk food when they’re drinking. Even if you do eat keto friendly foods, it’s still bad.

. It’s common for people to binge on junk food when they’re drinking. Even if you do eat keto friendly foods, it’s still bad. Alcohol also dehydrates you, so you should follow up every drink with a glass of water. People react differently to drinking alcohol. But what you’ll see is a lower alcohol tolerance on keto. Why does keto lower alcohol tolerance? Because on a ketogenic diet, your glycogen stores are depleted, which makes the liver metabolize alcohol that much faster. This can be a good thing because you won’t have to drink as much to get the buzz. Keto Friendly Alcohol Alcohol has calories but no nutritional value – no vitamins, no minerals, just potential fat storage. But there’s still some alcohol on keto that’s safe enough. The most keto friendly alcohol is hard liquor. Vodka, tequila, and gin are the best because they have the least carbs.

Whiskey, scotch or bourbon are dark liquors but still quite low on carbs.

Rum, cognac, and brandies are still quite safe, but they’re starting to edge higher with the carbs. Having more than one drink of those is pushing your luck. But drinking pure hard liquor without anything else is challenging because of the stark taste. Luckily, there are some safe keto alcohol mixers. Sparkling water is the best one. Zero calories, zero carbs, zero problems.

Diet tonic water is great for making gin cocktails.

Diet coke or soda is an option for rum cocktails.

Using Erythritol or Stevia for creating other keto alcohol cocktails is a perfect natural substitute for sugary drinks. Keto Alcohol Chart Now that we’ve covered the main premises, here’s the keto alcohol cheat sheet. Red Wine (5 oz serving) Varietal Calories Carbs Merlot 120 3.7 Pinot Noir 121 3.4 Cabernet 120 3.8 White Wine (5 oz serving) Varietal Calories Carbs Chardonnay 118 3.7 Pinot Gris/Grigio 122 3.2 Riesling 118 5.5 Champagne/Sparkling whites 96 1.5 Beer (12 oz serving) 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 Hard Liquor (1,5 oz serving/1 shot) Liquor Calories Carbs Vermouth 64 0,4 Rum 77 8 Gin 98 0 Whiskey 104 0 Vodka 104 0 Cognac 104 3 Tequila 104 8 Chocolate Liquor 155 17 Mint Liquor 155 17