Vodka is distilled beverage prepared using ethanol and water, but it sometimes contains traces of flavorings and impurities as well. The distillation of fermented cereal grains and sometimes potatoes helps make vodka, but some brands have started using other substances such as sugar or fruits. It is never easy to maintain a low-carb diet because you cannot always identify how many carbs are there in certain food items. There is already a debate going on about carbs present in alcohol. Keep reading to find out if you can drink vodka if you are on a low-carb diet.
Does Vodka Have Carbs?
It usually depends on the type of vodka you select. There are no carbs in the plain, clear variety of vodka. Moreover, you also need to consider other elements that come into play when you decide to drink vodka.
While vodka itself is carb-free, the ingredients used to prepare the beverage are not. This is quite interesting actually. Vodka is usually derived from potatoes, which are loaded with carbs. Other ingredients include enzymes, yeast, and wheat, which also contain carbs. This makes people ask, "Does vodka have carbs too?"
Vodka usually does not contain carbs because they are removed during the fermentation process. The yeasts consume all the carbs during the fermentation process, leaving only alcohol behind. If there are any sugars left after the process, they may increase the amount of carbs in the beverage. For instance, there is little residual sugar in a dry wine, but a sweet wine can have a lot of sugar. Other the other hand, distilled spirits, such as whiskey, rum, and vodka, have no sugar.
How About Flavored Vodkas and Mixers?
Now that you know the answer to your question, "Does vodka have carbs?" you may also be wondering if it is the same for flavored vodkas and mixers. Here is more about it.
Flavored Vodkas
Many people are of the view that flavored vodkas contain more calories and carbs as compared to unflavored vodkas. The truth is that the high-quality flavored vodkas do not have more calories and carbs than traditional vodkas. It is mainly due to the fact that vanilla bean, citrus peel, and other flavoring agents are added at the very beginning of the distilling process. After the beverage is distilled, the essence of flavor stays intact but without any calories and carbs. Things are different though in case of low quality flavored vodkas that use different process. It is therefore important to read the labels before making a choice.
Mixers
Does vodka have carbs if you choose specific mixers? Again, it usually depends on what you select. You can mix soda water, plain water, diet soda, or crystal light with vodkas to prepare low-carb drinks. Just avoid tonic water, fruit juices, and sugary mixers to avoid adding calories and carbs to your diet.
Calories in Vodka
Alcohol usually has a high caloric density and contains about 7 calories per gram. The alcohol content of vodka affects its calorie count. It means the higher the alcohol content in vodka, the higher the number of calories.
Generally, alcohol content of vodka includes 80 proof and 100 proof, and these types of vodkas are 40% and 50% with respect to volume. 80 proof remains the most common type of vodka though, and an ounce of this vodka contains 64 calories. An ounce of 100 proof vodka has about 82 calories. It means you need to pay attention to the alcohol content of vodka to determine how many calories it has.
Alcohol and Weight Control
Does vodka have carbs? It is a common question from anyone trying to lose weight because people think low-carb diet usually means low-calorie diet. This is not true though, especially when it comes to wine, beer, and liquor. Most alcoholic beverages contain loads of calories mainly because of the alcohol content. It implies that if you drink low-carb spirits or beers, you are not going to get any weight related benefits because the calories come from alcohol not carbs.
It is important to bear in mind that your body will always process alcohol before it processes protein, fat, or carbs. It means that if you drink alcohol, your body will not burn fat as effectively as it should be. This is the reason why you may end up gaining weight after drinking alcoholic beverages. Even if you drink "zero carb" vodka, you will eventually gain weight because of its alcohol content.
It is due to these issues that you have to stop drinking when following different weight loss programs. It is mainly because alcoholic beverages do not provide you with nutrition and only increase your calorie-intake. So, you will be better saying no to alcoholic beverages if you are interested in losing weight.