Establishing and maintaining a keto lifestyle can be challenging, especially if you’re prone to reaching for ready-made products. Many people are able to enjoy the greatest amount of weight loss and easier long-term weight maintenance by sticking to the basics. This, however, can prove challenging if you enjoy having the occasional drink. After cutting out all breads, pasta, and other starches, and even eschewing many of your favorite fruits, you may find yourself feeling quite deprived. Having to avoid all social drinking could cause you to reach your breaking point. Fortunately, however, there is a very vast range of options in keto alcohol. These are flavorful drinks that can be found in almost every store or bar and that won’t instantly kick you out of ketosis. If you’re ready to imbibe, there are four important things to know about keto alcohol before mixing your first cocktail.
Labels Are Everything
As with all keto food products, taking the time to read labels is important. Do your research before you head out with friends or make any purchases in-store. Find out what the macros are for specific cocktails and alcohol brands so that you can make informed purchase and consumption decisions. Calculating how a few drinks will affect your overall macros will additionally allow you to make other necessary adjustments in what you’re consuming so that you aren’t bumped out of ketosis.
Ethanol Is A Toxin
You may be surprised to discover that your liver is actually capable of turning alcohol into ketones. However, alcohol or ethanol still registers as a toxin with your liver while you’re in ketosis. As such, it will work hardest at breaking this substance down and routing it out of the body. Thus, although you can drink and still remain in ketosis, too much drinking might slow your weight loss down. This is important to keep in mind if you have very high weight loss goals or a very strict, stringent schedule for achieving them.
Certain Forms Of Keto Alcohol Are Better Than Others
As ever, the number of carbs and the amount of sugar in any beverage serving are a huge consideration when determining which options are right for you. Wine tends to have fewer carbs and sugars than most beers. Thus, although you might be craving an ice cold beer, if you plan on having two or more drinks in a night or if you plan on drinking more than twice in the week, consider reaching for a glass of wine on the majority of these occasion.
Keep in mind that you can also mix up some of your favorite liquors right at home by using keto-friendly alcohols and secondary ingredients. For instance, if you enjoy a creamy coffee liqueur, seek find a keto-friendly whisky and mix it with heavy whipping cream and your favorite keto-approved sweetener. This concoction can last for several weeks if kept in a clean, sealed container in your fridge. It will taste great in coffee and will enable you to enjoy many of the same festive cocktails that everyone else around you is indulging in.
Moderation Is Still Key
When it comes to consuming keto alcohol, it’s important to remember that moderation is still key. Even when done properly, a ketogenic diet can be hard on the filter organs. Subsisting largely on fats requires you to work hard to stay hydrated and to provide these organs with adequate, additional support. Drinking lemon water is often key for avoiding the dreaded muscle cramps of ketosis. Given that even keto alcohol can dehydrate the body and place additional stress on the liver, you always want to moderate your consumption and make extra efforts to ensure consistently optimum levels of hydration.
