Alcohol isn’t considered a healthy drink. What if you started following the keto diet regimen? Can you drink alcohol while on this diet? The answer may be yes. However, there are certain alcoholic drinks that you might avoid while on keto.
What happens when you drink while on keto
When you drink alcohol, your body starts breaking down alcohol immediately into ketones as it sees alcohol as a toxic substance. The liver can make ketones out of alcohol. The liver starts to process alcohol when consumed asap over other ingredients, including fats, slowing down the process of making ketones from fats, thus impacting ketosis. One drink of alcohol won’t knock you out of ketosis, but the habit of it can.
Can you drink while on keto?
Alcohol isn’t strictly forbidden when you are on a low-carb i.e. keto diet. While it may slow down the process of weight loss for some people, an occasional glass of red or white wine, champagne, or even distilled liquor is okay. This is unless it has no sugar. But this won’t work for everyone. People who are trying to lose weight or looking forward to reversing diabetes should avoid it.
Keto alcohols
Some alcohols are considered a rich source of carbs, whereas some are considered keto-friendly drinks. When we talk about alcoholic drinks that won’t impact ketosis, all alcohols are not considered equal.
We can say that wine contains very few carbs as compared to beer. While in ketosis, wine is a better choice than beer. You can enjoy a glass of wine fairly regularly. Also, pure spirits like whiskey, brandy, gin, tequila, and vodka contain zero carbs, but keep an eye on the sugar content.
To remember while drinking when on keto
Alcohol consumption may slow down the process of ketosis, as the liver produces ketones from alcohol over fats, thus impacting ketosis.
Alcohol consumption may be harmful to multiple organ systems. They can cause certain chronic diseases, and hypertension, and are also responsible for high mortality rates.
Drinking too much alcohol may cause a fatty liver, which results in liver fibrosis, and eventually results in liver cirrhosis. So if you have any liver problem avoid any kind of alcohol under any circumstances.
Maintaining a healthy keto lifestyle requires great willpower and focus. But when you are drunk, chances are your willpower may weaken and you may fall easily for a plate full of French fries or a slice of pizza at 2:00 am. In the night.
Eating a heavy-carb meal may prevent you from getting drunk too quickly. But when you are on a keto diet after consuming alcohol you may suffer a more severe hangover because alcohol hits your system faster and stronger than when you are consuming a carb-rich diet. Alcohol tolerance plummets to zero when on the keto diet, making you feel tipsy faster.
Bottom line
The keto diet reduces cravings for both sugar and alcohol. Many studies have shown that people who have adopted the keto lifestyle have shown a reduction in their cravings for alcohol.