How to Drink Wine on the Keto Diet

Are you crushing your keto diet, but still longing for that celebratory glass of wine?  Keep reading! Today we’re giving you the details on how to drink wine on the keto diet.

 

Whether you’ve been living that keto life for a while or you’re just getting started, we’re cheering for you! We want people to live life to the fullest. That means eating delicious and healthy foods, being active, and celebrating special moments with a glass of wine. And yes, you read that last part right.

Diets are almost always associated with restrictions on what you can eat and drink. To a certain extent that makes sense, but being so strict isn’t always sustainable. The key is balance. So, how can you drink wine without blowing all your progress? By choosing low-carb / low-sugar wine and drinking smart!

So get out your favorite wine glasses and make sure you know where your bottle opener is. Today we’re telling you how to drink wine on the keto diet.

 

What is the Keto Diet?

Even if you’re not well-read on the subject, you’ve probably seen ads all over the internet for the keto diet. You may even have friends or family members who can’t stop talking about how great it is. So what exactly IS the keto diet?

The keto, or ketogenic, diet is a low-carb style of eating that focuses on moderate protein and higher fat content. Some of its benefits may include losing weight, less hunger, and increased energy. It sounds like a dream, right? Well, it’s actually just science. 

Because you’re eating fewer carbohydrates while still taking in proteins and increased fat levels, your body goes into something called ketosis. This is a metabolic state where your body starts burning fat, from both your diet and your body, for energy.

This diet gets its name from the “ketone” molecules your body releases during ketosis. When your carb intake is low enough, the liver uses fat to produce ketones for fuel. This is important for your brain, which needs LOTS of energy but can only run on glucose or ketones. 

Once you’re in ketosis, your body is mainly fueling itself by burning fat. If your goal is to lose body fat, then this is great! But you also get other benefits like decreased appetite and stable energy levels. Glucose levels are usually more stable on this diet due to the lack of blood sugar spikes associated with high carb foods.

What to Eat on the Keto Diet

While on the keto diet, you can still enjoy many of your favorite dishes. This can include meat, fish and seafood, eggs, cheese, natural fats like butter and olive oil, minimal berries, and vegetables that grow above the ground. It’s recommended to keep your carbohydrate intake under 50 grams each day. While that may have been difficult in the past, now there are even keto fast food options to make staying in ketosis even easier.

The main foods to avoid are carb-heavy items like potatoes, pasta, bread, rice, candy, sugary fruits, and beer. 

But wait…you can’t have a beer but you can have wine? What’s up with that?

Remember, it’s all about those carbs. Most beers are dense in carbohydrates, so it’s best to avoid them. And when it comes to wine, you need to make sure you’re choosing the right wine.

 

How to Drink Wine on the Keto Diet

Just because you can drink wine on the keto diet doesn’t mean you can drink ANY wine. It also doesn’t mean you should binge drink (that’s not good for you regardless of your dietary choices). The key to drinking wine on the keto diet is balance and mindfulness. To help you get started, we recommend following these tips:

 

1. Find a Low-Carb Wine

Reaching for a bottle that’s full of added sugars will get you nowhere fast. When you’re trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle, part of that includes being more mindful of what you put in your body. That also means you need to be more selective with the wine you drink.

The only way to successfully drink wine on the keto diet, without blowing all your progress, is to choose a low-carb, no added sugar wine. Honestly, this is the trickiest part. However, after you find your wine it’s pretty simple.

Look for brands that are transparent about what goes into their wine. You’re looking for low-carb wine with no added sugars. If you can find out the precise amount of carbs, that’s even better. But if you have a hard time finding this information from a brand, it’s best to steer clear.

 

2. Know Your Portions

This is why it’s so important to find out exactly what’s in your wine. Part of the keto diet is making sure to stay under a certain amount of carbohydrates. Just a few too many carbs can pull your body out of ketosis, so find out how many carbs are in each glass of wine. 

It’s also important to remember that while moderate alcohol consumption has some benefits associated with it, once your consumption passes a certain point you lose those benefits. This is where low-alcohol wine comes in handy. It’s recommended to keep alcohol consumption below 24 grams of alcohol each day, which is roughly two 5 oz glasses of wine.

If you’re drinking low-carb, low-alcohol wine, however, you can have that extra glass without blowing your carb count OR your alcohol levels. Yes, please!

 

3. Don’t Binge Drink

Drinking in moderation is important for so many reasons. Like we just mentioned above, once your alcohol consumption passes a certain amount, you lose all the benefits and start to feel the damaging effects of alcohol. That’s one of the main reasons we don’t encourage binge drinking.

The other reason, more specifically for keto dieters, is that binge drinking can mean too many carbs AND it can make it harder for you to avoid those late-night food binges. 

There’s just something so tempting about a greasy pizza or plate of french fries after an evening of excess. Luckily, drinking in moderation and sticking to your healthy meals will help you avoid junk food.

 

4. Drinking Alcohol Effects Ketosis

When your body is in ketosis, your liver is busy using fat to produce ketones. However, when you drink alcohol your liver has to focus on metabolizing the alcohol instead of producing ketones. Essentially, alcohol slows down ketosis. Once your body finishes metabolizing the alcohol, it will go back to producing ketones (so long as your alcohol consumption didn’t include any unnecessary food binges).

Because of this, individuals who are just starting out on the keto diet should avoid alcohol until their bodies have successfully adapted to ketosis. That way it’s easier for their liver to jump back into ketosis after that glass of wine. 

 

5. You May Feel Inebriated More Quickly

Due to the big changes you’re putting your body through, you’ll probably feel the effects of the alcohol much sooner than you’re used to. This diet teaches your body to metabolize everything much quicker, and that includes alcohol. 

Because of this, you may even experience increased sensitivity to hangovers as well. So, when you know you’ll be enjoying a glass of wine later, make sure you drink plenty of water before and after to help your body recover.

 

Pour, Sip, Enjoy!

That’s pretty much it! Moderation may not seem very sexy, but actively choosing what goes into your body gives you more control over your life. There’s a freedom that comes with that kind of power that helps you enjoy life to the fullest. So, find your bottle and enjoy!

Disclaimer

Everyone has different nutritional needs, so the keto diet may not be right for everyone. Anyone with liver or kidney issues, taking medications (such as insulin), or dealing with other moderate to severe health issues should be extremely cautious. 

There’s also a lot of conflicting information available about the sustainability of this particular diet. We encourage everyone to do their own research to help them decide whether this lifestyle is right for them. No matter what though, make sure you consult with your doctor or nutritionist before making any dietary changes.

There are a variety of different diets and lifestyles, so finding the one that’s right for you is important. Also, while this article is focusing on one particular diet, the information about mindful eating and drinking is beneficial for ALL healthy lifestyles. 

 

What Makes OUR Wine Keto Friendly

The hardest part of drinking wine on the keto diet is finding the right bottle. That was something WE struggled with, which is why we created our PALO61 bottles. We wanted to create a low-carb wine with no added sugars that we could drink without the guilt. Now you can too!

You can choose from our delicious PALO 61 Reds, Whites, or Roses that all have less than three grams of carbs and residual sugar per bottle. Plus, all of our wines are below 13.1% ABV, so you can indulge without bingeing.  

Regardless of whether or not you’re on the keto diet, our wines are meant to complement healthy lifestyles that focus on moderation and balance. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and sometimes that means sharing a bottle of wine with friends and family. 

Feel free to share any Keto tips or recipes in the comments so others can enjoy as well! And don’t forget to tag us the next time you snap a pic of your PALO61 bottles for a chance to be featured in one of our stories.

Cheers! Salute! Santé! Salud! Skål!