Although much of the focus for those of us following the keto diet is on food, what you drink shouldn’t be overlooked. This is especially true in the beginning as our bodies get used to this new way of life.
While many drinks are great for keto, several can have the opposite effect.
For example, you want to avoid soda and fruit juice as both are high in sugar. High in sugar means That means high in carbs, which is what we’re looking to reduce on keto, not increase.
There are, however, several drinks that should be on any keto dieter’s list.
- Water
Water is the best drink for any diet, period. It keeps you hydrated at the cost of zero calories and zero carbs.
It lubricates your joints, it helps create saliva, it keeps your skin healthy, and it regulates your body temperature. It also helps your brain function at its peak.
In fact, water is so vital that you would not live longer than a week without it.
When you are starting your keto diet journey, keep extra close attention to how much water you’re taking in. Your body will not be storing as much of it as it did during your past carb-heavy dieting days.
When in doubt, drink more.
Once you start getting into the flow of keto, you can scale back the amount of water you drink. By then, you’ll also then have a much better idea of how much you need.
- Tea
Water is, of course, not the only drink that you can have on keto. If it were, this would be one short article. Another beverage that’s excellent to incorporate into a keto diet regime is tea.
Tea is free of calories and, as a result, carbohydrates, and is high in antioxidant flavonoids. This provides significant heart-healthy benefits as your blood vessels end up working more efficiently.
However, it’s important just to add water to your tea bag. If you or whoever is preparing it for you put in sweeteners such as sugar, it’s no up to snuff.
Also, make sure to take into account that many teas have caffeine. This may not affect your keto diet, but it can have a profound effect on your sleep. Good non-caffeinated alternatives are chamomile or melissa teas.
- Coffee
Coffee is similar to tea in that drinking it black provides no adverse health effects. As long as you drink an okay amount as far as caffeine content goes, there’s no need to limit it.
That said, it’s essential to make the same reservations as you would with tea.
Avoid adding sweeteners. This is especially important to be diligent about if you’re heading somewhere like Starbucks – so many of those drinks have excessive amounts of added sugar.
Conversely, heavy cream can be a benefit for us keto dieters – the added fat fits right into it. Just make sure that any heavy cream you’re using is sugar-free.
Note that you can add unsweetened almond milk and other sugar-free non-dairy creamers to your coffee too.
- Bone Broth
One of the drinks things many of us add to our keto diet that we haven’t been consuming before is bone broth.
Bone broth offers zero carbs and a considerable amount of protein. For example, the USDA estimates that one cup of bone broth contains 2-1/2 grams of the stuff.
Bone broth is a soup-like liquid that consists of bones and connective tissues that have been brewed. The bones that are included can vary, sometimes including varieties of chicken, cow, and fish bones.
Some primary health benefits of consuming bone broth are related to its positive impacts on the digestive system and the body’s joints.
And, if you add vinegar to your bone broth, you’ll release even more of its nutrients while enhancing its flavor at the same time.
While traditional broth is an option too, take into account that it offers quite a bit less protein.
- Kombucha
Last but not least on this list of best drinks for keto is kombucha – a type fermented tea. And while it has plenty of benefits, you shouldn’t make it a regular part of your diet since it does include some sugar.
As far as that sugar content goes, make sure to read the label. The amount of it in different kombucha products varies quite a lot. You want to ensure that you have an appropriate amount that keeps you within the keto boundaries.
Despite its sugar content, kombucha has a tremendous number of health benefits. It includes a ton of probiotics and antioxidants and can kill bacteria. Kombucha also increases how many calories you burn, which can help make up for its sugar content.