Just because I’m back to low carb, doesn’t mean I shut off my social life, or turn down having a few drinks with friends!
I wanted to update my knowledge beyond my “experience” with my Ketogenic lifestyle in the past – I’ve typically completely avoided any alcoholic drinks because I believed they stalled my weight loss – and I wanted to make sure I had the right information.
Turns out, this statement is not exactly true… Yes, avoiding beer and cider is probably a great idea (I don’t drink much of that anyhow), dry red wine, which is what I typically drink, is actually low carb! Also, and better yet, clear, non-flavored spirits are carb free.
The thing you need to be most concerned with is that while your body is processing the extra ketones from the alcohol (yes, ethanol turns into ketones in your liver!), it stops processing the ketones from your calorie intake, which can slow down weight loss. So, it won’t throw you out of ketosis and likely won’t stall you, provided you are keeping the carb count low, and enjoying in moderation.
Also, and a very important point… a low carb diet can cause you to experience alcoholic affects much faster than if you were eating SAD (Standard North American Diet). Please do be careful, and don’t drink and drive!
Want more info on this topic? Here’s a GREAT website that shows the carb counts of pretty much all alcohol you can find in North America.
I would love to hear your thoughts… comment below!