Sometimes it can be hard to know what you are allowed to drink when you are on a keto low carb diet. The simple answer is water, drink water as often as possible. You can add some taste to your water by e.g. adding a few drops of lemon.
glas of water
Carbonated water or soda
Carbonated water is also good but be careful of the flavored varieties that have emerged in recent years – some sweetener or fruit juice could have been added so be sure to read the ingredients. If you are used to drinking soda, it is best to quit instead of choosing light variations that are sweetened with sweeteners. Firstly, sweeteners not very beneficial for the body, and it can make it difficult to get rid of your need for other sweet things.
Milk
Milk contains a limited amount of carbohydrates (around 5% for standard milk) but beware that the total amount of carbohydrates is quite high.
5% carbohydrates means that 1 cup of milk contains 5 grams of carbohydrates. A large glass of milk then becomes almost as many carbs as you should eat in a whole day if you want to lose weight.
Many are content to have a splash of milk in your coffee and avoid drinking milk just because it can easily become too much carbohydrates. If you really need to put something in your coffee or tea then it is a better option to add some fat cream instead of milk.
Coffee and Tea
Coffee and tea you can drink as much as you want. Coffee contains a small amount of carbohydrate (0.3%). Tea usually contains no carbohydrate at all. Beware of the milk would be as drinking a latte so if it is a lot of milk it also means many carbohydrates. You can choose cream instead of milk.
Juice
Fruit juice should be avoided as they contain high levels of carbohydrates, mainly in the form of fructose. You should also avoid all Juices that claim they are low on carbohydrates. In all of these cases they have added on other sweeteners which still are not good for you.
Alcoholic drinks
Beer is not one to recommend if you are on a keto low carb diet. Beer contains maltose, which is quickly absorbed by the body and 20-40% of the energy come from carbohydrates (depending on strength). Wine you can drink occasionally. It is important not to choose the sweet wines.
Alcohol drinks are okay if you choose varieties that are not sweetened. Vodka contains eg 0% carbohydrates. Alcohol intake (for all drinks containing alcohol) may disturb the weight loss. If you are really serious with your keto low carb diet you should stay away from all kinds of alcoholic drinks.
glas of beer
Hope this guide has helped you in what you can drink when you are on the keto low carb diet. Since there are many other drink options out there we could not cover them all but the general rule is, if there is any carbohydrates or other sweetener you should avoid it.
Johan Bengtsson
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