On the keto diet, you might be wondering which keto-friendly drinks (i.e. low-carb drinks) I can have and keep the body in ketosis.
Hence, you may want to drink these drinks for multiple reasons, such as to increase energy, provide some flavour and variety to your daily drink, or substitute some of your favourite sugary drinks.
In general, your main drinks should be low-calorie or no-calorie; It is better if your drinks are as simple as water, coffee and tea.
Did you know?
Proper hydration is the key to a successful diet. Consuming enough water, tea, and other healthy drinks is important regardless of your diet, but drinking enough keto-friendly drinks is especially important for someone on the keto diet.
Which keto-friendly drinks are allowed?
Most keto-friendly drinks are based on good nutrition through health benefits. Such as (vitamins and minerals).
* Here are the best 8 keto-friendly drinks:
1. Water
In the ketogenic diet or any other balanced diet, water is the best option, as it is the first source of hydration, and very useful for the digestive process, as it fights fatigue and cravings for food.
Water is one of the most keto-friendly drinks. Therefore, you must drink a lot of water constantly throughout the day.
2. Coffee and Black or green tea
Do you need a hot drink in the morning? Or for a little energy, we recommend drinking some tea or coffee. (Just don’t add any sugar.)
- Tea is good for the keto diet, as it is calorie-free and full of antioxidants.
- Coffee is one of everyone’s favourite drinks, as it is free of calories and carbohydrates, as it contains caffeine, which boosts the metabolism a little, and antioxidants that help in losing weight. Hence, it is among the most keto-friendly drinks.
3. Soft drinks
They usually contain sugar or harmful artificial sweeteners, but there are keto-friendly options such as:
- Alternative diet soda: Many diet sodas are made with natural, zero-calorie sweeteners such as stevia or erythritol.
- Sparkling water options (carbonated water) are an ideal way to hydrate because they are completely free of calories and carbohydrates, like La Croix. (it is extracted naturally from a mineral spring or during manufacturing with carbon dioxide gas.)
4. Flavoured drinks of water
There are some flavoured keto drinks. Keto-friendly water flavours can be chosen in liquid or powder form with small amounts of natural fruit juice. (While keeping carbohydrates low.)
5. Juices
Avoiding juice on keto is generally a safer option, but there are some good options such as:
Vegetable juice: Some juiced vegetables are low in carbs and can be included in the keto diet, such as celery, cucumber, and leafy greens like cabbage and spinach.
Fruit juice: Like lemon and lime juices, it is low in carbohydrates and full of flavour.
6. Non-dairy milk alternatives
You may need to exclude non-dairy milk from the keto diet, but you can substitute it with keto-friendly milk. We recommend ensuring that the ingredients do not contain sweeteners or additives such as carrageenan.
Regular milk, whether full-fat, low-fat or skimmed, is forbidden on the keto diet. Because there are about 12 grams of carbohydrates in one cup of milk.
* Great non-dairy milk alternatives to drinking like
- Macadamia nut milk
- Coconut milk
- Almond milk
- Flaxseed milk
- Cashew Milk
- Soy milk
Unsweetened plant-based drinks like almond and coconut milk are keto-friendly drinks.
But many types of plant-based milk are flavoured and sweetened, which makes them not suitable for a keto diet unless you prepare them yourself at home.
7. Energy drinks
Most energy drinks are high in sugar because popular brands use artificial sweeteners. Others use drinks that are low in carbohydrates and sugar (using natural sweeteners like stevia is a good option).
If you need to improve your energy, we recommend looking for “sugar-free” or “low-carb” drinks.
You should therefore read the labels of the drinks you drink carefully to ensure that the amount of carbohydrates fits into your ketogenic diet.
Here are some of the most popular keto-friendly drinks to boost your energy:
- Red Bull Sugar-free
- Red Bull Total Zero
8. Sports drinks
Most sports drinks are full of sugar. But we have two solid options for keto-friendly drinks, such as:
- Gatorade zero (no sugar)
- Powerade Zero (no calories)
Powerade and Gatorade contain electrolytes (such as potassium and sodium), which can help you replace fluids lost during a workout.
Drinks To Avoid While On Keto
In general, it is best to avoid any beverage that brings you close to half of your daily carb limit or even your net carbs limit per serving.
* Here are some of the most common examples of drinks you should avoid on a keto diet:
1. Alcoholic beverages
In general, alcohol can hinder weight-loss efforts on a ketogenic diet, so you may still be wondering what alcoholic drinks you can drink and stay in a ketosis state.
But know that there are also keto-friendly alcohols that are low in carbs and sugar.
2. Fruit juices
* Be careful:
- A cup of apple juice (8 ounces) contains 24 grams of carbs, making it a beverage to be avoided.
- A cup of orange juice (8 ounces) contains 27 grams of carbohydrates.
- Vegetable juices, such as carrot juice, contain about 22 grams of carbohydrates.
3. Non-Diet Soda/Non-Diet Soft Drinks:
These drinks should generally be avoided, as they are high in carbs and sugar, so non-diet sodas are bad choices on keto. It should be avoided for several reasons, the most important of which are:
- It doesn’t necessarily help you lose weight on an ongoing basis or even improve your health in general.
- Sugar addiction, through cravings for sweetened drinks, which hinders your progression on keto.
Final recommendations:
In the end, we would like to stress that many drinks are allowed on the keto diet, but the only necessary drink is water.
Therefore if you wish to drink something other than plain water, be sure to read on its packaging the ingredient label and the nutrition information.
This is because there are many common sugar-rich beverages that in turn, inhibit your ability to get the most out of the ketogenic diet.