Best Alcohol for Intermittent Fasting

People embark on intermittent fasting (IF) for many reasons. Still, most do so due to its proven health, longevity, weight-loss, anti-inflammatory, and fat-burning benefits.

The pursuit of a healthy weight and lifestyle is a priority, especially since the pandemic, but in today’s work-hard, play-hard society, finding a diet where you can enjoy health and weight loss advantages alongside drinking a beer or glass of wine can prove challenging.

With that in mind, let’s explore intermittent fasting and alcohol, find out if you can drink alcohol during intermittent fasting, and if so, what the best alcohol for intermittent fasting is.

Can you drink alcohol while intermittent fasting?

The simple answer is yes, you can drink alcohol while fasting, as intermittent fasting is not a calorie-deficit or controlled diet. The only real restriction with IF is the times that you can eat and consume calories, including those from alcohol.

For example, if you follow the 16:8 fasting plan, you refrain from consuming any calories for sixteen hours and only consume food and other beverages, like alcohol, during the other eight hours.

During the fasting hours, only water and zero-calorie drinks such as tea or black coffee, can be consumed. Therefore, because alcohol contains calories, drinking during your fasting window is not advisable.

Also, keep in mind that drinking on an empty stomach is not medically advised, as the alcohol enters the bloodstream quickly, without any food to filter the effects or “line the stomach”.

Drinking alcohol to excess at any time can change your brain function, cause digestive issues, impede weight loss, and affect your sleep patterns, especially without eating first.

So, if you are going to drink alcohol during intermittent fasting, it’s best to break the fast with food before reaching for the cocktails. For help, you can monitor your fasting times and track when you can eat and drink easily with the help of Fasting Kompanion.

Best alcohol for intermittent fasting

Because drinking alcohol will break your fast, it’s best only to drink alcohol during your eating window.

The US Department of Health defines moderate alcohol consumption as one drink daily for women and two for men.

However, the amount of alcohol you drink is not the only factor to consider, especially if you are intermittent fasting for weight loss.

The number of calories in different alcoholic beverages also differs, and some studies suggest alcohol can stunt weight loss and heavy alcohol use, i.e., four or more a day for men and three for women, can lead to obesity and other serious health issues.

To give you an idea, the average calories and carbs in a few popular alcoholic drinks are as follows:

•       Beer: 153 Calories in a 12-ounce glass (13 grams of carbs)
•       Wine: 123 calories in a 5-ounce glass (4 grams carbs)
•       Champagne: 90 calories in one 4-ounce glass (3 grams carbs)
•       Gin: 110 calories in one shot (0 carbs)
•       Vodka/Rum: 97 calories in one shot (0 carbs)
•       Baileys: 147 calories in one shot (11 grams carbs)

As you can see, beer and creamy beverages like Baileys contain the most calories and carbohydrates, therefore, are best avoided.

Healthier, lower-calorie options, including clear hard spirits like gin and vodka, with or without zero-calorie mixers are the best alcohols for intermittent fasting.

The Upshot – Alcohol and intermittent fasting

When it comes to alcohol and intermittent fasting, the bottom line is that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol during your eating hours is unlikely to cause many problems.

It is, however, advisable to eat beforehand, weigh the pros and cons of drinking first, and consider the possible side effects before reaching for the glass.

Remember, alcohol is calorie-dense, and the extra calories from alcohol could negatively affect your intermittent fasting goals, especially if fasting for weight loss.