Can I really drink alcohol on a low carb diet?
Absolutely! When it comes to adult beverages, there are definitely some better options for those living the low-sugar lifestyle.
- Wine and champagne are relatively low in carbs. Dry red and white wines are better than sweet. In general, a 5 oz glass of wine has about 6 tsp of sugar.
- Mix pure liquors (whiskey, vodka, tequila, gin, etc) with low-sugar beverages such as diet soda, carbonated flavored water (La Croix, Bubly), or soda water with lemon/lime. Avoid sugary mixed drinks, hard lemonade, and wine coolers. Typically, a 1.5 oz shot of liquor will have about 5 tsp of sugar.
- Beer: light beers are better than dark. The darker the beer, the more sugar it will have!
Beer |
Tsp of Sugar |
Bud Select 55 |
2.75 |
Miller 64 |
3.2 |
Michelob Ultra |
4.75 |
Busch Light |
4.75 |
Natural Light |
4.75 |
Miller Light |
4.8 |
Bud Select |
5 |
Keystone Light |
5 |
Coors Light |
5.1 |
Bud Light |
5.5 |
Leinenkugel Summer Shandy |
6.5 |
Blue Moon |
8.2 |
Sam Adams IPA |
8.75 |
- There are numerous options available for hard sparkling seltzers as well!
Flavored Drink |
Tsp of Sugar |
Henry's Hard Sparkling Water |
4.4 |
Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer |
4.5 |
White Claw Hard Seltzer |
5 |
Mike's Lite Lemonade |
5.5 |
Spiked Seltzer |
7 |
Red's Apple Ale |
8.25 |
Mike's Hard Lemonade |
11 |
Also note: HYDRATE! Most people on a low-carb diet need significantly less alcohol to get intoxicated, so be careful when drinking! Try to have a water in-between each alcoholic drink, and don't drink on an empty stomach.