I did something I’ve never done before. I broke my fast with wine. Then I watched the results on the new NutriSense continuous glucose monitor I’ve been wearing. To my surprise, my blood sugar came down after drinking wine! So that got me thinking about how we can fit wine into our fasting lifestyle and ketogenic efforts. Here’s what I came up with:

Wine is great, but find other habits that also lower your blood sugar.

Blood sugar goes up when you’re stressed or busy. On this particular day my blood sugar was already high to begin with because I had such a busy day at the office. While I do want to lower my stress levels, so I can lower blood sugar, I also don’t want to get in the habit of breaking my fast with wine nightly. So this did make me aware that I need to find other habits that will give me the same effect as wine, such as walking, connecting with my family, meditating, etc.

Break your fast first.

When you are in ketosis, you are asking your liver to make ketones. However, when you drink alcohol, your liver stops all it’s functions in order to prioritize detoxing alcohol. So what I would recommend is, if you are going to drink wine, break your fast first, get out of ketosis, then enjoy your wine. 

Drink non-toxic wine

Wines, and alcohol in general, are notoriously toxic. If you are going to drink wine, make sure it is clean wine. I drink Dry Farm Wines, which are conveniently delivered to my doorstep. Dry Farm WInes are natural and biodynamically grown, free of additives and sugar, lab tested for purity, low in sulfites and alcohol. For me this equates to feeling great the following day, no headaches and avoiding burdening my liver and body with unnecessary toxins.

Support your liver

When you drink, it’s best to add in a couple supplements to help support your liver. The first thing I take is L-Liver. The second is BIND, which will bind to any toxins in your gut. Third, take GCel, it’s a glutathione supplement so that your immune system isn’t suppressed as a result of the alcohol. Fourth is MIN, a mineral supplement that includes magnesium. This will help for those of you who struggle with sleep after drinking alcohol. The fifth is DReM, which is an additional sleep aid containing melatonin, great if you suffer from poor overall sleep. 

Bonus Tip: Use a castor oil pack

This is an additional liver support tool that I recommend when the liver is congested with the job of processing alcohol. A sluggish or congested liver can keep you from getting into ketosis depending on how burdened the liver is with other detoxification. There are several highly effective ways to support your liver detox pathways, including castor oils packs, which one of my team members home makes! Make sure you use organic castor oil, ideally one that comes in a glass bottle.