Is Wine Keto and Good for Your Gut?
For some people, the thought of not being able to drink a nice glass of wine is enough to stop them from trying out the Keto Diet. In this blog post, I will be sharing the carb content of some wines and explaining what the effects of wine on Ketosis are.
By the end of this, you will know if it’s possible to have a glass of Cabernet sauvignon or Italian pinot grigio wine with your Keto-friendly dinner at night. You may be shocked at what I share.
What Is Keto & Ketosis?
To put it simply, the Keto diet can be best described as a low-carb & low toxins diet that includes high-fat foods. Some foods to eat on a Keto diet include seafood, cheeses, meat, nuts, and natural yogurts that don’t contain sugar. Keto and Gluten-free are not the same, so adding in a gluten-free piece of bread is not allowed in the Keto diet.
Following this diet, your body will eventually go into Ketosis, which is a result of a low-carb intake. When this happens, your body starts to use fats for fuel, and at this point, some people begin to report weight loss, cognitive benefits, and more. On the flip-side, you have to be careful on a Keto diet because side effects are quite common. They may include Keto Flu which can happen at the start of the following diet, and this includes headaches, fatigue, and general brain lethargy.
Is Wine Keto?
Giving up your favorite foods is the hardest part of starting Keto for most people, and if you are a wine lover, you will want to know if wine is Keto or not. Not all wine is the same, so before choosing a wine for Keto, you should know a few things about the carb content first. Other alcohols that include zero carbs are Vodka, Whiskey, Gin, Tequila & Brandy.
A 100g glass of high-quality wine, on average, should have less than 3g of carbs and 1g of sugar which makes it Ketogenic. The occasional glass of wine is okay for someone on the Keto diet, but you shouldn’t drink too much. The carb content of wine does vary, so always be sure to check the ingredient label or contact the wine manufacturer.
Dessert Wine, for example, is a bit of an outlier with up to 40g of carbs per 5 oz glass, so this wine is not Keto. The best wine for Keto is sparkling white wine since it has just 1.5g of carbs per 5 oz. Drinking a small glass of white wine is okay for Keto. Be careful with Port & fortified wines as well since they can often be high in carbs.
Can Wine Stop Ketosis?
The whole point of the Keto diet is to prioritize the burning of fats for energy over other compounds that are created from not only carbs. Alcohol can create toxic byproducts that the liver and body must burn off.
It’s hypothesized that because of this extra work your body goes through, Ketosis can then, as a result, get thrown off. More studies are needed to back up this claim, and it is thought that a small glass of good quality organic white wine, for example, shouldn’t stop Ketosis for most people.
Keto And Constipation
People on the Keto Diet also often report constipation when cutting out high-fiber carbs, but not everyone has constipation, with some people reporting better poops. There is also a link between red wine and gut health since red wine contains polyphenols which have been shown to be good for the gut microbiota.
If you experience constipation on the keto diet, try to cut down on dairy, increase water intake, eat more fiber and try probiotic supplements but don’t take probiotics at the same time as wine since wines like Zinfandel, for example, may kill probiotics. Make sure to leave a several-hour window before drinking wine and consuming probiotics if you have Keto constipation and are a wine lover.
Final Thoughts
Only drink alcohol if you are legally aged to do so, and always drink responsibly. There aren’t any studies on the effects of wines like Merlot, Nebbiolo, Sauvignon blanc, or Gewürztraminer on Ketosis, but the carbohydrate content of wines is public knowledge.
Through this data, we can assume that a small glass of white wine is the best for Keto and won’t pull your body out of Ketosis. Be careful with mixer drinks as they are high in sugar, and always consult your doctor if you have any questions about Keto and Alcohol. This blog content is not medical advice.
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