Is there a possibility that I can take pleasure in both having a keto lifestyle and drinking alcohol?
Alcohol is frequently defined as a macronutrient, but it is really not an essential need. Because it is not a necessity of life which you do not need actually in order to survive. In some cases, it can be detriment to your body’s health if over consumed.
And while consuming alcohol while on a keto diet of will not crucially delay your improvement, but it will just make things a little bit gradual for you.
Just remember that alcoholic beverages will do no good for you especially when taken excessively because it makes the process of aging faster.
Alcohol does have a bad reputation. It is one of the most abused substances in the world. It becomes a serious issue when it becomes a hindrance to your personal life.
If you are fond of having some alcoholic drinks to make yourself relax or enjoy the weekends, then you are not doing anything wrong. However, if you are in a keto diet, you will notice that your tolerance to alcoholic beverage will drop.
Is there a valid proof that alcohol really boosts ketosis?
If you ever came across the saying “drinking boosts ketosis,” you do not know the whole story yet. There is a research from the 1970s which stated that the intake of alcohol and keto diet can increase ketonuria. That means “not normal large amounts of ketone bodies” are significant in the urine. However, the ketonuria itself may not be the main cause of the instant effect of alcohol. Instead, researchers made an assumption that ketonuria was produced from a sudden slower change in metabolism from the glycogen depletion that is caused by alcohol.
Whenever you drink alcoholic beverages especially when you are on a high-fat diet, the metabolism of your liver changes because of the glycogen that is depleted from your body. While this may result in a rapid explosion of activity of ketones, as you will read below, the alcohol that you consume will be used by the liver for immediate energy instead of turning it into fat, which actually means that loss of weight is getting slower.
Alcohol and the process of burning fat
It is really significant that cocktails and beer are loaded with a lot of sugars and carbohydrates that can quickly get you out of the state of ketosis.
If you want to stay in a ketogenic diet, the stored fat needs to be used by your body. The moment when alcohol enters your body system, by default your liver will be using the by products of the alcohol instead of fat, which means there which only means that the oxidation of fatty acids are being slowed down until it processed all the alcohol.
Those who are not frequent alcohol drinkers will not see hindrance to their long term goals. However, if your consumption of alcohol is high, you will be compromising your ability to process fats. You may not process fats quickly or you may stop processing fats all together. This can be problematic for those people that seek weight loss as their exercise routines and healthy eating with non discernible results.
This can cause some people to become discouraged. There are a lot of people who have found that consuming alcohol in excess slows down or stops their weight loss. Which is because the alcohol is being processed by the liver as a priority and much faster because of this the process of our burning fats are interrupted to get rid of the alcohol content on our body.
Carbohydrates are really a good source for the reduction of the feeling of drunkenness because they assist you in decreasing the levels of alcohol in your blood.
For the reason that glucose is processed by the body in foods like pizza, pasta, and bread in a fast manner, which result in the decrease in the processing of the metabolism of the alcohol in our body.
When your lifestyle revolves around being in ketosis, you have a little amount of glycogen that is stored inside your body.
Keeping yourself under a healthy ketogenic lifestyle needs a lot of discipline and perseverance. When you are under the influence of alcoholic drinks your focus can be compromised. That is the reason why it is not difficult to eat pizza even at midnight of drinking alcoholic beverage instead of eating healthy keto-friendly snacks.
Even though you select your alcoholic drinks very meticulously, the selection of foods that comes with the drinks can get you out of ketosis very quickly.
How to select the right alcoholic drinks if you are on a keto diet?
If you want to socialize and enjoy a drink with your peers, it is still doable even you are on a keto diet. Here is your basic guide on keto-friendly liquor.
Hard Liquors
A lot of clear type alcoholic beverage that has a percentage of 40 and above like vodka, whiskey, brand, and etc contain zero carbohydrates and sugars which only signifies that they are good for people who are under the diet of keto aside from the fact that alcohol if taken in excessive amount is not good for the metabolism of people who are practicing keto lifestyle.
Combining your alcoholic beverage with water is a good practice on keto, however, tonic water contains 32 to 33 grams of carbohydrates per 12 ounces. It is also not different when you combine a hard alcoholic beverage with other substances like fruit juice, sodas, or mixers, you are risking yourself to a massive amount of liquid carbohydrates.
If you have the urge to add something up to your drink than just plain liquor and ice, there are a lot of other options which you can try like some cocktail recipes to interchange sugar-rich substances with more keto-friendly choices.
Just remember that alcoholic drinks that are flavored usually contain a lot of sugar.
Avoid these sugary mixers: Whiskey sour mix, blue Curacao, syrup that are too sugary, and frozen mixes of margarita.
Gin
This type of hard liquor is produced from a grain and usually contains about 35% of alcohol by volume. It is created through the use of certain citrus fruits like orange, lemon, or lime. But be conscious about gins which have certain flavoring and sweetened versions.
Brandy
Brandy is created through the use of mash, juice, grapes, or wine. There are various types of brandy and the Cognac is the most well-known brandy which originated in France. It has a range of 36% to 60% alcohol per volume which are usually aged in barrels.
Wines
While the most inexpensive wine can come with sugars that are residual if you choose an extremely dry red wine or white wine. That means you can still consume a glass with dinner. Usually, dry wines contain 1-gram or less of sugar per oz, and the common serving is 5 oz. On the keto diet, you just have to drink in a moderate manner.
Just remember that there are dry wines that may be appropriate and inappropriate for people who are under a keto regimen. Because the common wine is composed of up to seventy six various ingredients that are not listed on their labels.
It is wise to avoid these types of sweet wines: Moscato, Sherry, Dessert Wines, and Sangria
Beer
For the reason that its composition namely barley, yeast, and water, beer must be prevented when you are on a keto diet. The barley is segregated down into a maltose of sugar, which is what a reaction of yeast is happening which creates a much higher count of carbohydrates than hard types of alcoholic beverages.
A beer is composed of gluten, yeast, and other mold toxins. If you are planning to consume beer then think twice because it is not keto-friendly. However, you can try gluten-free beers that are available in some stores but take note that you must drink it moderately only.
Here is a partial list of wines that are keto-friendly:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Pinot Noir
- Merlot
- Pinot Grigio
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Champagne
Some Piece of Advice on Hangover
Hangover is a usual sensation that you can feel after several hours of drinking alcoholic beverages or after you woke up from being drunk.
The main cause of hangover is dehydration that is why the simple way to combat this is by drinking a lot of water.
Other Problems with Alcohol Drinking and Loss of Fat
Aside from the knowledge behind our process of metabolism, we have still a lot of flaws.
When we consume alcohol, our self-consciousness is decreased significantly, which can create unconscious eating and diet cheating which has a lot of chance to happen.
While on the keto diet, you will see that you are becoming less hungry for the reason that of the gradual released of energy from fats. If you start consuming alcohol on an empty stomach, you will start to notice the effects of liquor much quickly.
Another way to expel the glycogen that is stored inside our body is through intermittent fasting. This method gives your body the opportunity to have an entrance to a state of ketosis much quickly, as the main source of energy is fat and absolutely not from carbohydrates. Your body is obliged to consume up its stored glycogen very quickly. Once the stored glycogen s consumed then the stored fats in your body will be used.
As with any type of diet that you may consider, you need to significant reduce of the intake of alcohol. Most of the calories in alcohol are sometimes referred to as empty calories. Overall,these calories give little amounts of energy. In addition, the energy created only lasts for a short amount of time. That is why you must not drink excessive amounts while on the keto diet. Just be cautious during the times when you want a drink.
These are things to consider while consuming alcohol while on a keto diet.
You can definitely drink a few types of alcohol on a keto diet without any hesitation or remorse. But there are causes why consuming alcoholic beverages can have a risk of destroying your goals.
The urge for calories increases
As stated above, alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories that are completely empty. The number of calories that you get from alcohol is exactly 7.1 per gram which eventually does not offer any value in terms of nutrition.
You will not actually feel really full however you will be more prone to over eat unhealthy foods because your focus decreases and your stomach is craving for delicious but unhealthy foods.
And you will accumulate a massive number of calories getting there because alcohol has twice the number of calories per gram if we match it up to protein.
It deactivates your body’s capacity to burn fat for energy
Did you know your body considers alcohol as a substance that is really toxic? For the reason that when it takes its entrance on your bloodstream your body changes gears and targets all of its energy on expelling the alcohol out of your body.
Every component of your body stops which includes the proper digestion of the alcohol which contains the carbohydrate loaded meal that you may have taken into consideration as a basis for drinking. When this occurs, your body will create unhealthy fats from the extra energy of sugar and carbohydrates.
Because your body is taking time to filter out those alcohol content of yours, it ends using fat for energy like what it usually does when you are in ketosis.
Because it makes use of the hollow calories you drank for energy. This won’t assist you in attaining or retaining ketosis because it has the contradictory effect.
If you have been having a hard time to get to the state of ketosis, begin by reducing or completely removing your alcohol consumption.
If you can prevent submitting to urges of eating high-calorie foods and you do not have any plan on drinking adequately to get you out of ketosis, there is still one more thing that you must put in your mind before ordering that liquor.
You will get drunk quicker and you can have a much worse hang over
It does not matter whether you have a glass of wine or two with your peers after work or plan to consume beer whatever you is that you are planning, is that if you are implementing a keto diet drinking alcoholic beverage can have a consequence on your body.
When you are under ketosis, alcohol strikes your body quicker and much powerful that it did when your body is storing more carbs. However, your alcohol tolerance decreases when you are in ketosis.
Usually, people who have a lot of glycogen that is stored in their bodies much appreciation goes to carbohydrate-heavy diets, which functions as a cushion for metabolizing alcohol. Without its help, your body will process alcohol quicker and you will feel the effects rapidly.
For those who are on a diet of keto is keep on telling that they have much worse hang over compared to when they are consuming a high-carbohydrate diet. However there is no specific research on why this is occurring, dehydration and electrolytes that are not balanced seem to play a role on this.
Because both of them can happen when you consume alcohol and when you are in ketosis state which creates an opportunity for more extreme hang over.
If you plan to consume alcohol while you are on a ketogenic diet, be vigilant about it and take preventive measures.
Eat a keto meal before drinking
Eating massive amounts of carbohydrates before a night of liquor intake is a big no. When you intake meals that are loaded with carbohydrates before drinking liquor, the tendency is your body will get you out of ketosis real quick. Fat and protein are your friends before drinking alcoholic beverages. Get a keto meal that is full of healthy fats with some protein. This strong combination with help to gradually decrease the effects of alcoholic beverages so it will give a less metabolic hit to your body.
Be Mindful of Alcohol Mixtures
At the bar, it impossible to get a knowledge if your whiskey cocktail or margarita is mixed to exact proportions. Is that glass of pinot noir or cabernet an exact 5 oz, or did the bartender over pour it and gave you a much higher dosage of it.
Unless you can actually have an access to view the bartender who makes your beverages or know the actual weight of those beverages in different glasses. It is really hard to know if you are having the right amounts of it.
If you are having fun in drinking liquors at home, do not let them become a hindrance for you to reach your goals. You must develop a plan of measuring the content of alcohol as you pour it to for you to be aware of its portions.
This will assist you in keeping yourself on track to reach your goals.
Calories are a big factor just like carbohydrates
Knowing the net of carbohydrates is more critical than calculating the calories on a keto diet, but alcoholic beverages is not included in the rule because alcohol consists of calories that are empty and you can consume a meal’s equivalent number of calories without being aware that you surpassed your limit.
If you are going to be used to this then you will notice eventually that your weight will increase. You must have a complete knowledge with low carbohydrate and low-calorie alternatives and you must follow them.
The Rule of Drinking “One Drink Maximum”
You can enjoy low carbohydrate alcoholic drinks while on a keto diet, however, you need to be moderate on doing it for you to still reach your goals. It is difficult for your body to metabolize alcohol and it can be a hindrance to the burning of your fats.
You can also try doing the “one drink maximum” rule. In this rule, you must put a limitation to one drink per sitting and one to three alcoholic beverages only per week. Once you have hit the weight that you are wishing for, or you have been able to hit and preserve ketosis, you can experiment more on what is effective for you.
But the bottom line is to avoid alcohol at all cost.
Function of non-alcoholic mixers on a ketogenic diet
When it comes to mixing alcoholic beverages, selecting the right mixture is crucial.
While vodka has zero net carbohydrates, combining it with lemonade that is full of sugars, soda or tonic water will compromise the selection of vodka because of its low carbohydrate content. There are a large number of mixtures of drinks that are not good for people who are under keto diet, such as fruit juice or sour mixtures.
Choose the Correct Alcoholic Drink
Quantity is not the only basis of selecting alcoholic beverages while on a ketogenic diet because the quality is as important as that.
Some drinks, such as beers, hides a large number of carbohydrates although others are ketofriendly as long as it is consumed moderately.
The Conclusion: You can get pleasure from alcoholic drinks while on a keto diet Now that you have a much better understanding of how alcoholic drinks can influence you in ketosis state and know which low carbohydrate alcohol selections are superior to others, you can make a decision if you must include it on your meal plan.
If you are a newbie practitioner of a keto diet, or you have not hit ketosis yet, it is worth taking a look at having a break from those drinks completely to help you reach your goals.
For keto experts, you should have no difficulty in enjoying your well-loved alcoholic drinks, because you already know your carbohydrates’ budget for the day on your respective meal plans.
A friendly advice: Do not intake massive amount of alcoholic beverages in each week or in one sitting, Be sure to have your own driver and be responsible with the use of alcohol.
Top 5 Keto Alcoholic Drinks
What are the advisable alcoholic drinks to consume while on a keto diet? First of all, alcoholic beverages will not help in weight loss. Because the higher amount of alcohol that you take the higher the chance that losing weight may be compromised, as the body prioritizes alcohol first before any other compounds in our body.
Because of that, there is a large dissimilarity between various types of alcoholic beverages some are adequately good but some are a big no when you are in ketosis.
However, a wine has much lower carb content than beer that is why most people who are in the keto diet select wine. Hard liquors like whiskey and vodka have zero carbohydrates, however, be watchful if they are mixed with other substances as they can be loaded with sugar.
While you are under a keto diet, you can still have the privilege to enjoy different alcoholic beverages a glass or two on several gatherings. Even though many liquors consists of massive sugar content there are still some alternatives that you can grab with a small amount to no sugar at all. Here is the list of five keto alcoholic beverages that you can surely enjoy:
Champagne
This type of liquor only contains 1 gram of carbohydrates per 1 glass. Whether it is a luxurious champagne from France or an inexpensive sparkling wines from other countries. This is surely a drink that you can enjoy.
Red or White Wine
One glass of this contains only 2 grams of carbohydrates. Some people are saying that it is the 4th macronutrient, next to fat, protein and carbohydrates. It has a significant part of the civilization of humans and there is no doubt that it combines itself very wonderful with food and friends.
Skinny Bitch
One big glass of this does not contain any carbohydrates at all. This one of a kind drink is a perfect drink for keto people however it must still be consumed moderately because it is still an alcoholic beverage and still contains empty calories.
Whiskey
One glass does not contain any carbs at all. This is very good for people who are very conscious about their health because it is well known that it is gluten-free. However, it has a high alcoholic content so you must drink it moderately and responsibly.
Dry Martini
One small glass does not contain any carbohydrates. It is a famous drink that has made its mark on James Bond’s films. It really tastes good too that is why you must learn to control your urge of drinking more.
A Reminder when you are under a diet especially keto, a lot of people need to cut down their alcohol consumption because only a little amount of alcohol can make them tipsy in no time. So be aware the first time you drink liquor while on keto diet. Because you will need half of the amount of the alcoholic drink to get pleasure from it. It is a good thing of course because you can save a lot of money from it.
The cause of this usual experience is fully unknown. The possible reason is that the liver is creating ketones or glucose that why it has a lesser ability to burn alcohol.
That is excellent if you are looking to get intoxicated without spending a lot of money however the hangover will be much intense.