What Are the Different Types of Low-Carb Beverages?

There are many different types of low-carb beverages, including both natural and commercially produced drinks. Beverages that are naturally low in carbohydrates include some vegetable juices, tea, and coffee. Water is naturally void of carbohydrates as well, and it is possible to make low-carb flavored water by adding a little lemon juice, cucumber slices, or some mint leaves. There are also a number of liquid concentrates and powders that can be added to water to create low-carb beverages. Diet soft drinks are also low in carbohydrates, though some people avoid them due to the artificial sweeteners.

Low-carb beverages are drinks that can be safely consumed by people on certain diets, diabetics, and others who wish to limit their carbohydrate intakes. These beverages are either naturally free of sugar, contain a limited amount of natural sugar, or are made with artificial sweeteners. Some vegetable juices are low in carbohydrates, though even higher carb vegetable juice tends to be fairly low on the glycemic index. Tea and coffee are also natural beverages that have little or no carbohydrate content, as are most herbal teas and tisanes.

There are also many different commercially produced low-carb beverages, from reduced-sugar fruit juices to sugar-free soft drinks. Most soft drinks are available in diet versions, which use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar or corn syrup. These soft drinks typically have no calories or carbohydrates. Another type of low-carb beverages are marketed as meal-replacement drinks, so they contain a high level of nutrients, though the label should always be checked, as some contain a lot of sugar.

Water is perhaps the most obvious type of low-carb beverage, though it is not necessary to drink it by itself. Natural flavored water can be made by adding lemon juice, cucumber wedges, and other substances. This type of flavored water is typically very low in carbohydrates, though the taste may be too weak for some people. There are also a variety of commercially produced powders and concentrates that can be added to water. These substances often contain artificial sweeteners and flavorings, though that is not always the case.

Certain alcoholic beverages are also fairly low in carbohydrates, though some low-carb diets forbid them anyway. Light beer typically has the lowest carb count of any type of beer, though some ales are quite low as well. Regular beer and stouts are typically too high in carbohydrates to fit into this category, and so are dessert and late harvest wines. Some dry white and red wines can be fairly low in carbohydrate content, and dry champagne is the lowest. Hard liquors, such as vodka, whiskey, and rum, contain no carbohydrates at all, though most mixers are high in sugar content, and, of course, alcohol itself does contain calories even if it does not contain carbohydrates.