What We Drink

On keto, your kidneys excrete more water and sodium than on a standard diet (insulin signals the kidneys to retain sodium; lower insulin = more excretion). This makes hydration and electrolyte strategy more important than on other diets. It also means beverages can serve double-duty as a delivery mechanism for brain-supportive compounds.

Green tea

The NooKeto beverage of choice beyond water. Green tea provides:

• L-theanine — an amino acid that promotes calm focus without sedation, synergises with caffeine to produce alert relaxation
• EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) — a catechin with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, including emerging evidence for neuroprotection
• Moderate caffeine — ~30–50mg per cup (roughly half of coffee), enough for alertness without the jitter

2–4 cups per day, preferably earlier in the day to avoid sleep disruption. Brewed at 70–80°C (not boiling) to avoid bitter tannin extraction and preserve the L-theanine content.

Rooibos ("red tea")

Caffeine-free, rich in polyphenols (aspalathin, nothofagin), and naturally sweet-tasting without sugar. Rooibos serves as the evening/late-afternoon beverage when caffeine should be avoided, while still providing antioxidant compounds.

It's also a useful tool during the adaptation phase — when cravings for sweet tastes are strongest, rooibos provides a perception of sweetness without any actual sugar or sweetener, helping bridge the palate recalibration period.

Black coffee

Coffee is compatible with NooKeto — black, without milk, cream, sugar or sweeteners. It provides:

• Caffeine for alertness and metabolic rate support
• Chlorogenic acids (polyphenols with antioxidant activity)
• Potential neuroprotective effects — large observational studies consistently associate moderate coffee consumption with lower Parkinson's and Alzheimer's risk

Limit: 2–3 cups per day, none after early afternoon. Coffee is a tool, not a crutch — if you need 5 cups to function, the issue is sleep quality, not coffee quantity.

Water

The baseline. On keto, aim for a minimum of 2.5–3L per day — more than you'd typically need on a standard diet, because of increased renal water excretion. Thirst isn't always a reliable indicator on keto (adaptation blunts the signal), so track intake for the first few weeks until it becomes habit.

Sparkling water is fine. Flavoured water with no sweeteners or calories is fine. The goal is volume and consistency.

Electrolytes

Not a "beverage" per se, but critical to mention here because electrolyte depletion is the single most common cause of "keto flu" symptoms — headaches, cramps, fatigue, dizziness.

The NooKeto targets:

• Sodium: 3–5g per day (more than standard recommendations — keto excretion is higher). Add salt to food liberally; consider a pinch of sea salt in water if needed.
• Potassium: 3–4g per day. Avocado, leafy greens, and fish contribute significantly. Supplement with potassium citrate if needed.
• Magnesium: 300–400mg per day. Supplemented at night (magnesium glycinate or citrate) for both adequacy and sleep quality support.

Alcohol ��� the honest position

NooKeto's default is no alcohol. Here's why, stated honestly:

The common claim: "Alcohol stops fat burning" — this is said so often in keto communities that it sounds like dogma.

The reality (more nuanced): Alcohol doesn't "stop" fat burning permanently. What happens: your liver prioritises metabolising ethanol over fatty acid oxidation. While alcohol is being processed (typically 1–3 hours per drink), fat oxidation is paused — not cancelled. Once the alcohol is cleared, fat burning resumes.

So why avoid it?

• Those paused hours add up if you drink regularly
• Alcohol provides 7 kcal/g with zero nutritive value — empty calories that compete with your deficit
• It disrupts sleep architecture (less deep sleep, less REM) even at moderate doses — and sleep is when much of brain restoration occurs
• It impairs next-day decision-making and willpower, making dietary adherence harder
• On keto, alcohol tolerance is typically much lower (faster intoxication) and hangovers are worse (dehydration compounds with keto's existing dehydration tendency)

The MIND diet includes 1 glass of wine daily for its polyphenol content (resveratrol). NooKeto trades this for additional EVOO and berry polyphenols — achieving the antioxidant benefit without the alcohol cost. If you do choose to drink occasionally, dry wine or neat spirits are the least disruptive options.

What's excluded

• Milk — lactose (sugar), dairy exclusion applies
• Fruit juice — concentrated fructose without fibre
• Soft drinks — sugar or artificial sweeteners
• Diet drinks — artificial sweeteners may perpetuate sweet-taste dependency and have uncertain metabolic effects
• "Keto" drinks / MCT coffee with cream — unnecessary calories, often used as a crutch rather than a tool
• Energy drinks — artificial sweeteners, stimulant stacking, and poor-quality caffeine delivery

Where to go next

See the daily protocol (including the morning mixture): Daily Protocol. See what we eat: What We Eat. Or explore the evidence: The Research.