What is the best low sugar alcoholic drink? (2023)

What is the alcoholic drink with the least sugar?

If you're looking to go low sugar, then there are some basic approaches you can take. Your best bet is to stick with hard spirits like gin, vodka, whiskey and rum, but watch your mixer. Wine is a good option, but it's best to go for a red or a dry white. Beer might be good for low sugar, but it can be high in calories.

The best types of alcohol for people with diabetes are those with a low sugar or carb content. That includes light beers, red and white wines, distilled spirits, and low carb cocktails, as long as you avoid sugary juices or syrups.

However, if you are going to drink, having red wine in moderation is a healthier choice than other alcoholic drinks. This is due to its high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols, which have been linked to better heart and gut health.

Here's the thing: Most spirits, like vodka, tequila, gin, whiskey and rum, don't contain added sugar. It's the mixers that will sneak up on you.

For instance, pure forms of alcohol like whiskey, gin, tequila, rum and vodka are all completely free of carbs. These beverages can be drunk straight or combined with low-carb mixers for more flavor. Wine and light varieties of beer are also relatively low in carbs — usually 3–4 grams per serving.

The lowest-calorie alcohol is vodka, which only has 100 calories in a 50-millimeter shot. Other alcohols among those with the lowest calories are whisky, gin, and tequila, which all have about 110 calories per shot.

So, now on to the all-important question, which alcohol is easiest on the liver? The quick answer is, none of them. The reason is that the main liver-damaging ingredient in all types of alcohol is ethanol. It doesn't matter which alcohol you chose, be it weak beer or grain alcohol.

"Hard liquor contains more alcohol than beer or wine, making it more dangerous for your liver," continues Coleman. "A single shot of 80-proof hard liquor contains about 15 grams of alcohol and most shots contain even more alcohol than this." Another alcoholic beverage also takes a considerable toll on your liver.

Experts consider one drink of alcohol to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounce of hard liquor. Consuming an occasional glass or 2 of an alcoholic beverage usually won't cause harmful effects to individuals with full kidney function.

What drinks bring blood sugar down?

Studies show that drinking plenty of water helps glucose flush out of the blood. The average person should aim for eight glasses per day. Drinking plenty of water while you are indulging your sweet tooth — and throughout the day after — will help your body get back to normal.

Diabetics should avoid coke or any soft drinks as much as possible. Coke Zero is sugar-free. However, the sugar substitutes it contains may not necessarily be a healthier option for people looking to reduce their blood sugar levels.

Most of the ethanol in the body is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which transforms ethanol into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO), a known carcinogen.

Keep your alcohol consumption down to 2 glasses per event. This way, you'll prevent liver damage while still enjoying yourself. Have a Glass of Water Every Hour: Drinking clean, pure water not just helps replace lost fluids from urination, but also reduces alcohol concentration in the blood.

According to a new study published in Oxford's Alcohol and Alcoholism journal, scientists discovered that hoppy beer is significantly less harmful to the liver than liquor and even beer without hops.

"Clear liquors like vodka, tequila, and gin are lowest in sugar and calories and are easiest for our bodies to metabolize," Kober says.

Liver: Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, or fatty liver.

So, on that score, alcohol is less damaging than soft drinks. However, cocktails – which are sugary alcoholic drinks, have the same effect on your body as soft drinks. So, drink responsibly in more ways than one. It's well known that both alcohol and soft drinks can be fattening.

The CDC warns that binge drinking can cause acute kidney failure, but the damage can often be reversed if you stop drinking and allow your kidneys time to heal. Depending on how long and how much you drank, this recovery timeline can vary. Some of the damage can be irreversible, however.

How do you protect your kidneys from alcohol?

The good news is that you can prevent this by not drinking too much alcohol. By promoting liver disease, chronic drinking adds to the kidney's job. The rate of blood flow to the kidneys is usually kept at a certain level, so that the kidney can filter the blood well.

Sugar-sweetened beverages

Sugary beverages are the worst drink choice for someone with diabetes. First, they're very high in carbs, with a 12-ounce (354-mL) can of cola providing 38.5 grams ( 3 ). The same amount of sweetened iced tea and lemonade each contain almost 45 grams of carbs exclusively from sugar ( 4 , 5 ).

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes avoid drinking sugar-containing beverages such as soda because it will raise blood glucose quickly and add several hundreds of calories in one serving.

Try the coconut flavored La Croix, or a black cherry flavored Waterloo! There is no sugar in these brands, just carbonated water, and natural flavoring. If you want, you could also add a few drops of stevia for a sweeter flavor.