What Are My Best Alcohol Choices on a Low Carb Diet?
Some may think that the focus of this article does not belong in a collection of low carb pages. Some may think that alcohol has no place in a low carb diet plan. Those dieters who choose to abstain from alcohol should feel proud of their great show of self discipline.
For those who yearn to look at alcohol has a low carb food, this article offers some advice. First it provides statistics on one beverage that a drinker might automatically associate with the words “low carb snacks.” That beverage is the light beer.
A comparison of light beer and conventional beer should include mention of both the percentage of alcohol by volume and the amount of alcohol per serving. A light beer has between 2.4% and 4.0% of alcohol by volume. A conventional beer has between 3.2% and 5.0% of alcohol by volume.
Those figures really do not tell the whole story. They do not make clear whether of not a light beer might be included in a low carb diet plan. One really needs to examine the amount of alcohol per serving. That allows calculation of the size of the ingested volume of alcohol that is downed from a single can or bottle. That calculated figure is 0.29 oz to 0.58 oz for light beer and 0.38 oz to 0.60 oz for conventional beer.
Beer and wine contain lower concentrations of alcohol than hard liquor. Does that fact suggest that a dieter should feel free to wash down low carb recipes with beer or wine? Well no, that is not necessarily the case.
Those drinks do have an appreciable amount of carbohydrates. One benefit derived from the drinking of beer and wine surrounds the speed with which the alcohol in those drinks is absorbed by the system. The body absorbs alcohol more slowly when it has been diluted with water, milk or some other beverage.
The body absorbs alcohol from a cold wine or beer more slowly than the alcohol from a drink that has been sitting at room temperature. By the same token, a beverage with carbon dioxide (such as ginger ale or coke) absorbs alcohol more quickly than a drink that has been diluted with water, tomato juice, orange juice or milk.
Of all the alcoholic drinks on the market today, the dieter intent on low carb living should feel the least amount of guilt whenever he or she is drinking a light beer. That assumes, of course, that the dieter has insisted on incorporating alcohol into his or her attempt at adherence to a high protein, low carb diet.
Perhaps the best beverage for the drinker on a low carb diet would be one of the “near beers.” Of course, that might still have a fair amount of glucose. The dieter should read the label carefully before using a “near beer” as a substitute for the real thing. A “near beer” might have a carbohydrate composition that is too close to that of the real thing.
What about spirits? I think they have no carb content and could be enjoyed in a cocktail? Bourbon and Coke Zero, Vodka and Sprite Zero with a twist of lime?
alcohol itself will be burned by the body as fuel before carbs and fats, so they can slow you down. many spirits don’t have carbs; the bourbon relatively low but the coke may add some – watch all foods (this includes drinks) if you’re having stalls and keep it fun!
Spirits have far fewer carbs than even the lightest beer or driest wine, and while the body does burn alcohol before fat, it does so relatively quickly and without a rise in blood sugar. Bourbon, rum, gin, and many other spirits have low carb counts, while unflavored vodka has ZERO. My drink of choice is vodka and caffeine free diet Pepsi, and as long as I imbibe in moderation and without eating a carb heavy meal at the same time I don’t see any decrease in weight loss, increase in blood sugar, or carb cravings.
It’s important to be careful about the use of alcohol in a low-carb lifestyle, but to discount low and zero carb spirits in favor of relatively high-carb light beer is a dis-service to all of us.
I would think that a “Near Beer” is almost the worst of the bunch. Wouldn’t it have all of the carbohydrates, but none social “benefits” of consuming alcohol. If I have it right, alcohol consumption slows down the metabolic effect, but not not taking you out of ketosis since it doesn’t raise blood sugar. While the carbohydrates in the near beer would?
So would a Vodka and Seltzer be better?
.-= Jef´s last blog ..Say Ya-Yo for Low-Carb Mayo =-.
Whisky straight with a glass of water on the side (preferably from the same well the Whisky was brewed from of course
) is definately and at all times more low-carb then any beer. Why would one even consider thinking of Beer before spirits when looking at a low-carb diet?