Is diet soda ok as a mixer?

#1

Hey all, when the need arises for a gin, is it ok to mix with diet soda, I see theres no carbs but was thinking it might play with blood levels, or diet tonic water I guess?

(Cathy) #2

I think it is known to be a personal thing. I don’t test for blood glucose but it doesn’t seem to affect my ketosis.

#3

Thankyou,

(Rick Parker) #4

Sure works for me. I buy the Publix diet tonic.

(Joey) #5

While restricting carbs for 6+ years, I do often enjoy an alcoholic drink with dinner (wine, martini, etc.). While I wouldn’t worry much about zero-carb mixers (unless you react to the particular artificial sweetener it contains), don’t lose track of the fact that alcohol itself is something to understand … whether it has any carbs and/or it messes with your metabolism, liver, etc. regardless.

All things in moderation. :vulcan_salute:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #6

I’d probably worry about the gin more than the artificial sweetener.

There is plenty of evidence that artificial sweeteners aren’t great for the body, but they can be useful. Some of them should be counted as half the grams ostensibly in the product, because they do have a metabolic effect.

The metabolic effect of ethanol is quite well known. It is a liver toxin, along with fructose and branched-chain amino acids. However, the liver can handle a limited quantity of these toxins, so staying below its limit should not not pose a problem. It’s exceeding the liver’s ability to clear the toxin(s) that causes fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and the rest.

Also, as far as a ketogenic diet is concerned, we should think of beer as the equivalent of bread. Wine is less carb-laden, especially the drier varieties, but hard liquor is generally almost carb-free.

(Joey) #7

For folks who are “health-aware” enough to go keto, knowing this about alcohol is just as important.

If you can enjoy in moderation and your body can tolerate it, it has its place. But if you have trouble regulating such habits, then please stay away and enjoy the many other gifts that life has to offer.

(Cathy) #8

The poster wanted to know about the potential effects of a.s…

(KM) #9

FWIW, if drink, it’s usually a shot of hard liquor in a glass of homemade seltzer flavored with lemon. Having gotten over the sugar hump, I think this tastes reasonably good. I think the double whammy of a very tasty base and alcohol can be especially problematic in terms of overdoing it, which is my reason for avoiding tasty sodas in my drinks, even if they are sugar-free.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

The potential effects of artificial sweeteners are not known in any detail. Enough is known to suggest caustion, however.

Dr. Phinney says that if an artificial sweetener can help you give up sugar, then it is fine, but he does not recommend such sweeteners for long-term use.

On these forums, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that certain artificial sweeteners can raise the insulin of certain people. I would not expect an artificial sweetener to raise glucose levels, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not permitted artificial sweeteners to be sold that do so, and almost every other country follows the U.S. in this. However, the FDA cares nothing about the effect on insulin, so manufacturers are unwilling to pay for studies that look at insulin levels.

Of course, the FDA will probably be dismantled soon, so at that point, all bets will be off.

(Brian) #11

I don’t drink much. Actually haven’t had anything alcoholic in about 6 months and even 6 months ago, it was a glass of wine with dinner after the passing of a close friend. It just doesn’t do much for me. If I have it, I want it sweet which if usually wrong for a keto / low-carb diet so there are sweet possibilities that don’t have any alcohol at all that will satisfy me just fine.

Yeah, it’s not all about insulin. The liver needing to process that alcohol is a thing. A once in a while drink or even two is probably a non-issue. A daily habit, that might be more of an issue for overall health.

When I first started keto, I craved the keto desserts. I made them often and in copious quantities. That dropped off. I haven’t made one in over a year and don’t feel like I need to. If I need a “drinkie”, it’s very likely to be just a plain club soda. It satisfies the desire for something wet and for something bubbly. Plus it’s cheap. Even considering looking at a carbonation device to make it even cheaper and to allow me to use RO filtered water, something I don’t know if the makers of club soda do. I do know that different brands have a whole lot more of a city water taste to them than others (I’ll never buy the Walmart brand again). I do have an RO filter that also has several layers of carbon filters built around it so can make pretty good water fairly easily. Dunno, it’s on my list.

(Bob M) #12

For me, beer is the most obesogenic substance on Earth. Good beer is super high calorie, is combined with alcohol, and high carb. And it’s super easy to drink several of them (at least for me).

I’ve had maybe 10 beers since going keto, and several of those were because people in the extended family brew their own and wanted us to try them.

#13

I usually drink 1.5-2 dl beet at once. I am heavily dependent on my SO when it comes to drinking beer, yes. I only can do a whole can on parties (the only one I go is on hot summer, it helps).

Wine… I need a sugary one* to last for month opened so that’s tricky, I only open a bottle in spiced wine season when we two somehow can finish a whole bottle in days, not ideal but what can we do, wine doesn’t come in 1-2dl bottles (only in too expensive collections or something) and we won’t let it spoil or pour out.

*My old fav with 20% sugar worked wonderfully, I knew that (drank it in my early keto times but well, it’s just too sweet, I couldn’t handle it) but it turned out it’s younger sibling (11% sugar) works too. So if I fancy wine, I will buy that again. Years pass and nope, wine isn’t that important for me and well, that stuff feels drinking honey too. That’s why I can drink them on keto, I can’t do a shot of them, far from it. Too sweet.

I enjoy my ridiculous booze amounts. I drink all the booze I want all the time :smiley: It’s a tiny bit once per several weeks, after all.
I prefer strong drinks as they don’t have carbs (or little. my rum is so sweet, surely it has some) and last long. And they are the best to flavor my desserts or coffee. Or fruit juice, in the case of vodka. My vodka juice is in a shot glass, it’s a perfect amount. Yeah, sugary and alcoholic but if my liver can’t handle that much, I am pathetic. It happens very rarely as I don’t make fruit juice, don’t want fruit juice, it’s just something from the fruit jars, my SO (who needs the fruit itself) can’t use them all up (and some are just too tasty and I want it).

(Cathy) #14

In short, there is no particularly strong evidence that artificial sweeteners do anything much to blood sugar and likely insulin. It is very difficult to prove a negative (as we all know). I think that if you don’t reawaken cravings and your ketones remain in the range you want, there is no reason to further restrict things that contain a.s… JMHO.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

Wise advice, and exactly right, in my (not so) humble opinion, too.

#16

I consider my sweeteners quite important except when I try to stick to carnivore-ish (it allows tiny extras but no sweetener). I don’t think they harm me and they make things easier and tastier, among other benefits. I do like to take breaks (to show I can live without sweets for a few days :wink: ) and dislike to eat very much sweetener but each to their own. I almost never waste sweeteners on drinks but I find unsweetened drinks the best since years. And there are rare exceptions.
Sometimes a diet without sweeteners brings unnecessary hardness and maybe even a sure fail. If I have no reason to quit, I can’t do it. I do try here and then but don’t push hard.
Sometimes sweeteners bring other, less harmless things but the other things are the problem even then, not the sweeteners themselves.

(Steve L.) #17

Hi Arry,
This is my first person report for me alone, probably doesn’t apply to others. I do not use artificial sweeteners because they activate my carb addiction. I understand they interfere with the microbiome but it’s the carb craving activation that is the reason I no longer use artificial sweeteners. I am a gin drinker and I believe that gin either stands on its own over ice or with water or it isn’t worthy gin. Good gin does not require ANY adulterants except ice and water. Period. Full Stop. I have spoken with gin distillers and they agree. So I drink my gin either on the rocks or with water and ice. I recommend that you try this approach. Explore the actual flavor of the gin as crafted by the distiller. Soon you’ll find your favorite(s) too. Clean, unadulterated gin is the BEST. Let me know what you think of this approach please. Steve

(Bastet ) #18

I’ve tried gin with diet soda—no carbs so it won’t spike sugar much—but tonic water might sneak in some stuff depending on the brand. If you got chronic stuff or watching levels, maybe check with a doc first. I read some tips here: https://betterme.world/articles/chronic-health-conditions/ . Good luck in your diet.

#19

For mixers, I go for flavored seltzers, Zevia (or other stevia-sweetened sodas), and Florida’s Natural/Tropicana Zero Sugar, with stevia, monkfruit/erythritol, or a combination of the two.

I was in a keto research study last year, and the medical team told me to avoid any diet sodas or juices with artificial sweeteners like sucralose, asparatame, etc. It was hard to give up my Coke Zero, but they said it would interfere with ketosis because those sweeteners are metabolized the same way as sugars, with additional health risks.

Read ingredient labels diligently, always! I’m hearing that erythritol may be problematic too, and it can be expensive, so now I’m all in on stevia. Fresh-squeezed lemon or lime is nice too. For whiskey, pickle juice (without sugar) is a nice keto chaser (pickleback style). Hope that helps!

(Cathy) #20

Sorry you were misinformed by your medical team. They may have had some valid reason to suggest avoiding artificial sweeteners but because they are “metabolized the same way as sugar” is just wrong.

This is a quote from Chatgpt…

" artificial sweeteners are handled very differently by the body compared to sugar.

Here’s a breakdown:

1. Sugar (like glucose, fructose, sucrose):

  • Absorbed in the small intestine and enters the bloodstream quickly.
  • Glucose → raises blood sugar → stimulates insulin release.
  • Fructose → metabolized mainly in the liver, can be converted to glucose or fat.
  • Provides calories (about 4 kcal per gram) .

2. Artificial sweeteners (like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame K, stevia, etc.):

  • Most are not metabolized like sugar and provide little to no calories .
  • Aspartame : broken down into amino acids and methanol; it does contribute tiny calories, but because such small amounts are used, the effect is negligible.
  • Sucralose : mostly passes through the gut unchanged; a small portion is absorbed but not metabolized for energy.
  • Saccharin & acesulfame K : absorbed but excreted in urine without being used for energy.
  • Stevia (steviol glycosides) : not digested for energy; broken down in the colon and excreted.

Key differences:

  • Sugar → raises blood glucose and insulin.
  • Most artificial sweeteners → do not raise blood glucose significantly, if at all.
  • Sugar provides energy (calories); artificial sweeteners mostly don’t.
  • Artificial sweeteners are used in tiny amounts since they are far sweeter than sugar.

:point_right: So while sugar is metabolized as a fuel, artificial sweeteners are mostly bypassed by the body’s energy pathways."

I know that most people know that the body handles artificial sweeteners differently than actual sugar, but I believe that the more a wrong statement is made, the more it is believed.