Are you living the keto lifestyle? We're confident you've learned everything about keto meals, whether it's keto-friendly breakfasts, keto-friendly lunches, or simple keto dinners. But are you up to date on what you can drink? Not to worry, we've got your back.

Drinks are the most deceptive sources of calories and sugar in our diets. All fruit liquids are sugar-loaded, including freshly squeezed juice, sodas, and even your preferred special coffee beverage. You might wonder what else you can drink if you're on the low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet, other than water, of course.

Water is the healthiest option because it contains no calories, carbs, or additives. However, you might want a drink to boost energy, add flavour and variety, or replace some of your favourite sugary beverages.

Here are the top five picks for the best keto-friendly drinks besides water. 

1. Tea and Coffee 

Many hot beverages, like tea and coffee, are keto-friendly, but you should watch what you add to them. Black, unsweetened coffee and tea are acceptable keto options. 

Heavy whipping cream, unsweetened plant-based creamers, sweeteners with no calories, and sugar-free flavoured syrups are all acceptable additions. Tea is a healthy alternative with a tiny amount of carbohydrates usually less than 1 gram per cup (240 mL). 

• Green Tea

Green tea adheres to the diet while providing much-needed antioxidants and nutrients. Fresh tea leaves are used to make green tea, giving it a fresh flavour, lighter colour, and lower caffeine content. 

• Black Tea

Black tea is prepared from mature tea leaves, which gives it a stronger flavour, deeper colour, and a greater caffeine concentration. It has no net carbohydrates on its own and can be flavoured with heavy cream if desired. Which is, indeed, keto-friendly.

• Herbal Tea

Infusions made from dried flowers, fruit, leaves, or herbs are used to make herbal teas. Hibiscus, chamomile, peppermint, and other plants are examples. Most are low in carbohydrates because dried herbs have little carbs that are steeped in the water.

• Coffee

Coffee is another practical calorie- and carb-free favourite that is keto-friendly. As with tea, what you add to your brew is most important, and it can be drunk hot or cold. Caffeine in coffee may offer your metabolism a tiny boost.

2. Juice

Since most fruit juices are high in carbohydrates (typically and excessively on sugar carbs), it is generally recommended to avoid them when following a ketogenic diet.

• Fruit juice

Fruit juice shouldn't be consumed on the keto diet because it usually contains a lot of sugar. However, there are certain outliers, such as the flavorful but low-carb lemon and lime juices.

• Vegetable juice

On the keto diet, several juiced vegetables can be consumed because they are low in carbohydrates. Juicing some keto-friendly vegetables includes: 

• Celery
• Cucumber
• Leafy greens

Check the label on readymade juices before purchasing them because they could contain sugar or other carb sources.

3. Carbonated drinks

Carbonated beverages and soft drinks frequently include large amounts of sugar or possibly dangerous artificial sweeteners. There are, however, keto-friendly choices. 

• Diet sodas

Although keto-friendly sodas such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi are available, they may not be the greatest option. This is due to the use of artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame, which can harm the beneficial bacteria in your gut and increase sugar cravings, potentially leading to weight gain.  

• Sparkling water

Sparkling water can be naturally carbonated from a mineral spring or artificially carbonated using carbon dioxide gas. Many flavours of sparkling water are available, but they are usually unsweetened, making them a great low-carb alternative.

4. Milk alternatives

Cow's milk isn't advised on the keto diet as it includes natural sugar, but a number of plant-based substitutes are completely OK. If you want to enjoy dairy treats, almond, coconut, and cashew milk are excellent options because they have one or fewer than one gram of carbohydrates per cup. Always pay strict attention to the nutrition label and prefer unsweetened variants.

5. Alcoholic beverages

Although alcohol is likely to sabotage your efforts if you're attempting to lose weight on keto, you may wonder which alcoholic beverages you can drink while still staying in ketosis.  

• Low carb beer

Beer often has a high carb content because it contains wheat carbohydrates that aren't converted into ethanol. However, low-carb beer is produced by either using less wheat or allowing the fermentation process to last longer so that the sugars can be more completely converted into alcohol.

• Hard liquor

Vodka, whiskey, rum, and tequila are examples of hard liquors that are suitable for the keto diet because they are inherently free of carbohydrates. Mixed beverages like mocktails, however, should be avoided because they sometimes include large amounts of sugar from fruit juices or soda.

The bottom line

There are many drinks, including alcoholic ones, that are suitable for those who follow the ketogenic diet. As previously stated, while following a ketogenic diet, you are permitted to consume diet soda, tea, coffee, and other beverages.

A few examples of alcoholic beverages include wine, light beer, and pure alcoholic drinks like whiskey, rum, etc. They pair well with low-carb mixers like seltzer, diet soda, or sugar-free tonic water because they contain few to no carbohydrates per serving.

However, it's best to limit your alcohol consumption regardless of your diet to prevent negative health impacts. Keto meals will be more effective if followed with the right kind of beverage. But before changing your diet, it is usually advised to speak with your dietician.

References: 

https://www.delish.com/food/g23583883/best-keto-drinks/

https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a22627982/low-carb-keto-drinks/

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/drinks

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/keto-drinks-besides-water