If you’re following the low-carbohydrate, high-fat keto diet, you may be wondering what beverages you may consume besides water.
Although water is the healthiest option due to its lack of calories, carbohydrates, and additives, you may desire a beverage to enhance your energy, add taste and diversity, or substitute your favorite sugary drinks.
You might also be interested in keto-friendly alcoholic beverages.
The selections listed below have between 0 and 5 grams of net carbohydrates, which is the total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols. It more precisely depicts the carbohydrates processed by the body.
In addition to water, here are thirteen of the greatest keto-friendly beverages.
Hot drinks
Some hot beverages are keto-friendly, but you must be aware of the ingredients you add. Half-and-half, heavy whipping cream, unsweetened plant-based creamers, zero-calorie sweeteners, and sugar-free flavored syrups are acceptable additions.
You should avoid adding high-carb ingredients such as ordinary milk, sweetened creamers, sugar, honey, and conventional flavoring syrups.
Black or green tea
Tea is a natural beverage with low carbohydrate content, often less than 1 gram per cup (240 mL). It can be served chilled or heated.
Aged tea leaves give black tea a more strong flavor, a deeper color, and a higher caffeine concentration. Green tea, on the other hand, is brewed from fresh tea leaves, giving it a more flowery flavor, lighter color, and lower caffeine content.
White tea, which is prepared from young tea leaves, is another option. Compared to both black and green tea, it has a very mild, delicate flavor.
Moreover, tea is virtually calorie-free and abundant in polyphenol antioxidants. Green tea, for instance, is abundant in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant that may have anticancer properties.
Coffee
Coffee is another popular, keto-friendly beverage that is practically calorie- and carbohydrate-free. It can be eaten hot or cold, similar to tea.
Caffeine, which is present in coffee, may offer your metabolism a tiny boost. Moreover, it contains chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant polyphenol that may possibly promote weight loss.
Herbal teas
Herbal teas are made using dried flowers, fruit, leaves, or herbs. Rooibos, hibiscus, chamomile, yerba mate, and peppermint are among examples.
Little carbohydrates are extracted when dry herbs are steeped in water.
Nonetheless, items with dried or candied fruit bits may have somewhat more carbohydrates. So, you may want to verify the carbohydrate content of packaged tea items prior to purchase.
Tea, coffee, and herbal infusions have minimal amounts of calories and carbohydrates. Choose keto-friendly ingredients to keep the carb count low.
Soft drinks
Often, soft drinks are laden with sugar or potentially dangerous artificial sweeteners. Yet, there are keto-friendly solutions.
Alternative diet sodas
Although technically keto, diet beverages like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi may not be the greatest option.
This is because they include artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame, which may harm the beneficial flora in your gut and increase your sugar cravings, leading to possible weight gain.
In contrast, a number of diet sodas are created with zero-calorie sweeteners sourced from natural sources, such as stevia or erythritol, a sugar alcohol derived from corn that has fewer negative side effects than artificial sweeteners.
Sparkling water
Sparkling water is either naturally carbonated by mineral springs or manufactured using carbon dioxide gas.
Many flavored sparkling water options are often unsweetened, making them a good low-carb option.
Diet Coke and carbonated water are often free of net carbohydrates. Instead of artificial sweeteners, choose soft drinks sweetened with stevia or other natural zero-calorie sweeteners.
Juices
In general, juice should be avoided on the ketogenic diet, however, there are a few exceptions.
Fruit juice
Often high in sugar, fruit juice is incompatible with the ketogenic diet.
But, there are exceptions, such as lemon and lime juices, which are low in carbohydrates and bursting with taste. You can use them to enhance the flavor of plain water or other beverages, such as hot or iced tea.
Vegetable juice
Certain vegetable juices are low in carbohydrates and can be consumed on a ketogenic diet. Keep in mind, however, that unless you consume the pulp, juicing eliminates the majority of the vegetables’ dietary fiber.
The following are some keto-friendly veggies that can be juiced:
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Leafy greens like kale and spinach
If you don’t have a juicer, store-bought juices are sometimes available.
Check the labels of packaged vegetable juices, as they may contain sugar or other carbohydrate sources. In fact, the majority contain at least 10 grams of carbohydrates per serving, making them incompatible with keto.
The majority of fruit juices are high in sugar, however, lemon and lime juices are low in carbohydrates and can be used to flavor other drinks. Moreover, several low-carb vegetables can be juiced.
Flavored waters
Some keto-friendly beverages are flavored with a tiny amount of actual fruit juice, which imparts natural flavor and sweetness while keeping the carbohydrate count reasonably low — typically 1–5 grams of net carbs per serving.
In addition, you can add liquid or powdered zero-carb water enhancers to tap or bottled water. They are available in a variety of tastes, and while most contain artificial flavors and sweeteners, others are unsweetened or produced with stevia.
Some keto-friendly beverages contain trace amounts of genuine fruit juice for flavoring. You can also choose liquid or powder water boosters that are keto-friendly.
Milk alternatives
Although cow’s milk is not suggested on the keto diet due to its natural sugar content, a number of plant-based substitutes are totally acceptable.
The following plant-based milk is keto-friendly:
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
- Macadamia nut milk
- Flaxseed milk
These items are excellent for sipping, putting on keto-friendly cereals, and other culinary applications.
Nevertheless, only the variants of these milk that are unsweetened are keto-friendly. Several plant-based kinds of milk are flavored and sweetened, making them incompatible with the ketogenic diet.
Keto-friendly beverages include unsweetened plant-based beverages like almond and coconut milk. However, the sweetened and flavored varieties typically contain too much sugar to be diet-friendly.
Energy Drinks
Certain energy drinks are OK for the ketogenic diet, although many popular brands contain artificial sweeteners. As a result, you may wish to select one of a few beverages that utilize natural sweeteners such as stevia.
You should be aware that energy drinks can be harmful to the brain, heart, and liver, particularly in adolescents. Rarely, they are associated to cardiac failure.
If you opt to consume these beverages sometimes, keep in mind that they contain caffeine. The majority of energy drinks contain 150–200 mg of caffeine per 16-ounce (475 mL) can, which compares to the safe daily threshold of 400 mg for the general population.
The finest keto-friendly energy drinks contain stevia or other zero-calorie natural sweeteners. Caffeine consumption should be limited to fewer than 400 mg per day.
Sports drinks
Electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, are present in sports beverages like Gatorade and Powerade to assist replenish those lost through sweat.
Electrolyte supplements and fluid rehydration are essential for persons who engage in strenuous activity or workouts in the heat. Electrolyte loss from perspiration can worsen dehydration and cause muscle cramps and headaches.
Electrolyte beverages may also aid in the prevention of the keto flu, a cluster of symptoms including lethargy, headaches, and muscle cramps that may occur when beginning the ketogenic diet.
Despite this, the majority of sports drinks are filled with sugar. Gatorade Zero and Powerade Zero are also excellent keto-friendly beverages, however, they include artificial sweeteners.
Other solutions include stevia-sweetened electrolyte powders that can be mixed with water.
Sports drinks can help replace electrolytes lost during exercise and alleviate the symptoms of keto flu. Instead of low-carb sports drinks with artificial sweeteners, opt for electrolyte powders sweetened with stevia.
Alcoholic beverages
Although alcohol is likely to hinder your efforts if you’re trying to lose weight on the ketogenic diet, you may still be curious about which alcoholic drinks you can consume while remaining in ketosis.
Consider that these beverages contain calories from alcohol and fat.
Low carb beer
Beer is often high in carbohydrates because it contains unfermented sugars from wheat.
Nevertheless, low-carb beers are manufactured by either using less wheat or allowing a longer fermentation period to convert the sugars more completely into alcohol.
Budweiser Select 55, Michelob Ultra, and Miller 64 have between 2 and 3 grams of net carbohydrates per 12-ounce (355 mL) bottle, making them among the lowest-carb beers.
Hard liquor
Strong liquors such as vodka, whiskey, rum, and tequila are inherently devoid of carbohydrates and are therefore suitable for the ketogenic diet.
But, you should exercise caution while consuming mixed drinks, as they are sometimes filled with sugar from fruit juices and soda. Also, you should examine the labels of flavored liquors for additional sugars.
For low-carb beverages, try drinking hard liquor neat or with zero-carb mixers such as diet soda or seltzer water. Tonic water has added sugar and should therefore be avoided.
Low carb hard effervescent
You may also select low-carb hard seltzers, which consist of flavored seltzer water or sparkling water with added alcohol.
If you’re gluten-free, you’ll want to examine the label carefully, as many of them include malt liquor.
Low-carb beer, hard seltzers, and hard liquor are all compatible with the ketogenic diet. But, you should be cautious with mixed beverages, as they sometimes contain sugar from soda or fruit juice.
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