What Can You Drink On The Carnivore Diet?

Are you on a carnivore diet and wondering what you can drink during this diet? Just water or are there any options besides it? 

Although water is always the healthiest choice as it is free from calories, carbs, and additives, you may sometimes crave some beverages to boost your energy and substitute your favorite carb drinks. 

If you are curious to know about carnivore-diet-friendly alcoholic drinks or other beverages, this article helps you to understand better about carnivore-diet-friendly drinks.  

Why Staying Hydrated is Important in the Carnivore diet?

The carnivore diet is a restricted diet that allows only animal foods and removes plant food completely. However, it is essential to stay hydrated because when you are on a restricted diet, your body’s hydration status gets shifted. It happens because water holds your carbs as glycogen. When your body is depriving glycogen, that means it is dumping all the water weight with it. 

In a carnivore diet, you would be completely stopping the intake of processed foods that are rich in sodium which will also affect your body’s electrolyte and fluid balance leading to water depletion. Hence, keeping yourself hydrated initially in your carnivore diet is challenging.

Best Drinks to Consider During the Carnivore Diet.

1. Water

Water is the essential drink of all. In a carnivore diet, your water levels start depleting because you are on zero-carb food. Hence, it is vital to drink water excessively. 

Experts suggest that it is recommended to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water, but carnivore diet ppl may have to drink more. Dehydration leads to several health issues such as nausea, weight gain, fatigue, and tiredness. Drinking water helps to improve blood flow, helps in easy digestion, and avoids dehydration. 

How do you check whether your body is getting sufficient water? The color of your urine is a good measure to check if you are dehydrated or not. If your urine is dark yellow, that means your body is getting dehydrated. In such cases, you have to increase your water consumption. 

2. Bone Broth

If you are bored of drinking very often, you can consider a tasty, healthy option i.e., bone broth. It is made from animal bones and connective tissue and is commonly known as stock. 

You can consider having bone broth when you are tired and on cold evenings. Bone broth has water content and nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitamins, and sodium. 

Bone broth can make you feel full and aids in weight loss too. It is high in proteins and has a less fat content. It is an age-old tradition recommended for someone who is sick or met with an accident. It is rich in nutrients and helps in fast recovery.

If you are a gym person, bone broth would be perfect and reduces muscle wear and tear. It is advisable to have bone broth before or after the gym routine. Experts recommend homemade bone broth as it does not contain any preservatives.

Bone broth has: 

• Collagen-  good for bone and tooth health
• Glycine- helps in good sleep
• Amino acids- having anti-inflammatory properties
• Proteins and fewer calories- for weight loss

3. Alcohol

A strict carnivore diet does not recommend or allow any carbs in your diet. However, pure forms of alcohol with very few carbs such as whiskey, gin, rum, wine, vodka, and tequila can be taken. Remember you should not use any carbonated water or soda to dilute it; you can just have it with water and some ice. 

Experts say that consuming alcohol reduces ketosis and may interfere with the results of the carnivore diet. Hence, it is advised to have alcohol occasionally. 

4. Milk

Most of us love Coffee, Tea, and Milk. We all are aware of the health benefits of milk. Many controversies are going on about whether to include milk in the carnivore diet or not.

Milk has a high amount of carbs in it, which might interfere in the process of ketosis. Hence, it is not advisable to have milk every day. Some people consider drinking milk in a carnivore diet because it is a complete food with many nutrients. If so, you can choose low-fat, fresh milk from farms with fewer preservatives. 

When you follow any new diet, your body might experience some hormonal changes. Also, some people are lactogen and casein intolerant; it is not advisable to drink milk in such cases. 

Now, most of you might be wondering can you include cheese, yogurt in the carnivore diet.  In the carnivore diet, you can add milk, full-fat cheese, yogurt, and butter. Avoid any processed food containing harmful chemicals. Processed foods are not advisable because they may interfere with your results. 

If you are a pregnant woman, breastfeeding mother, bodybuilder, or health compromised person; it is absolutely fine to consider drinking milk in your carnivore diet. 

5. Coffee and Tea

Although coffee is derived from plants, some carnivore dieters believe it is allowed as it is zero carbs. You can have black tea or coffee without sugar once in a while. But it is important to remember that caffeine intake can dehydrate you faster when you are on a carnivore diet. Hence, drink a lot of water and keep yourself hydrated. 

6. Electrolytes in the Carnivore Diet

You might have experienced carnivore flu during the initial stages. It is the time when your body is getting adapted to new changes, and you have ketosis and electrolyte imbalance. 

When you are on a low carb or zero carb diet, your insulin level decreases due to ketosis. It is due to the depletion of carbs; the kidneys will start excreting critical electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and more. Hence, it is essential to increase the intake of electrolytes in your diet or consult your doctor and take supplements. 

If you have an electrolyte imbalance, then you might have certain symptoms such as irregular heartbeat, weakness, bone disorders, twitching, changes in blood pressure, confusion, seizures, numbness, nervous system disorders, excessive tiredness, and convulsions. In such cases, consult your doctor and take some supplements. 

The recommended intake of electrolytes are per day 

The recommended intake of electrolytes are per day;

Electrolyte	Recommended intake in milligrams (mg)	The recommended intake for people aged over 50 years (mg)	The recommended intake for people aged over 70 years
Sodium	1500	1300	1200
Potassium	4700
Calcium	1000	1200
Magnesium	320 for men, 420 for women
Chloride	2300	2000	1800

You also prepare some electrolyte mix and keep it handy so that you can use it regularly. 

Final Words

The carnivore diet is restricted; you might have to eliminate drinks like sodas, fruit juices, sugar, alcohol, and many more. Your results depend entirely on what you eat and drink. Adding a bit of sugar or carbs might slow down your ketosis. Making the right choices of food and beverages can help you get all the benefits of the carnivore diet.