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IS IT KETO

Is Soju Keto Friendly? [Everything You Need To Know]

Growing up around a lot of Asians, especially Koreans, I was privy to all the Korean BBQ and Soondubu tofu I could ever want. If there’s anything that you need to round off that perfect Korean meal though, it’s either Hite beer or some Soju.

Distilled or diluted Korean soju is ok while following a keto diet, but it’s best to avoid cocktail or yogurt soju as they generally contain large amounts of added sugar. A standard shot of soju, about 1.7 fluid ounces, will have between 2 and 3 grams of net carbohydrates. 

In this article, I’ll go over the different types of soju’s, which ones are keto-friendly, how many carbs you can expect, and more info as it pertains to soju.

IS SOJU KETO FRIENDLY PINTEREST

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Can You Drink Soju On Keto?

Soju and Korean food have such a harmonious relationship, similar to that of sake and Japanese cuisine.

  • Read: Is Sake Keto Friendly?

If you visit Korea, you’ll soon realize that it is a big-time drinking culture, and soju is the fuel. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to a family event or a business meeting, you can be sure there will be some soju there.

 Jinro, the leading soju manufacturer, is the most popular liquor IN THE WORLD. 

Yes, you’ve read that correctly… in the world. 

Whether you’re out dining at a Korean restaurant, visiting Korea, or live in Korea, you can rest easy knowing that traditional Korean soju is keto friendly.

But not all soju is keto friendly. You should stick with either distilled or diluted Korean soju when drinking or dining out if limiting carbs is of top priority.

A good rule of thumb is the higher the alcohol content, the fewer the carbohydrates. The same goes with sweetness, the sweeter the soju, the more carbs it will likely have.

New “fruit” flavored soju’s or yogurt soju should generally be avoided as they contain a relatively high proportion of added sugars. 

Jinro produces the Jinro chamisul fresh and original soju, which are two soju’s you’ll likely come across and is keto-friendly. https://hitejinroamerica.com/

Soju Nutrition Facts and Carb Count

A standard bottle of soju is 350ml, and a standard shot of soju is defined as 50ml (1.7 fl oz.), which is a little over the standard American shot size of 1.5 fl oz.

Therefore, you can expect to get seven shots per bottle of soju. 

 Per standard shot of soju, you may expect to get between 2 and 3 grams of net carbs.  

How strong is soju?

The most basic Soju will vary between 20 – 24 percent alcohol by volume. 

As a comparison, sake or wine is generally between 14 and 16 percent alcohol by volume, and your average shot of vodka or whiskey is 40 percent alcohol by volume.

How does soju taste?

Soju, at least in my opinion, is a bit neutral in taste, it’s not sweet as sake, but not as hard as vodka. 

I’d almost describe the taste of soju as a “lighter” and sweeter vodka if I had to put it into words. However, it doesn’t have the same kick as vodka due to the lower alcohol content. 

This also depends on the grain used to produce the soju. 

While most soju is produced from rice, other grains such as wheat and barley, or ingredients like sweet potato and tapioca, are being used to produced soju, giving it a slightly different flavor profile.

How Many Calories and Carbs In Yogurt Soju?

Yogurt soju is becoming popular, especially with the younger crowd, and I get it… it’s tasty,

BUT it’s not keto friendly.

If visiting a restaurant or bar, yogurt, usually Yakult, which has added sugars, along with a soda like 7up or sprite, is added.

Yogurt soju not keto friendly yakult package

Other places get even fancier and turn soju into cocktail smoothies with a variety of fruit flavors.

Therefore, you can expect at least ~10 grams of net carbs for a small 2 – 3 oz shot of yogurt soju. While you could potentially fit in 10 grams of carbs from a single shot or 20 from two, is it worth it?

Maybe, that’s up to you.

What about fruit soju? How many carbs are in fruit soju?

Fruit soju contains additional sugars, with each bottle containing an additional ~35 grams of carbohydrates from sugar.

To figure out how many carbs are in each shot of soju, let's take our standard 350ml bottle of Soju that offered seven 50ml shots.

With 20 grams of carbs in a standard bottle of soju, we must add the additional 35 grams giving us 55 grams of carbs per bottle of soju. 

Assuming there are seven servings in the 350ml bottle, the same shot went from 2 – 3 carbs per shot to between 7 and 8 grams of carbs for fruit soju.

Therefore, a standard 50ml (1.7 fl oz) shot of fruit soju will have between 7 and 8 grams of carbohydrates and is around 13 percent alcohol by volume.

A shot or two of fruit soju is manageable, especially for those at the higher end of the carb spectrum. 

Most people stay between 20 and 50 grams of net carbs per day, so it’s doable, but doing so will limit the rest of your choices throughout the day. 

How Is Soju Made?

KETO FRIENDLY WHAT IS SOJU LABEL

The word soju means “burned liquor,” which is a reference to the alcohol being distilled at a very high temperature. 

Traditionally, soju is made using a blend of fermented and distilled rice grains. 

However, due to a government ban in 1965 during a rice shortage, modern soju moved towards diluted ethanol produced from sweet potatoes and other ingredients. 

Soju Drinking Tips

Soju is consumed neat and slightly chilled. Soju is not like sake where it's served warm or cold.

If dining amongst Koreans, it may be best to know a little Soju etiquette. 

As I said, drinking is part of the culture, so how you drink Soju is just as important as the drinking itself.

The Koreans have a word, “Anju,” which means food that is specifically made to be consumed with alcohol.

Here are a few soju drinking tips:

  • First off, you never pour your own glass! 
  • The oldest or most senior usually pours the first shot
  • Always use two hands, whether you’re pouring OR receiving, though if you are older, you may use one hand when someone hands you a shot.
  • Your first pour is to be taken as a shot; you can sip the next ones
  • Don’t make eye contact with the person who handed you the pour
  • Fill empty glasses

Top 5 Keto-Friendly Soju’s

When dining at a Korean restaurant or in Korea, soju is almost a necessity, at least culturally speaking.

Here are the most popular brands that you are likely to come across, all being generally keto-friendly with 2 to 3 grams of net carbs per shot.

  1. Chamisul 
  2. Chum CHurum
  3. C1 Blue
  4. O2Linn
  5. Andong
    Keto friendly sake brands

Keto and alcohol

You may be surprised to know that alcohol may increase your ketone levels. 1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5456793

But as with anything, moderation is always encouraged. 

  • Read: Keto and alcohol
  • Read: Is Sake Keto Friendly?

When consuming alcohol, always have a game plan for what you will eat afterward. We all know that alcohol can often lead to poor decisions, and many of those decisions may revolve around food choices.

I like to always have a keto-friendly snack at home ready for me, because I know I’ll inevitably be hungry.

The Takeaway

Soju, the most popular alcohol in the world, is keto friendly. However, it would be best if you generally avoided fruit and yogurt soju as they contain a more significant proportion of added sugars.

When drinking soju out in Korea or with Koreans, remember there is a certain etiquette when it comes to drinking, so now you can impress them with your newfound knowledge.

Is Sparkling Ice Keto Friendly? [Everything You Should Know]

After browsing my local Costco, I ran into this new drink called sparkling ice, so I wanted to see if this was something I could indulge in from time to time on a keto diet. Basically, is sparkling ice keto friendly?

Sparkling ice is perfectly acceptable to consume for people following a keto diet. Sparkling ice contains no calories or carbohydrates, meaning it will not affect ketosis. It can be great as a stand-alone beverage or to make keto treats such as sugar-free popsicles.

I get it, drinking plain water can be boring sometimes. I’ll admit that I indulge in a sugar-free beverage here and there, especially something like a Diet Coke or sugar-free energy drink. 

  • Purchase sparkling ice variety pack here

In this article, I’ll go over why you may or may not want to indulge in sparkling ice, the ingredients in sparkling ice, whether it’s healthy or not, and even some exciting recipes incorporating sparkling ice.

IS SPARKLING ICE KETO FRIENDLY PINTEREST

Is Sparkling Ice Keto?

First, keto is neither a food or a drink.

 Keto is a metabolic state that describes the increased production of ketones in the liver after following a very low-carbohydrate diet. 

Some items may be more “keto-friendly,” which is usually based upon how many carbohydrates it has relative to the portion size.

Sparkling ice fits the bill of being keto friendly, so you should be able to enjoy it while following a ketogenic diet. 

Does Sparkling Ice Have Carbs?

Sparkling ice keto nutrition label

Sparkling ice, regardless of the flavor, has no calories, which means no carbohydrates.

Sparkling ice gets its sweet flavor from Sucralose, more popularly known as Splenda, which is a non-nutritive sweetener.

Non-nutritive sweeteners are either zero or low-calories alternatives approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are referred to as non-nutritive because they do not offer a significant source of any nutrition.

What’s In Sparkling Ice?

SPARKLING ICE KETO FRIENDLY INGREDIENTS

The main ingredients in sparkling ice are:

  • Carbonated water
  • Malic acid
  • Fruit and vegetable juice (for color)
  • Natural flavors
  • Potassium Benzoate
  • Citric acid
  • Sucralose
  • Green tea extract

To expand on some of the less commonly known ingredients a little further:

Malic acid

Malic acid is naturally found in fruits such as blueberries and cherries. 

In food or drinks, magic acid is used to acidify and flavor to prevent discoloration and also adds a sour taste to food and beverages, which is why I’m guessing sparkling ice includes it.

Fruit and vegetable juice

You may be thinking wait a minute… if there are fruit and vegetable juice, how is it keto friendly?

The use of the juice in sparkling ice is only to give it a natural color, without those pesky food colorings. The amount in each bottle is so minuscule it doesn’t offer any substantial amount of carbohydrate.

Potassium Benzoate

Potassium benzoate is another ingredient commonly used by food manufacturers as a preservative, but may also contribute slightly to its flavor.

Citric acid

Citric acid is another naturally found acid in citrus fruits, especially in fruits like lemons.

However, the citric acid found in food and drink products is more than likely to be artificially manufactured. The use of citric acid in drinks like sparkling ice is to boost the acidity, enhance flavor, and act as a preservative. 2https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1033 

Green tea extract

Green tea extract is a concentrated form of green tea, which is a great source of antioxidants, which may also promote a range of health benefits. 2https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07315724.2006.10719518 

Green tea is also one of the only effective supplements that may slightly aid in weight loss. For more information, check out my following articles.

  • Read: Can you take fat burners on keto
  • Read: The best supplements for a ketogenic diet

What Are The Different Flavors Of Sparkling Ice?

Different flavors of sparkling ice keto friendly drink

As of writing this, sparkling ice currently has 17 different flavors, which are all keto friendly.

  1. Grape raspberry
  2. Black cherry
  3. Black raspberry
  4. Pomegranate blueberry
  5. Cherry limeade
  6. Strawberry watermelon
  7. Strawberry lemonade
  8. Kiwi strawberry
  9. Pink grapefruit
  10. Peach nectarine
  11. Orange mango
  12. Crisp apple
  13. Coconut pineapple
  14. Classic lemonade
  15. Ginger lime
  16. Coconut limeade
  17. Lemon-lime

Is Sparkling Ice Healthy?

There’s nothing in sparkling ice that hasn’t been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be safe for human consumption.

However, everyone’s different, and indeed some ingredients in products may affect one person and not another.

In terms of ketosis, there’s nothing in sparkling ice that would cause it to prevent or kick you out of ketosis. 

Sucralose, popularly known as Splenda, has zero carbohydrates and has a glycemic index (GI) of zero, which means it does not affect blood glucose or insulin levels.

Why You Shouldn’t Drink Sparkling Ice

While sparkling ice and other sugar-free beverages may be ok to drink on a ketogenic diet, it doesn’t mean that you should drink them.

For some individuals, having a sweet taste in their mouth may open the “flood gates” to additional cravings.

If this is you, it may be best to avoid drinking sparkling ice and other sugar-free beverages. 

But you’re an adult, so you do you.

Sparkling Ice Keto Recipes And Ideas

So now that you know sparkling ice may be enjoyed while following a ketogenic diet, I bet you never thought of using it to make unique drinks and cocktails. 

Here are a few keto friendly sparkling ice recipes that you may enjoy on a ketogenic diet.

Keto sparkling ice and heavy whipping cream

Yes, a simple, but delicious treat to be enjoyed in moderation is taking a tablespoon or two of heavy whipping cream (HWC) and pouring your favorite flavor of sparkling ice or crystal light on top.

  • Read: Want to learn more bout HWC on keto?

Sparkling cocktail

For the adults out there, a little vodka and sparkling ice is a refreshing way to enjoy a beverage in the summer while sitting on the patio.

Try sprucing up your cocktail with flavored vodkas and your favorite sparkling ice beverage. 

  • Read: Can you have alcohol on a ketogenic diet?

Popsicles 

Bust out that popsicle mold or ice tray and make some popsicles or ice cubes with your favorite sparkling ice flavors. 

You could also try adding in a few berries to spruce it up a bit.

The Takeaway

If you need a little change-up from drinking water all the time, something like sparkling ice or propel fitness water can make the perfect keto friendly alternative to have a little sweetness in your day.

However, it’s probably best not to replace ALL of your water intake with sparkling ice and other sugar-free beverages. 

  • Purchase sparkling ice variety pack here

Everything in moderation.

Here are a few other related topics you may be interested in if you like sparkling ice.

  • Read: Is mio keto friendly
  • Read: Can you drink Coke Zero on keto?

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