5 alcoholic drinks that are keto-friendly
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The keto diet, a health regimen and food-world trend taking social media by storm, uses a low-carb, high-fat method to reduce fluid retention and up your energy stores, encouraging your body to go into fat-burning mode. Celebs like Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, and LeBron James all swear by keto, but as with any diet, the plan’s restrictions can prove challenging for anyone trying to have a social life complete with dinners out and meeting friends at the bar.
Are alcoholic drinks off-limits to keto participants? Definitely not. It’s totally possible to do happy hour while adhering to your keto diet, as long as you’re making the right menu choices. To help you out, INSIDER rounded up five boozy libations that fit into the keto rules.
Straight spirits like vodka, tequila, and whiskey are keto-friendly.
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When you're doing the keto thing, it's important to keep a close eye on your carb consumption. But when alcohol enters the equation, you need to devote equal attention to the number of calories in your drinks. Because alcoholic beverages contain no nutritional benefits, the calories aren't converted into usable, fat-burning energy and are therefore considered "empty calories". For that reason, you want to choose drinks that are both low in carbs and low in calories.
Luckily, most pure spirits fulfill all of these keto-related requirements. A shot of vodka, for example, contains zero net carbs and under 100 calories, according to Healthline. The same low-carb, low-calorie principles apply to liquors like whiskey, tequila, and brandy, all of which can be easily integrated into a keto diet.
Simple spirit-and-soda cocktails are OK.
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Generally, folks who want to drink alcohol while following the keto diet run into trouble when cocktails and mixers get involved. Popular booze chasers like juice, non-diet soda, and tonic water contain plenty of sugar, which the body rapidly burns for energy (therefore eliminating the need for the body to burn fat instead).
But if you still want to indulge in a spiked sipper while on keto, you have options. Keeping it simple with a 2-ingredient classic like vodka-and-seltzer won't derail your diet with extra sugar.
Dry white or red wines are usually allowable on the keto diet.
Reuters
Many keto fans assume that wine's off the table, due to a false perception of its high sugar content. In truth, however, the diet doctor reports that dry wines only contain about 2 grams of net carbs per glass, keeping them firmly within the acceptable range for keto-friendly drinks. As long as you're avoiding dessert wines like port and sherry (which get their trademark sweetness from higher sugar concentrations), you're in the keto clear with vino.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Yes, you can drink alcohol on the keto diet— but there's a catch
- 15 people shared how they define 'cheating' — and their answers varied wildly
- 9 easy tips for eating keto while on vacation