I get it – games and alcohol are related. After all, how many live gaming events, especially within the table-top and board gaming communities, take place in pubs? How many “I get drunk while playing” streams have we seen? Whether this association is a good thing or not isn’t the subject of this article. The point is that some of you going keto fear losing the ability to drink alcohol.
So, should you drink on the ketogenic diet? The answer is more complicated than the storyline of Metal Gear, however, the short answer is, in moderation, yes you can.
The long answer requires going over what alcohol does to the body and how it pertains to ketosis. How can the drinks themselves kick you out of ketosis faster than you can say “Lesser Restoration?” Keep reading!
Liver’s role in Ketosis
The carry when it comes to ketosis is the liver – that large, dark, organ in your body that is responsible for storing fat and purging toxins from the blood. The liver burns ketones in the blood when there is no glucose
More information on the keto process can be found here: https://ketobytebrews.com/keto-what-the-is-it/
When there is Alcohol
While doing shots with buddies or getting drunk playing Euro Truck Simulator, the alcohol enters your blood through the intestines to be processed by the liver. The enzymes involved break the alcohol down from the toxic acetaldehyde to digestible acetate, which comes from the liver. Once acetate is circulating in the body, the liver further breaks it down for fuel.
So If Both are Done by the Liver
Yes, you see it too! While you’re drinking the liver is getting that alcohol out while still needing to burn fat into ketones. Much like in an actual 2v1, there is extra strain and stress on the liver. Combined with the fact that acetete can also be broken down as fuel, and you can see that, while alcohol in of itself does not kick you out of ketosis, the process will slow down.
Fat cells also help in breaking down alcohol, which are in reduced numbers. The absences of these fat cells lowers your alcohol tolerance, meaning you will get drunk faster than Sonic.
Now, does this mean you need to avoid alcohol entirely? Well, no more than someone not doing keto. You should drink alcohol in moderation and responsibly.
Keto and Alcohol Stragety Guide
Somethings to keep in mind, Including things you should already be doing, keto or not.
- Pace yourself. Easy way to do this is to order water in between drinks.
- Stay hydrated. Makes it easier to purge the acetaldehyde.
- Hard Liquor and Spirits are the most keto-friendly options with next to no carbs per shot
- The worst option: Cocktails. Most tend to have juice and simple syrups in them
- The next worst option: Beer. Lads, it’s bread soda!
- If doing mixed drinks like rum and coke, try to use the diet version of the pop.
- Remember to stick to the safe consumption levels: this is about 4-5 drinks in one day and no more than 8-15 per week. Men tend to have a higher tolerance than women
- If you feel sick, stop drinking! Nausea, especially vomiting, is an early sign of alcohol poisoning.
Now, this site does have recipes for keto drinks. Check them out, including this Keto-Imitation Baileys!
.Sources
- https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy/articles/can-drink-alcohol-on-keto-diet
- https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/alcohol-abuse/alcohol-and-ketosis/#:~:text=When%20alcohol%20is%20consumed%20during,essentially%20slowing%20the%20ketosis%20process.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6527027/#:~:text=After%20alcohol%20is%20swallowed%2C%20it,exposed%20to%20enzymes%20and%20metabolized.
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/alcoholinduced-liver-disease#:~:text=The%20liver’s%20job%20is%20to,long%2Dterm%20unhealthy%20alcohol%20use.