The Truth about Alcohol on a Ketogenic Diet

Say what you will, most of us have had the “great” experience of having a good time, over serving yourself with alcohol, got zonked and the next day you felt Red-eyed and bushy-tongued…

The first words you mutter in the morning: “Never again!” …But hey nobody’s perfect…

The problem with alcohol is that it does contain carbohydrates and they will count towards your total carb intake per day.

Alcoholic beverages are made from plants which usually have a high carb content. Alcohol is made when fermentation takes place, which is activated by yeast. The yeasts basically use the sugar to make the alcohol. However there may be some sugar left in some alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol by itself does not spike your blood sugar levels – That is the good news, the not so good news is that your body will metabolize alcohol first and halt any metabolism of other energy sources. Your body simply has no mechanism to store the energy from alcohol.

The other problem except for the carb content is that some contain gluten and you should avoid those beverages.

Now, we are all adults here and I’ll be honest and tell you that I do enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner and it doesn’t make me gain weight – plus wine contains Resveratrol which aids in longevity.

Here is a list of alcoholic drinks we recommend in moderation:

  • Brandy
  • Champagne
  • Cognac
  • Dry red wine
  • Dry white wine
  • Rum
  • Sparkling Wine
  • Tequila
  • Vodka
  • Whisky

AVOID mixing your alcohol with sugary drinks, diet sodas or juices. Rather mix them with water, club soda or on the rocks. It may help to add a slice of lemon or even peppermint leaves.

As you can see in the table below the alcoholic beverages we do recommend have either no carbs or only a few. These carbs should also be taken into consideration when counting your total carbs for the day.

But please note that you get a potato based vodka which has no gluten..

Alcohol-01

In the table below you can clearly see how many carbs beer and apple ciders actually contain and a lot of beers also contain gluten. Now you can clearly see that if you have only, let’s say two beers the carb content is quite high. Now we know why they call them beer bellies.

Alcohol 2-01

P.S. Have a look at the My Über Ketogenic Diet, our fool proof 21-day Keto Meal Plan. It has all the tools, information, and recipes needed for you to succeed.

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