Special Diets Low-Carb Diet Center Can You Drink Alcohol on a Low-Carb Diet? Wine, beer and liquor don't have nutrition labels, but don't worry, we did the work for you. Whether you eat keto, have diabetes or just want to cut carbs, keep reading to learn the best drinks for a low-carb diet. By Lainey Younkin, M.S., RD, LDN Lainey Younkin, M.S., RD, LDN Facebook Instagram Twitter Website Lainey is a weight-loss dietitian who helps people ditch diets, change their habits and create a healthy lifestyle that lasts. She has Master's in Nutrition Communication from the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and completed her dietetics training at Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital. She writes on a variety of topics including weight loss, gut health, pregnancy, breastfeeding and trendy diets. When she's not writing or counseling, you can find her on a run, out to brunch, or with coffee in hand trying to keep up with her two little boys. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 14, 2020 Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD Instagram Lisa Valente is a registered dietitian and nutrition editor. She studied at the University of Vermont, where she completed her undergraduate studies in nutrition, food science and dietetics, and attended the dietetic internship program at Massachusetts General Hospital to become a registered dietitian. She went on to earn a master's degree in nutrition communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She was a nutrition editor at EatingWell for eight years. Prior to EatingWell, Lisa worked as a research dietitian at Griffin Hospital in Connecticut and also taught cooking and nutrition classes. She was a featured speaker at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in 2017. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Whether you're just starting a low-carb diet or have been watching your carb intake for a while, it can be tricky to know how alcohol fits in. But, we're here to help answer your questions about drinking while watching your carbs. The short answer is yes, you can still have some alcohol on any diet. Read on to find out what type of alcohol is best, how many carbohydrates are in different drinks and how alcohol can fit if you are on a very low-carb diet, like the ketogenic diet, or have diabetes. What is a low-carb diet? A low-carb diet is any diet that is lower in carbohydrates than what is generally recommended (see our low-carb diet meal plans). The Dietary Guidelines recommend that 45-65% of calories come from carbohydrates. So any diet with less than 45% of calories from carbs is considered low-carb. This may include Atkins, the ketogenic diet or a diet designed for someone who has diabetes. Can you drink alcohol if you're eating low-carb? Yes. If you're just worried about carbs, you can definitely drink alcohol on a low-carb diet. Simply count the carbohydrates in the drinks into your daily carb count. Beer has more carbs than wine, 13 grams versus 3-5 grams in a typical serving of each (see our picks for 10 low-carb wines). Cocktails also can have a lot of carbohydrates due to sugary mixers like juice and simple syrup. But liquor is carb-free. Flavored liqueurs, like Grand Marnier or Irish cream, are sweetened and so they do contain extra sugars and carbohydrate. What can be frustrating about alcohol is that it doesn't have a nutrition label, so it can be a little harder to figure out how it fits into your diet. Here's the number of calories and carbohydrates in various drinks and mixers: How many calories are in alcohol? Martin Barraud / Getty Images Can you drink alcohol if you have diabetes or you're eating keto? Bottom line Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit