Can You Drink Beer On Keto? The Best & Worst Beers For Your Diet
Can you consume beer on keto? This is a question that you might ask when you first start the ketogenic diet. This article will discuss whether it's okay to drink beer while following the keto diet. We also included which beers are keto-friendly and which ones you should avoid.
The Benefits of Keto
The ketogenic diet has been a popular weight loss option in recent years. It makes the body consume fat as energy because of the depletion of sugar reserves, which leads to the production of ketones that fuels our body.
Keto is perhaps most known as a weight loss diet. Aside from boosting metabolism, it also allows filling foods that can reduce hunger-stimulating hormones. By minimizing those hormones, a person's appetite can be reduced, which can further help with weight loss.
A lesser-known benefit of keto would be to improve acne. Acne is caused by various factors, but it can also be linked to your food intake and blood sugar. Consuming foods that are high in carbohydrates can affect one's skin health negatively. Since the keto diet limits carb intake, it can also improve a person's acne problems.
Some research claims that a keto diet can help reduce cancer risks, improve heart health, and protect brain function. However, further studies and research are required to verify and confirm it.
Can You Consume Beer While on Keto
Sticking to the keto diet doesn't mean giving up your favorite drinks, but it will require making some adjustments. Choosing alcoholic beverages with fewer carbs will help you remain within daily limits and still enjoy a good can every once in a while.
If you're following a keto diet, it's vital to avoid high-carb drinks. A typical daily allowance is 20-50g of carbohydrates per day, and even then, there are limits as to what can be consumed in meals or drinks. Some types of keto diet even suggest that you should not drink alcohol on keto.
However, if it fits your daily carb intake limit, it is possible still to drink some low-carb alcoholic beverages for that day.
Additionally, suppose you are using the keto diet to treat a medical condition like diabetes. In that case, not consuming alcohol on the keto is a must. In such cases, it is essential to talk with and consult your doctor about your keto diet and the food and drink that should be avoided.
Keto-Friendly Beers
A lot of people avoid drinking beer because they think it has too many carbs. But some beers have very low carbs! Choose a more lightweight option to stay within your daily carb allowance and drink responsibly.
According to dietitians, there are now more low-carb beer options than there ever were. There is sure to be a low-carb beer that will please everyone's tastes and preferences. These light beers do not exceed 7 grams and can be managed to fit your daily carb allowance:
- Coors Light Lager Beer
- Amstel Light
- Allagash Saison
- Kona Brewing Kahana Blonde Ale
- BrewDog Vagabond Pale Ale
- Four Peaks Brut IPA
- Lakefront Brewery Eazy Teazy Ale
- Heineken Light
- Tecate Light
There are even more options that are below 4 grams of carbs! Some of these are:
- Budweiser Select 55 Premium Light
- Miller 64 Extra Light Lager
- Michelob Ultra Pure Gold
- Corona Premier
- Natural Light
- Yuengling Flight
- Beck's Premier Light
- Lagunitas Daytime
- Devil's Backbone Bright Tangerine Sparkling Ale
Beers to Avoid on Keto Diet
Most beers have many carbs and are the worst alcoholic drinks while you’re on a keto. This means that standard beers should already be crossed off your grocery list. As stated earlier, it is best to choose light beers because they are usually low-carb alcoholic drinks.
Although it is advisable to double-check a light beer's calories per gram, some brands have around 10 grams of carbs. This much carb is already relatively high, and it might lead you to have a problem with your daily limit.
Potential Health Benefits of Drinking Beer
Beer is one of the most archaic and popular alcoholic beverages in the world. It can be bought from groceries to convenience stores everywhere today.
Most people regard beer as an unhealthy drink. Still, it does contain some vitamins and minerals like magnesium, niacin, and folate. It also has small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and B vitamins. Despite this, the micronutrients present in beers are still incomparable to healthier foods like fruits and vegetables.
It has been found that light to moderating drinking of beer can be linked to some health benefits. One of the most prominent benefits is probably the lower risk of heart disease. Some studies associate light to moderate drinking with a lower heart disease risk.
It is essential to note that this benefit is only linked to light and moderate beer intake, which is up to one drink for women and up to two drinks for men in a day. Heavy drinking can ultimately give an opposite effect, with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
Another possible benefit of light to moderate drinking is improving blood sugar control. From regular to extensive studies, it has been shown that average alcohol intake can help reduce the chances of developing or progressing diabetes.
Like before, this is only linked for up to moderate consumption, and anything further than that can show adverse effects. Additionally, this benefit is inapplicable to beers with high amounts of sugar. Some other notable potential benefits are improved bone strength and a lower risk of dementia.
Adverse Effects of Beer
Beer starts to have downsides to your health and wellness when consumed heavily. It can be hazardous to have too much alcohol intake or do binge drinking.
The most alarming adverse effect of drinking many alcoholic beverages is the higher risk of death. Another famous downside is the possible dependence or addiction to alcohol, which can be attributed as the root cause of these adverse effects.
Once one develops an addiction, it is likely to lead to heavy and uncontrollable alcohol consumption. Other unwanted effects on your body are weight gain and an increased risk of liver disease and cancers.
It is best to keep your daily intake of alcohol low or moderate to prevent these harmful results. Consume only one occasional drink for women and one to two occasional drinks for men to reduce the risk of these adverse effects.
How Does Beer Affect Keto?
Like every other diet, one must stick to the rules and guidelines of the program. In this case, following the daily carb limit is essential to achieve and maintain ketosis.
To limit your daily carb intake and not exceed the allowance, strong determination and self-control are needed. The usual amount and kinds of foods and drinks you were used to consuming are now significantly reduced.
It is no secret that alcohol can cloud one's mind and judgment. Especially for people with low alcohol tolerance, drinking beer can make your willpower waver and lead you to choose to eat or drink something you shouldn’t accidentally.
Suppose you think this can be a possibility for you. In that case, you can avoid consuming alcohol on keto or just sip on rare occasions or in moderation.
It is also worth considering that there is a chance that your body will use energy from the alcoholic drinks first before utilizing the ketones. Thus disrupting the desired outcome and affecting your overall diet.
Lastly, as your carb intake is significantly reduced, you may feel drunk easily and quickly. This is because your body has very few carbs which help absorb some of the alcohol.
Does Alcohol Affect Weight Loss?
Yes, consuming alcohol on keto will directly and indirectly affect your goal of fat burning. It will affect your diet in such a way that it slows the rate of your ketosis.
But more importantly, it indirectly affects your weight loss in multiple ways. Alcohol suppresses fat burning in your body and increases it by storing unwanted extra calories as fat tissues. Some studies also found that increased daily alcohol drinking is linked to significant weight gain.
Moreover, when you drink alcohol on keto, it might make it harder for you to resist non-keto foods. Being intoxicated can ultimately lead one to overeat unhealthy foods.
Drinking Beer on Keto FAQ
1. Will drinking beer stop the ketosis?
No, you can drink alcohol and still stay in ketosis, but there are some unwanted effects. To simply put it, consuming an alcoholic beverage like beer will slow down your rate of ketosis and your overall progress.
The objective of the keto diet is for the fatty acids in your body to be converted into ketones. Unfortunately, alcohol can also be converted into ketones.
Once the alcohol enters your system, your liver will process it as soon as possible. It means that inevitably, the alcohol will be the first to be converted and not the fats.
2. Does drinking beer while on a keto affect hangovers?
Yes, drinking while on a keto diet will worsen your hangover. As stated earlier, being in the state of ketosis and having fewer carbohydrates in your body will significantly lower your alcohol tolerance to almost zero. Having a low alcohol tolerance and being easily intoxicated means an intense hangover.
3. How much beer should I consume while in keto?
As we have established some adverse side effects, it is best not to drink daily. Even then, try to stick to just one drink a day. Even when not in keto, it is still medically recommended to drink in moderation.
Conclusion
Knowing which foods and drinks are suitable for your body is essential when you are on keto. Hopefully, this article helped you become aware of the beers you may or may not consume while on this diet.
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