What Alcohol Can You Drink on a Carnivore Diet?

 

In recent years, the carnivore diet has become popular. People praise it as a natural remedy. Many people believe that it will help reduce inflammation.

The carnivore diet provides key nutrients. They will boost the immune system and control weight.

For those who follow a carnivore diet, alcohol is a drink to avoid. However, some people find it difficult to give up alcohol in their daily lives.

So what alcohol can you drink on carnivore diet? The answer depends on each person's carnivore diet.

Assume you're learning about the carnivore diet and want to know the warnings against alcohol when following it, this article is for you.

Learn more: What Can You Drink on Carnivore Diet? List & Discipline

Can You Drink Alcohol on a Carnivore Diet?

 

 

For many people, alcohol has become an important part of life. Nutritionists have warned about the harmful effects of alcohol. Alcohol is a drink that is difficult to give up in social situations.

- For a strict carnivore diet, you should avoid alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is also known as a stimulant and addictive.

Regular drinking will increase appetite. Alcohol interferes with the body's metabolism. Besides, drinking alcohol will affect your memory and cause weight gain.

- For other variations of the carnivore diet, the answer depends on how you stick to it.

For those who are beginning the carnivore diet, it can be difficult to stick to a strict meat diet. They need time to adapt. So, you can consume moderate alcohol. But, If you choose the right drink, you will protect your health.

Learn more: The Ultimate Carnivore Diet Food List: All You Need

Understanding the Carnivore Diet

What is the carnivore diet?

 

 

If you are beginning to learn about the carnivore diet, it indicates your interest in your health. The carnivore diet follows two principles:

- The first principle is to focus on animal products. You can choose meat, eggs, milk, and fish for every meal.

- The second principle is to avoid plant-based foods. You should avoid salads, grains, or other delicious vegetables.

Many advocates of the carnivore diet believe it helps the body to heal itself.

It speeds up your metabolism, helps you absorb the nutrients you need, and makes you healthier.

It also helps reduce information and increase muscle strength. Certain individuals think it achieves weight loss with exceptional success.

Principles for choosing drinks on the carnivore diet

 

 

When it comes to drinks, we recommend being flexible based on the carnivore diet.

- Strict carnivore: You can only consume water, milk, and bone broth. This means that you need to stay away from all alcoholic and sugary drinks on the market.

- Flexible carnivore: Some people beginning or on the keto diet are not too strict. You can drink alcoholic drinks with fewer carbohydrates. Some people are open to organic and natural drinks.

However, this is also controversial among carnivores. If you follow a carnivore diet, choose lower-impact alcoholic drinks. It is best to give preference to organic ingredients and use them in moderation.

Learn more: What Can I Eat On A Carnivore Diet?

Understanding Alcoholic Beverages

 

 

Ethanol makes up alcoholic beverages. It is the substance in fermented drinks like beer and wine. It is also in distilled spirits and refined alcohol.

Today, alcohol is popular and sold in supermarkets. People often know alcohol as a form of entertainment.

That is, it will help you relax, and reduce social stress in daily life. In addition to that role, alcohol also has medicinal effects and religious purposes.

Each type of alcohol will usually have different ingredients. It is a trade secret. However, wine and other alcoholic beverages consist of water, ethanol, and additives.

- Water

- Ethanol: This is the result of fermenting carbohydrates with yeast.

- Additives: Used to add aroma and sweetness to wine.

Principles for Choosing Alcoholic Drinks on the Carnivore Diet

 

When talking about alcohol in the carnivore diet, we need to understand how it affects the body.

Drinking alcohol can affect the metabolism. It makes you gain weight uncontrollably. Alcohol is also known to cause dangers such as cancer and memory loss.

For those who follow a strict carnivore diet, giving up alcohol is a must. Those who follow other carnivore diets should consider drinking alcohol.

Carnivore nutritionists also guide some principles of drinking alcohol as follows:

- Reduce the frequency and amount of alcohol gradually. If you are a drinker, asking you to cut out alcohol is difficult. Therefore, drink alcohol but reduce the frequency and give your body a reasonable rest.

- Drink plenty of water when drinking alcohol. Water will help the liver eliminate toxins in alcohol better.

- Use low-carb and low-sugar wines. The essence of the carnivore diet is to focus on protein and fat and eliminate sugar and carbs. Therefore, you should apply this principle to choose the right alcoholic beverage. Use alternative drinks with natural ingredients and no alcohol.

Alcoholic Beverages You Can Consider on a Carnivore Diet

#1. Whiskey

 

Whiskey, one of the world’s top five spirits, is made from fermented barley, corn, rye, and wheat. This amber or brown distilled alcohol has a 40% ABV. It has a warm, spicy, caramel, grain, wood, and toast flavor.

Producing whiskey involves several steps:

1. Mashing and Fermentation: Grains are processed and mixed with yeast, creating a liquid with 7-10% ABV, known as distilled beer.

2. Distillation: This mixture is distilled to reach 60-70% ABV.

3. Aging: The alcohol ages in oak barrels.

4. Bottling: After aging, it’s bottled at around 40% ABV.

Whiskey is a controversial drink. It derives from grain, so it is often excluded from the menu of strict carnivores.

While whiskey is technically allowed on other carnivore diets. The distillation removes most of the grain, carbohydrates, and sugar from the wine.

The finished whiskey averagely has almost no carbohydrates, 0.1 g of carbohydrates, and 278 calories in 4 fl oz of whiskey.

Learn more: Can You Drink Whiskey on a Carnivore Diet? Can They Coexist?

#2. Vodka

 

It originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is mainly made from water and ethanol. Some have added flavors, like pepper, chocolate, and vanilla, to make a difference.

The process of making vodka is much simpler than Whiskey.

- First, people ferment grains and potatoes to get alcoholic liquid.

- Next, they will distill the mixture 3 times to create a strong alcohol with an ABV of 60 - 70%.

- Finally, people will filter and dilute the pure alcohol with water. Vodka will have different standards for alcohol concentration applied depending on each country.

In the United States, the finished vodka must have an alcohol concentration of 40% ABV.

A 4 fl oz serving of vodka averagely has 259 calories and 0 g of carbs. This fits perfectly with the low-carb, high-calorie principles of the carnivore diet.

It doesn’t have too many flavors, colorings, or other chemical ingredients. Vodka is aromatic and spicy, but not too strong, and contains no sugar.

While vodka is allowed on the carnivore diet, it can also be harmful to your health if you drink too much. So, use alcohol with caution.

Learn more: Can You Drink Vodka on Carnivore Diet? What You Need to Know

#3. Tequila

 

Tequila is a distilled spirit with an alcohol content of 35 - 55% ABV. Fermented agave plants make it. Tequila is mainly produced in the Tequila Guadalajara region, Jalisco state, Mexico.

Depending on the aging time, tequila is divided into 5 types.

- Blanco: White tequila. This is a tequila bottle immediately after distillation without aging.

- Reposado tequila ages for at least 2 months and less than 1 year in oak barrels.

- Anejo: Tequila ages for more than a year but not more than 3 years. It ages in small oak barrels.

- Extra Anejo: Aged tequila. It ages for at least 3 years in oak barrels.

- Cristalino: Made from Extra Anejo. Filter it to remove impurities and color. Usually, this type of tequila is only used to mix cocktails.

Tequila does not include other ingredients and has only one ingredient, blue agave. The distillation process has removed impurities and sugars.

Therefore, it does not harm the dietary principles of carnivores. The nutritional information of 4 fl oz Tequila averagely includes 257 calories. It does not contain sugar, carbohydrates, protein, or other trace elements.

#4. Gin

 

Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage flavored with juniper berries. Producers mainly in the UK and some other European countries make gin.

In the United States, they define Gin as an alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of no less than 40% ABV. It has a characteristic juniper berry flavor.

To produce Gin, people will distill a fermented mixture of barley, grain, and juniper berries. There are many types of Gin in the world with different flavors and colors.

However, we will classify them based on the following 3 basic types:

• A gin distillates in a pot.
• A gin distillates in the column.
• Gin mixed

Gin sold on the market has an alcohol concentration of 35 - 55%. Their main ingredients are ethanol and water. During the distillation process, we removed carbs and sugar. Therefore, people consider it suitable for the carnivore diet.

There are averagely 295 calories in 4 fl oz of Gin. It's the high-calorie, low-carb drink that the carnivore diet is all about.

#5. Dry Wines

 

Dry wine is a type of wine that contains no or little sugar.

The process of making dry wine is similar to other types of wine. Fermented grape juice produces them.

- First, they will select grapes suitable for wine in the wine-growing regions. Then, they will ferment the grapes with yeast.

- People will wait for the yeast to consume all the sugar in the grapes naturally.

- Next, they will press the fermented grape juice. And age it in oak barrels to create flavor.

- The final product is a high-quality dry wine, free of sugar, delicious and beautiful.

Carnivores can have dry wine in their diet because it has little to no sugar. In addition, this diet allows us to aim for drinks with natural ingredients, high in energy, low carb. Dry wine meets this requirement.

There are averagely 179 calories and 1.29 grams of sugar in 4 fl oz dry wine. It also has a much lower alcohol content than permitted spirits such as whisky, vodka, tequila, and gin.

Learn more: Can You Drink Wine on a Carnivore Diet? A Comprehensive Guide

Tips for Drinking Alcoholic Beverages on the Carnivore Diet

 

Here are some tips to help you drink alcohol safely on the carnivore diet.

- Stay away from regular beer/wine. Fermented grains and fruits make it.

- These types of alcohol are very high in carbs and sugar. The carnivore diet excludes these ingredients.

- Switch to low-carb alcohol.

- Don't mix energy drinks with alcohol. Energy drinks enhance the taste of alcohol. However, it increases the carbohydrate content in alcohol. If you want to mix alcohol with other ingredients, use unsweetened versions.

- Set boundaries for yourself. Medical studies consider one drink for women and two drinks for men to be the safe limit of alcohol intake. If you want to drink more, make sure you don't get drunk.

- Use water instead or non-alcohol. When you want to sip something cool during social events, you don't need to drink alcohol.

Alcohol also has some mental benefits such as relaxation, helping to have fun, and increasing courage in life. However, you should also consider your alcohol choice.

To ensure health and safety, you should follow the rules above before any social event.

Who Should Avoid Alcoholic Drinks on the Carnivore Diet?

 

Some strict carnivores refuse alcohol. Other carnivores' diets allow small amounts of alcohol.

However, you should abstain from drinking alcohol in all cases:

- During pregnancy: Alcohol concentration affects your body's metabolism. Therefore, your baby can directly receive a small amount of alcohol.

- Planning a pregnancy: To be able to get pregnant at any time, your body must be healthy and ready. On the contrary, alcohol weakens the body.

- Breastfeeding: Alcohol affects the baby's nerves through the mammary glands.

- Depression or fear: Alcohol increases excitement and courage. For people with negative moods, drinking alcohol can lead to bad results.

- Taking medication: It is best to avoid drinking alcohol when taking medication. It can inhibit the effectiveness of the medication and weaken your immune system against viruses.

If you fall into any of the above categories, stop drinking alcohol temporarily and switch to other drinks. If you find it difficult to stop drinking during this time, you can also consult a doctor.

Potential Risks of Alcoholic Drinks on the Carnivore Diet

 

For normal people, drinking too much alcohol can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis. It also reduces the quality of life.

For people on the carnivore diet, alcohol causes the following effects:

- Alcohol disrupts metabolism. It makes the body focus on metabolizing empty calories while ignoring protein and fat.

- Alcohol causes cravings. It disrupts metabolism, so your body always feels hungry. And you need to eat a lot to supplement this virtual hunger. This causes your body to gain weight quickly.

- It causes headaches and hangovers. If you only focus on drinking alcohol, you will lack energy.

Alcohol also reduces the quality of deep sleep, making your body tired and a hangover. Regular use of alcohol also affects the brain, causing severe headaches.

If you have ever experienced the consequences of drinking too much alcohol, you will understand that alcohol is poison. Be careful.

Alcoholic Beverages You Should Avoid on the Carnivore Diet

#1. Sugary Cocktails

 

Most Americans enjoy sweet drinks every day. Sweet cocktails are their favorite drinks. There are four popular cocktails on the market: sweet, bitter, sour, and salty.

In the 18th century, cocktails appeared and became popular in bars. At that time, cocktails were drunk, hot, warm, and with a little honey added.

Today, it has become the most popular alcoholic drink consumed in bars.

Making cocktails is very easy. People can use whiskey, Gin, Rum, and Tequila and mix them with ice. They can add fruit juice, honey, sugar, milk, and cream.

Nutritional information for a serving of sweet and sour cocktail mix averagely includes 90 calories, 23 g of carbohydrates, and 22 g of sugar.

The sugar content in cocktails is very high. Therefore, it is not suitable for dieters because of its high carbohydrate content.

If you like cocktails, you can switch to bitter and less sweet ones.

#2. Traditional Beer

 

Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting barley, malt, wheat, corn, rice, and oats.

Beer has been around for over 13,000 years. People have used it in religious ceremonies since ancient times.

Today, beer is the most popular drink among Americans. Beer serves as a source of energy and refreshment.

The process of making beer is much more complicated than the process of making wine.

- First, grind grains into a liquid.

- Then, boil this liquid to the appropriate temperature. Adding hops imparts aroma and bitterness.

- Next, we ferment this liquid mixture. Fermentation can last from a week to several months.

- Once fermentation is complete, the yeast settles, leaving a clear beer layer on the surface.

- Finally, the filtration process clarifies the water to finish the beer.

Traditional beer is beer made from only grains and malt. A 120ml serving of traditional beer averagely contains 34 calories and 2g of carbohydrates.

Due to its grain and plant-based ingredients, this product is not recommended for carnivore diets.

Learn more: Comprehensive Guide: Can You Drink Beer on a Carnivore Diet?

#3. Traditional Sweetened Wine and Other Variations

 

To make sweet wine, people will retain as much sugar as possible in grapes and fruits. Some common methods of producing sweet wine are as follows:

- Using ripe sweet fruits and fermenting.

- People can also pick grapes early and dry them in the sun to concentrate the sugar. Next, people ferment them like other types of wine.

- During the fermentation process, people will pause or speed up the fermentation process. This will prevent the yeast from breaking down all the sugar in the grapes.

- Use honey, natural fruit juice, or sugar to sweeten the finished wine.

Regardless of the method used, the goal is to create sweetness for the wine.

For people with sugar problems or on a carnivore diet, it is not allowed. The first reason is that it contains sugar, made from fruit. The second reason is that it disrupts the metabolism.

From absorbing protein and calories from meat and animal fat, the body will absorb calories from plants. This causes a calorie deficit and makes you crave food. Traditional Sweetened Wine and Other Variations also make you gain weight easily.

Alternatives to Traditional Alcoholic Drinks on the Carnivore Diet

#1. Non-alcoholic Beers

 

Non-alcoholic beer is exactly what the name suggests: beer for people who don't like alcohol.

Despite the name, it still contains a small amount of alcohol and is usually divided into three types:

• Non-alcoholic beer: Up to 0.05% ABV
• De-alcoholized up to 0.5% ABV,
• Low alcohol up to 1.2% ABV.

Someone invented non-alcoholic beer in the 20th century. Today, producers make non-alcoholic beer in three main ways:

• Removing alcohol after brewing.
• Before brewing.
• Or by boiling after brewing and filtering.

It’s a great option for those with health concerns who still want to enjoy a beer at social events without a hangover.

With traditional beer flavors, non-alcoholic beer averagely has 99 calories and 20 carbs per 12 fl oz.

It's a good choice for carnivore dieters who want to reduce beer consumption. The alcohol separation process removes sugar and carbs. This helps maintain weight and health goals.

#2. Non-alcoholic Wines

 

Non-alcoholic wine, like its beer counterpart, has little to no alcohol. It tastes similar to traditional wine. Made primarily from grapes, it comes in red, white, rosé, and sparkling varieties.

Non-alcoholic wine was originally made for religious purposes by Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch. Like regular wine, people ferment and age it. Then, a vacuum distillation removes the alcohol.

Some in the strict carnivore community argue that it is too high in sugar and carbohydrates. Most people consider it acceptable because alcohol isolation removes most of the carbs and sugar. With 9 calories and 1.6g carbs per 5 fl oz, non-alcoholic wine is a good, low-carb option for carnivores wanting to cut alcohol.

Learn more: Can You Drink Red Wine on a Carnivore Diet? The Truth

Final Thoughts

 

The carnivore diet focuses on animal-based foods, eggs, and fish. They can drink milk, water, and bone broth. What alcohol can you drink on carnivore diet?

For those on modified carnivore diets, low-carb drinks are options. These include whiskey, vodka, tequila, gin, and dry wine.

They can satisfy alcohol cravings and fit a diet. But moderation is key. Always prioritize your health, as no alcohol is completely risk-free.

Learn more: Best 10 Electrolyte Drinks for Carnivore Diet