What Alcohol Can I Have on Keto?

The question on everyone’s lips when starting, but possibly a little reticent about asking;

“What alcohol can I drink on the keto diet?”

Alcohol has got itself a bad rep and is possibly one of the most abused substances in the world; but it’s such a big part of most people’s social lives so it’s no wonder it’s one of the first thoughts that crops up. We want to feel healthy, happy and vibrant, without ditching the social life, I totally get it. In order to enjoy all of this, we need to exercise moderation and self-control, along with an alcohol cheat sheet up your sleeve and you’re on your way.

KEEP IN MIND…

Drinking alcohol can in fact result in producing more ketones, but it will affect and slow down weight loss; drinking only 2 alcoholic beverages can slow fat metabolism down by as much as 73%, showing the effect alcohol has on our body’s ability to use its fat stores for energy.

Alcohol also has an ageing effect on the body because the liver breaks it down into aldehyde, the most damaging alcohol toxin, as well as other toxins (natural or manmade) that make you feel and perform even worse the next day. Adding sugar just simply makes your drink a whole lot more toxic to your body.

Once you’ve got over the fact that you’re favourite drinks are most likely the ones that contain more than 30 grams of carbs, sugars and toxins in a small serving… we can talk. Many keto-ers experience a heightened feeling of intoxication, much faster than usual, and many also experience worsened hangovers when on the keto diet. With that said; if you do drink, we’re going to explore the alcoholic beverages that are not only low-carb keto-friendly, but have the least toxic load so you can make wiser choices that will leave you feeling better, remain healthier and try to kick the hangover to as little as possible.

So let’s get stuck into helping you navigate your way around any bar and become a keto connoisseur!

KETO-FRIENDLY, LOW-TOXIN ALCOHOL

Highly filtered and distilled drinks remove toxins, so let the distiller do this work for you so your liver and kidneys don’t have to! Don’t forget to keep hydrated, drinking a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage, you’ll thank me in the morning!

Without further ado, here’s our list in order of preference:

VODKA: distilled and charcoal filtered, so your body will only deal with the alcohol and no other toxins. Warning: if you mix it with sugar and other stuff, it’s no longer the best choice. Bonus points for avoiding grains entirely by going with potato vodka.
1.5 fl oz :: all popular brands 0g net carbs

GIN: flavoured by juniper berries which have antioxidants, but not that many. 1000 years ago it was considered herbal medicine, but today it’s just a popular drink. Bonus points for a dry martini with olives or bacon.
1.5 fl oz :: all popular brands 0g net carbs

TEQUILA: made from agave, which is high in the bad sugar fructose. But since tequila’s fermentation process removes the sugar, then is distilled and filtered, what you are getting is mostly pure alcohol.
1.5 fl oz :: all popular brands 0g net carbs

WHISKEY: is made from grains, which are higher in toxins, but the distillation process still removes a fair amount of the bad stuff. Whiskeys also contain special types of antioxidants, including ellagic acid, making them better than red wine in the free radical fighting department. Bonus points for real whiskey sour with fresh lime or lemon juice.
1.5 fl oz :: all popular brands 0g net carbs

RUM: made from sugarcane byproducts such as molasses or honeys, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation which then removes the sugar. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels.
1.5 fl oz :: all popular brands 0g net carbs

DRY CHAMPAGNE: only comes from a region of France, and the standards for real Champagne are very high. French Champagne tends to have the lowest amount of mould toxins remaining after fermentation. Warning: some people get worse hangovers from Champagne than others because of varying sugar content, so always go with brut nature or extra brut bottles.
5 fl oz/147ml glass :: Sparkling White 1.5g, Brut Cava 2.5g, Brut Champagne 2.8g

DRY WHITE WINE: tends to be lower in mould toxins than regular whites or reds, particularly the dehydrating ochratoxin A. But it’s still unfiltered, so it contains different types of mould toxins not present in distilled liquors. Bonus points: if you can find a yellow band at the top of the bottle, the alcohol was designated for drinking in Europe and is required to meet higher standards than American imports from Europe.
5 fl oz/147ml glass :: Chardonnay 3.2g, Dessert wines 20.2g, Muscat 7.8g, Riesling 5.5g, Sauvignon blanc 3g

ALCOHOL TO AVOID ON KETO

BEER: made from grains (barley, oats, rye, wheat), yeast and malt (sugar) – it’s basically liquid bread, obviously containing gluten and almost always ochratoxin A and other mould toxins. Often, the grains used are directly contaminated with mould before being fermented, making beer the dirtiest of the alcohols. They don’t call a big gut a “beer belly” for nothing.
Per 12 fl oz / 350ml bottle :: Coors Light 5g, Amstel Light 5g, Budweiser Light 6.6g, Heineken Light 6.8g

SWEET LIQUEURS: have the benefits of being distilled but they typically contain a ton of sugar and may also contain the inflammatory additives. Sugar not only knocks you right out of ketosis but contributes to the ageing and hangover effects of alcohol, as well as adds to your waistline. So there’s not reason to crank up the sugar in your diet by hiding it in your alcohol.
Per 1 fl oz / 37ml serving :: Baileys 7.4g, amaretto 17g, Jaegermeister 27g, Blue curaçao 7g, Creme de menthe 22g, Cointreau 7g, Peach Schnapps 8g, Kailua 15g, Samba 18g.

RED WINE: high in ochratoxin A and yeast, and you don’t know which strains will be in your particular bottle. These both affect your body negatively. Red wine is also unfiltered so your liver and kidneys have to do all the work, and you’ll feel it the next morning even though it tastes good. Although much talked about, the amount of resveratrol in wine is so small that it’s meaningless: try coffee instead!