{"id":1183,"date":"2017-05-25T09:40:40","date_gmt":"2017-05-25T09:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/?p=1183"},"modified":"2019-05-24T09:41:27","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T08:41:27","slug":"low-carb-drinking-best-worst-alcohols","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/low-carb-drinking-best-worst-alcohols\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-carb drinking: The best and the worst alcohols"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve put together a guide designed to help you do a girl’s or guy’s night out without compromising a healthy, low-carb diet.<\/p>\n

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Drinking alcohol\u00a0while low-carb(-ing)<\/strong><\/p>\n

One thing you need to be aware of when drinking on a low-carb lifestyle is how much more the alcohol will affect you. Depending on your weight and how much you drink, alcohol can hit a low-carb dieter a lot faster and stronger.<\/p>\n

This is because alcohol inhibits the liver’s production of blood glucose – which is already tempered by the low-carb diet – thereby increasing risks of hypoglycemia.<\/p>\n

Carbs in alcohol\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are following a low-carb diet for optimal blood glucose control then the carbs from alcohol beverages you drink should be accounted for\u00a0or recorded it into your food diary.<\/p>\n

Certain alcohols, especially mixture of alcohols like margaritas or long-island iced teas, can pack up to 800 calories and 50 carbs a drink \u2013 which is a little under half of the recommended daily average low-carb intake. Unmixed alcohols are a more reasonable choice, with about three carbs per drink.<\/p>\n

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Alcohol, low-carb induction and weight loss goals\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alcohol is a nutrient treated differently by the body. When alcohol is in the system, it has to be burned over anything else. Therefore, the body will momentarily stop burning fat, like it normally does on low-carb, to burn off the alcohol first.<\/p>\n

If one of the reasons you went low-carb was to lose weight, it is preferable not to drink alcohol during the first few weeks when you’re just starting to limit the types of drinks and foods you’re having. You can, however, introduce it later in small doses.<\/p>\n

Eating out and alcohol\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The combination of junk food (like wings, foods that are fried in vegetable oils, or foods with breadcrumbs coating) that contain some carbs plus the alcohol can cause, for reasons explained earlier, all of the extra calories coming in to get easily stored rather than burned for energy.<\/p>\n

So it’s important to be more\u00a0selective when it comes to your drink and food pairings if weight loss is one of your objectives on low-carb.<\/p>\n

Low-carb alcoholic beverages\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before you go to the bar, it may be a good idea to have an idea\u00a0of which alcoholic beverages\u00a0pack the most carbs and those who don’t.<\/p>\n

Although most alcohols contain a pretty good amount of carbs, they’re not all created equal. Let’s see how they compare with each other:<\/p>\n

Hard liquors <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hard liquors, like vodka and tequila, are one of your best options.<\/p>\n

One once of tequila is only about 60 calories and zero carbs. The only caveat\u00a0is when fruit juices, like cranberry juice or orange juice, are added (it adds 30 carbs or more to that drink) so look out for those.<\/p>\n

This isn’t to say that you should drink unreasonable amounts of hard liquor straight up. Just try not<\/em> to choose the flavoured or syrup-based kind of hard liquors.<\/p>\n

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Cocktails<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

If you want to have a cocktail, try to stay away as much as possible from really fruity and sweet drinks, like certain martinis.<\/p>\n

The same rule applies to soda-based cocktails, like rum and coke or vodka cranberry. These mixed drinks have a lot of sugar in them.<\/p>\n

Try and get diet versions of these sodas instead and if you are sensitive to artificial sweeteners in sugar-free sodas, just mix the alcohol with water or ice.<\/p>\n

Wine and champagne<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sparkling wine such as Prosecco and Champagne (which contains about 1.5g carbs per 125ml), are on the lower end of carbs making them a better low carb option.<\/p>\n

Other white wines that are less sweet, such as a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, are also a good choice.<\/p>\n

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Best low-carb wine list<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carb counts in wine are going to vary by brands and varietals, but here’s a list of the best you can have:<\/p>\n

Red Wines (5 oz serving)<\/p>\n