The ketogenic diet is a popular nutritional regimen that emphasizes high fat, adequate protein, and low carbohydrate intake. Many people find it hard to maintain a social life on a ketogenic diet, but don’t worry, there are a handful of low-carb and keto alcohol options! This article explores the place of whiskey, specifically Crown Royal, within a ketogenic lifestyle.
Understanding Ketosis and Alcohol
When we consume alcohol, our bodies treat it as a toxin and prioritize metabolizing it. This process temporarily slows down the metabolism of other macronutrients, including fats. The effect of alcohol on ketosis depends largely on its carbohydrate content. For instance, beer is high in carbs and can indeed disrupt ketosis. A moderate low-carb diet with greater than 50g carbs can still foster some degree of ketosis, although to a lesser extent.
Whiskey and Ketosis: The Good News
Whiskey, like most spirits, is a zero-carb alcohol, which technically means it should not affect ketosis. Whiskey is made from fermented grain, usually combining rye, wheat, corn, or barley and comes in around 35 - 50% alcohol by volume. Even though it’s a dark liquor, all whiskeys do not have any carbs (or sugars) added - making it a great drink for someone on a ketogenic diet. Depending on where the whiskey is from is where the name is derived. Scotch, whiskey and bourbon are similar forms of this alcohol.
Crown Royal: A Keto-Friendly Choice?
Crown Royal, being a whiskey, generally aligns with the keto-friendly profile of spirits with zero carbs. However, it's imperative to ensure that the specific Crown Royal variant you're choosing is unflavored. Flavored varieties might contain added sugars or carbohydrates that could impact ketosis.
Important Considerations
Individual Responses: Everyone’s body responds differently, so it’s essential to monitor your own reaction and adjust your consumption as needed. Maintaining ketosis is not just about avoiding high-carb foods; it’s also about understanding how your body responds to different foods and drinks, including alcohol like whiskey.
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Heightened Sensitivity: Many people experience heightened sensitivity to alcohol when in ketosis. Be aware that many people experience a heightened level of being drunk and at a quicker rate than usual. While that may be a great thing for some, you need to be careful - especially if you’re driving. Do not drink and drive.
Hangover Effects: There are plenty of people that also experience worse hangover while on a ketogenic diet, so make sure you stay hydrated.
Liver Metabolism: Ingestion of alcohol has effects on liver metabolism, in which more ketones are produced as you drink more. Drinking liquor can in fact deepen your level of ketosis, but will slow weight loss down.
Calorie Intake: Alcohol still counts as calories and will slow fat loss down. Note: If you are on a ketogenic diet for weight loss, you may want to consider avoiding alcohol altogether. While you can consume low-carb alcohol and stay in ketosis, the ethyl will be burned by the body in preference of all other nutrients consumed. Besides this, alcohol does have an effect on hormone levels that are linked to belly fat and weight loss - so if you’re a heavy drinker, you can expect very slow or no weight loss at all.
Alcohol Ketoacidosis: There is also a condition called alcohol ketoacidosis which can be deadly. It usually happens to people who haven’t eaten any food in a long period of time, and are drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.
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Keto-Friendly Mixers and Chasers
Looking for a chaser to go with your drink? Most people tend to want something to chase or mix their alcohol with to make it go down easier. Here are some options:
- Sparkling water
- Diet carbonized water
- Diet soda
- Sugar-free energy drinks
- Water enhancers
- Bitters - These are normally a mixture of herbs that are infused into an alcohol base to make a concentrated flavor.
Note: Be careful what sweeteners are used in your mixers as some sweeteners do spike blood sugars.
Alcohol Consumption Guidelines on Keto
Alcohol shouldn’t be consumed heavily or on a consistent basis. Here are some things to watch out for:
- Calories: Alcohol still counts as calories and will slow fat loss down.
- Tolerance: Most people on a ketogenic or low-carb diet experience a much lower tolerance to alcohol than usual.
- Hunger.
- Dehydration: Since keto is a natural diuretic, you have to be watchful of how much water you’re drinking alongside the alcohol.
- Added sugars: Mixers, liqueurs, and many alcohols will contain some type of flavoring or added sugar.
Other Keto-Friendly Alcohol Options
Here’s a short list on what you can drink when you want to consume low-carb alcohol.
- Beer: Bud Select, Miller 64, Michelob Ultra. Most beers are very high in carbs so they should be avoided. In general, the darker the beer is the higher the carb count will be. Note: If you are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, it’s important to note that beer is usually made with barley or wheat.
- Wine: Unsweetened/unflavored champagne, dry red wine, and dry white wine. These are going to be the lowest carb wine that you can consume. There are many, many brands of wine available. Since there is no standard on nutrition information and alcohol, you may want to consider picking a generic branded wine or trying to research the nutritional information online. The ‘SkinnyGirl’ wines are a popular brand of wines that are low-carb and usually include the nutrition information on the bottle. Though some of their wines may have more carbs than other dry wines. Most of their wines come in at 5g net carbs - but many of the red or white wines above have even less than that.
- Liquor: Vodka, rum, gin, tequila, whiskey. All unsweetened and unflavored liquor will have 0g net carbs. Vodka is usually made from a grain base such as potatoes, rye, or wheat, and runs around 35 - 50% alcohol by volume. If you must have flavored, there are a number of them that are zero carbs, but do your research online first! Note: Absolut and Ciroc both cite that their flavored vodka does not contain carbs. Most tequila is made from the agave plant and is commonly made at 40% alcohol per volume. There are not too many flavored tequilas on the market, so you don’t have to worry too much about added sugars or carbs. Note that some tequila producers do mix their tequila with other alcohols. Rum is generally made from sugarcane or molasses, and comes in a variety of styles. It’s also zero carbs and zero sugar, but you need to watch out for flavored rums and rums with additives. Normally, the darker the rum the richer the flavor is, and the older it is. Gin is made from a grain base and typically runs about 35% alcohol by volume.
Alcohols to Avoid
- Cider: Cider is primarily made from the fermentation process of fruit juices (more dominantly, apple juice). While there are no ciders that are low-carb, there are many brands that are releasing flavored seltzer water mixed with alcohol. These are typically as close as you’ll get to cider - but if you’re a true cider fan then it may not be a great alternative. Instead, think of it as a crisp and refreshing drink.
- Port/Sherry: These are also known as dessert wines and include all types of port, sherry, and sauternes. They have a very high sugar alcohol, commonly averaging over 13g carbs for just a 3 oz serving.
- Sweet Wines: Much sweeter than dry wines, these are typically enjoyed with dessert and are a bit lighter than port or sherry. These include Moscato, auslese riesling, tokaji, and malvasia wines.
- Sangria/Margarita Mix: Typically sangria mixes and margarita mixes have over 10g carbs per 1.5 oz serving (a shot worth).
- Wine Coolers/Alcopops: The most common of these are Smirnoff ice - they’re essentially sugar-laden soda with alcohol in them.
- Liqueurs: Usually a combination of alcohol and a simple syrup (made from sugar), these are extremely high in carbohydrates.
- Fruit Juice: It’s very common for bartenders to make drinks with cranberry, orange, pineapple, tomato, and melon juices.
- Syrups: Similar to the syrups at coffee shops, these are typically made with a lot of sugar content in them.
- Fruit toppings: Many drinks are topped with berries or have wedges of orange or pineapple in them.
The Broader Picture: Alcohol and Health
Alcohol does have some health benefits, so you don’t have to feel too bad when you have a glass of wine or a shot of liquor. As a general rule of thumb, liquor will always be the best thing to consume if you’re watching your carb count. Typically liquor with 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof) or higher will have 0g net carbs.
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Red wine is closely tied to the “French Paradox,” a phrase that refers to the observation that French has low rates of heart disease. There can be some truth in this, as many studies have shown that moderate consumption of red wine can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. There are also studies that link red wine to the reduced risk of dementia, depression, and type 2 diabetes in women. While most will tout the health benefits of red over white wine, there are some great reasons to drink white wine too. Besides this, there are studies by the Buffalo School of Medicine which showed long-term white wine consumption improving lung health.