Keto Drinks Besides Water

Are you on a keto diet and struggling with what you should drink? One of the things keto dieters are often confused about is keto diet drinks. But it doesn’t have to be confusing if you know what to look for. While there may be a lot of commercial options for you out there, you can also choose to make your own keto friendly beverages.

Let’s take a look at what you can drink when on a keto diet other than water, what you should avoid, and whether alcohol is an option for you.

What Can You Drink on a Keto Diet?

The best thing for us to drink when on any diet is water. It is available everywhere and it is essential for your health. We all know by now to drink plenty of water every day. Water can get a bit boring after a while though, so let’s take a look some options for other keto drinks besides water.

Flavored Water

You can start by enhancing your regular water with some simple flavors. Try adding some herbs, like rosemary and lavender, or some lemon or lime juice to make it tastier. You should also throw in some salt to help with your electrolytes.

Sparkling Water

Another option is sparkling water, seltzer, or club soda. These are generally bubbly and have zero calories. You can either drink them plain or add some flavors to make it taste much better.

Coffee and Tea

We all love our coffee and tea and these are the better options for keto drinks, with one major caveat – do not add sugar. This is where you will need to be a bit creative with your additives. You can try one of the many alternative sweeteners that are keto friendly, like stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol. Or just go without. You can get used to the taste of black coffee or tea in time.

For milk alternatives you can try almond, soy, or coconut milk. Just make sure you are buying the unsweetened varieties. Another great additive for coffee is full-fat cream. This is also a great way to boost your fat intake.

The now classic “Bulletproof” coffee is a great option. Add grass-fed butter or ghee and MCT oil to coffee and blend it together with an immersion blender. You can do this with tea also for those that are not into coffee.

Cold brew coffees and cold teas are also becoming a popular choice, especially in the summer months. A favorite of mine is pouring cold brew coffee over ice and adding in some cream. So tasty and refreshing.

If you are purchasing cold teas and coffees check the label and make sure they are not adding sugar or milk.

Keto Friendly Smoothies and Protein Shakes

Keto smoothies and protein shakes are a great way to increase your fat intake and get some important nutrients into your diet. You can easily make your own delicious, low-carb smoothies at home if you have the right equipment.

Some great keto compliant ingredients include MCT oil, high-fat low-carb yogurt, low-carb nut milks, spinach, kale, protein powders, nut butters, berries, cacao powder, and much more. The possibilities are endless.

Keto Drinks Besides Water When Out

When you are out at coffee shops and restaurants you may want to drink something other than water. So, let’s take a look at what you can drink off the menu that is keto compliant.

Believe it or not, you can actually order keto friendly drinks at Starbucks. There are multiple coffee choices available for you at Starbucks such as a plain black coffee, an Americano, and an espresso which all have no carbs. You can also add some almond or coconut milk into your black coffee or choose cold brews that contribute to your fat and protein intake without the addition of sugar and carbs.

What About Diet Soda and Energy Drinks?

Some people really love to drink their sodas and energy drinks and many struggle to get through their day without them. But can you still drink soda on a keto diet? Can you still drink energy drinks? Let’s take a look.

Keto Diet Soda

For your soda drinks you will have to choose diet sodas that have no carbs and sugar. Most “diet” sodas are actually completely free from carbohydrates and only get their sweet taste from sugar substitutes. Substituting a regular soda with diet soda can actually help you decrease the amount of carb intake you consume in your diet each day. This will allow you to continue to drink your soda and remain in ketosis.

Some examples of keto friendly diet sodas include Diet Coke, Coke No Sugar and other zero-calorie sodas that are completely sugar free. The questionable part about diet sodas is that they contain artificial sweeteners. These can be a problem for some people and may in fact be detrimental to our health. They can have a laxative effect when consumed in excess and may increase your sweet tooth and potentially boost your craving for sweet foods and drinks.

Keto Energy Drinks

How about energy drinks? Can you still consume them on a keto diet? Yes, you can actually drink energy drinks but make sure to find sugar-free energy drinks that have fewer carbs. Some examples of keto energy drinks include Red Bull Sugarfree which has only 3 grams of carbs, Rockstar Sugarfree which has zero carbs, and Monster Zero Ultra which has zero sugar and zero calories.

While technically, these drinks are keto compliant, just like with the diet sodas, there may be other ingredients included that are not particularly healthy for us.

In our opinion, caution is best when it comes to these chemically laden drinks. These should only be “special occasion” drinks not “every day” drinks. In the end however, the choice is yours.

A Quick Word on Alcohol for the Keto Diet

There are a number of alcoholic drinks that are keto friendly but a word of warning that alcohol in any form can lead to weight loss stalls. Alcohol is a toxin and your body has to break down and metabolize it to get it out of your system. It is possible to remain in ketosis and lose weight while drinking alcohol, but beware that it can hinder your efforts.

If you still want to drink alcohol and find that it doesn’t hurt your diet too much there are some drinks that you should avoid and some that are keto friendly.

Alcohol to Avoid on the Keto Diet

Steer clear of the following drinks as they are high-carb and not keto friendly:

• Beer – unless you are lucky enough to find a zero or very low-carb one.
• Sweet dessert wines
• Cocktails
• Liquers
• Pre-mixed drinks like alcopops and wine coolers.

Keto Friendly Alcohol

• Champagne and dry sparkling wine
• Dry red wines
• Most unflavored spirits like whiskey and vodka – ensure you drink these neat, with ice or water, or with sugar-free sodas
• Zero or very low carb beer.

Now you have plenty of options for drinks other than water on your keto diet. Just remember to avoid sugary drinks like sodas and juices, keep alcohol to a minimum, and you still need to drink plenty of water as well.

Cheers!