By the time December rolls around and the decorations go up, so too do the number of social invitations that bombard our inbox at this most wonderful time of the year. When the silly season is in full swing, generally, our alcohol consumption is too. But don’t freak out, because you can still enjoy alcohol on a low carb lifestyle… you just have to be smart about it.
Below is a guideline for choosing low carb alcohols and how to use them.
Low Carb Wines
Opt for dry wines. These wines tend to have 1-2 grams of carbs per standard serving of wine (150ml). Make sure you check the labels on your wine bottles and select wines of at least 12% alcohol by volume (ABV). Here are some common dry wines (with roughly 1-2g carbs per 150ml):
– Cabernet Sauvignon
– Pinot Noir
– Chardonnay
– Sauvignon Blanc
Wines you should avoid:
Avoid dessert wines like ports, madeiras, sauternes, and most sherries as they tend to have a higher sugar content. Riesling and sparkling wines can be dry or sweet, so be cautious with these varieties also.
Low Carb Spirits:
The distilling process removes almost all of the sugar from the following alcohols. These are preferred to be consumed ‘straight’ or if you use a mixer, just make sure it’s a sugar-free, low carb mixer.
– Rum
– Tequila
– Vodka
– Gin
– Whiskey (Bourbon, Rye, Scotch)
– Cognac and Brandy
