So, you’re doing the keto diet. Go for it! But there’s one problem: you love wine. Uh oh. However, you don’t need to worry. Drinking wine on the keto diet isn’t necessarily a bad or forbidden thing to do. But, you need to know what wine to drink, and some of the pros and cons of getting your wine fix whilst your body is in ketosis.
“But I’ve heard I shouldn’t drink any alcohol on the keto diet.”
The general advice is that you should avoid alcohol whilst on the diet. This is especially true if you’re doing keto in the short-term.
Why you should avoid alcohol when on a keto diet?
Well, your body will be going through some significant changes in the first few weeks of the diet as it shifts into ketosis. You may experience what’s known as “keto flu”, which includes symptoms like muscle aches, dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Therefore, alcohol probably isn’t the best tonic in this situation.
There are also some other effects that alcohol can have on you during the keto diet that we’ll cover later.
But, it is still possible to drink alcohol whilst doing the keto diet. It’s a matter of drinking the correct type to ensure your body stays in ketosis, and also being aware of how it affects you.
Beers and cocktails are completely off the menu. Both are full of carbohydrates which will knock you out of that super fat-burning zone that makes keto so effective.
Wine, however, is the best type of alcohol to drink whilst doing keto.
Why it is okay to drink wine when on a keto diet?
Because it can be super low in carbs, and also has some great health benefits.
“Great! So I can stock up on all my favorite wines, then?”
Only if your favorite wines are keto friendly!
You see, as much as all wines aren’t created equal, not all wines are good to drink on the keto diet. Some wines have a lot more carbs than others, and therefore should be avoided.
What you want to be going for are dry wines. This is because they have the least amount of carbs in them.
Why dry wines?
Alcohol is produced in wine as the yeast eats up all the sugar in the grapes, converting it into alcohol. Dry wines have a longer fermentation process which means there is very little sugar left in the final product. Sweet wines have a shorter fermentation process which means there is a higher amount of residual sugar left in the wine.
So, how do you know if a wine is “dry” or not?
Well, dry wine is considered to have less than 10g of residual sugar per bottle.
The problem is most wines don’t come with a nutritional information label so it can be tricky to find out if something touted as “dry” is actually low in carbs.
The best thing to do is stick to the following varieties of wine. However, ideal keto wines are not limited to this selection. Also, there will also be some exceptions depending on the particular wine.
Red Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Pinot Noir
White Wine
Chardonnay
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Sauvignon blanc
Wines to Avoid
Dessert wine
Moscato
Sangria
Shiraz
Riesling
Rosé
Zinfandel
If you don’t think you can remember all of this, you can always use a shopping list app with to make sure you’re buying keto friendly wines.
So, what’s better? Red or white?
Neither are bad for keto. They key really is making sure whatever you drink is dry and low in residual sugar and carbs.
But red wine does have some extra benefits compared to white. This is because it has far more antioxidants in it.
The reason red wine has more of these super healthy nutrients is because of the longer the grape skins being left in during the fermentation process. This is what gives red wine it’scolor, but also is the reason it has more antioxidants than white wine.
So, why are antioxidants a good thing?
Well, they “eat up” all the free radicals that our body produces during stress. Getting rid of these free radicals is important because they can cause cell damage and disrupt the functioning of your body. Free radicals have been linked to cancer, arthritis, deteriorating eye-sight, heart disease, and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
In fact, drinking red wine is actually a key recommendation for one of the best long-term weight loss diets: the Mediterranean diet.
“So, I can drink as much dry wine as I want?”
Technically, yes. But having too much of it really isn’t a good idea.
For starters, alcohol hampers your body’s fat-burning function. Whilst drinking dry wine won’t knock you out of ketosis, your body won’t be burning fat effectively until the alcohol is fully out of your system.
Furthermore, because your body has little to no carbs to process, it’ll get straight to work on the alcohol. This means you’re likely to get drunk quicker and feel the effects of alcohol more. Keto dieters have also reported that the hangovers are more intense.
Add to this the fact that alcohol makes you lose your inhibitions and stimulates your appetite, you may find yourself at risk of eating food you shouldn’t.
So, by all means, get your wine fix whilst on the keto diet. But moderation really is key.
“It’s Fine Keto Wine Time!”
So there you have it.
Dry wine is perfectly acceptable whilst on the keto diet. Dry red wine has extra benefits, too.
However, ideally, it’s best to take the advice of avoiding alcohol altogether. But if you do fancy a grape-based tipple whilst on the diet, at least you now know what’s best for you and what will keep you on the keto path to brilliant weight loss.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
