With sugary drinks out of the equation, we ketoers are pretty much left with plain and boring water! Infused water drinks like Bai seem quite healthy. But, is Bai keto friendly?
Keto diet also allows a few beverages such as black coffee and unsweetned ice tea. But honestly, they SUCK!
Yeah, I know they are quite “healthy” but there are times when I just want to pop open a can of soda and gulp it down in one go!
No matter your level of self-control, sometimes we all crave a rejuvenating and refreshing drink after a hectic day at work!
This search for a new keto beverage (that doesn’t taste like a diet drink) took me to Bai Drinks.
They have a wide range of flavored, plant-infused low-calorie beverages available in different flavors. It is surprisingly quite low in calories, with one bottle giving you just 10 calories!
Today we are going to explore how Bai drinks fit into the keto diet, whether they are healthy, and look at some other promising keto-friendly beverages.
Are Bai Drinks Keto?
Bai flavored water drinks are keto friendly as they have only 2g of net carbs per bottle. Most of their carbohydrates come from Erythritol which is a sugar alcohol and is not considered a part of net carbs.
Most beverages and soft drinks are prohibited on a keto diet because they are fully loaded with sugar!
However, Bai infusion drinks are sweetened with stevia and erythritol – both of which are free from carbohydrates and hence keto-friendly.
A keto diet allows you about 20g of net carbs per day. A bottle of Bai infused drink has just 2g of net carbs, which means that you can easily accommodate one bottle within your daily carb quota.
In fact, Bai drinks are much healthier than artificially sweetened beverages like Diet Coke.
Bai infused water is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C, and natural caffeine. On top of it, Bai drinks are also gluten free, Soy free, Vegan, Kosher, Low GI, NON-GMO, and BPA Free.
However, if you are following the “strict keto” lifestyle, you may want to give this a pass since it’s ultimately a processed food product!
Does the word strict keto sound alien to you? Don’t worry, even I didn’t know such a category existed when I first started keto!
Keto is the hottest diet trend right now and everyone has their own eating preferences even in this low-carb diet.
This has lead to different branches of keto called Strict, Lazy, and Dirty Keto.
Here’s a short summary of each one of them:
- Strict Keto: When you strictly track all your meals along with calories. No processed foods allowed and you stick to whole foods.
- Lazy Keto: Where you don’t track everything like a maniac and simply just stick to the daily carb limit.
- Dirty Keto: This is the most practical approach for a busy multi-tasker! You are also allowed processed foods here as long as you stay under the daily carb limit!
Net Carbs in Bai Drinks
Each variant of Bai drinks has 2g of net carbs per bottle or 1g of net carbs per serving (i.e. half a bottle).
They do have more than 10 grams of carbohydrates but most of it comes from the sweetener Erythritol. These carbs are sugar alcohols which are not considered “net carbs”.
The only real carbs present in Bai drinks are the ones that come from sugar (2g).
Hence we can say that Bai drinks are low carb and keto-friendly.
All About Bai Infusion Drinks
Bai drinks are fruit-flavored antioxidant infused beverages almost without any sugar or calories. They have just 10 calories per bottle, which is almost nothing when compared to other products in the market!
Here’s a list containing Bai drinks’ ingredients:
- Water
- Bai Proprietary Sweetener Blend
- Beta-Carotene
- Vegetable Juice
- Vitamin C
- Orange Juice Concentrate
- Natural Flavors
- Citric Acid
- Coffee Fruit Extract
- White Tea Extract
- Malic Acid
- Sodium Citrate
One bottle contains 60mg of natural caffeine which is equivalent to a cup of green tea! So you may also consider it as a sports drink other than just flavored water.
Bai drinks get their antioxidants from a rare fruit known as coffee fruit. I bet you’ve never heard of it before!
Coffee fruit (aka coffee berry) is a type of stone fruit derived from the coffee plant. Some people also know it as coffee cherry.
The young fruit is green and it turns purple or reddish as it matures. The coffee bean we use in our beverages is actually the seed of this fruit!
This coffee fruit is a powerhouse of antioxidants that help us fight harmful compounds in our body (free radicals).
Just a few years ago, coffee manufacturers didn’t know the healthy properties of this fruit! They used to throw away the fruit after extracting the much valuable coffee bean.
Studies have now revealed the promising benefits of coffee fruit and all supplements brands are launching their coffee-fruit infused products.
Bai Drink Variants
Bai drinks have a wide product line of various low-calorie and low-carb beverages.
The common thing among all of them is that they have just 2g of net carbs per bottle and every flavor is gluten-free, Soy-free, Vegan, Kosher, Low GI, NON-GMO, and BPA Free.
They started with just a few flavors in 2009 but their impressive growth has lead to a wide range of blends!
The Bai Drink
Bai drink is the original water infused beverage that the company launched initially. It infused with antioxidants and has several fruity flavors that are quite refreshing on a hot summer day!
Bai drink is available in the following flavors:
- Brasilia Blueberry
- Costa Rica Clementine
- Ipanema Pomegranate
- Kula Watermelon
- Malawi Mango
- Panama Peach
- Sumatra Dragonfruit
- Zambia Bing Cherry
Bubbles
Bubbles is the carbonated beverage from Bai that almost feels like it has real sugar!
The Waikiki Coconut from Bai is like having a pina colada. It has some kind of texture that feels like actual pulp!
Bai Bubbles is available in the following refreshing flavors:
- Bolivia Black Cherry
- Jamaica Blood Orange
- Gimbi Pink Grapefruit
- Bogotá Blackberry Lime
- Peru Pineapple
- Lambari Watermelon Lime
- Waikiki Coconut Lime
Antioxidant Water
Most bottled water in the market today can cause stomach issues due to its acidic pH level.
The antioxidant water from Bai is infused with the mineral selenium, which has the following health benefits:
- It is a very powerful antioxidant.
- Studies have found that high levels of selenium in the blood may lower the risk of certain cancers like breast, lung, or colon cancer.
- It may prevent heart disease.
- Thyroid tissue requires a healthy dose of selenium to function properly.
- Selenium may also boost your immune functions and guide you against various diseases like influenza, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C.
The Bai antioxidant water has a balanced pH of 7.5 or higher. It is purified via reverse osmosis and also contains electrolytes that are a boon to the keto diet.
Cocofusions
If you love coconut water, you are surely going to love Bai Cocofusion drinks!
I’d definitely go for the variety pack which contains Molokai Coconut, Andes Coconut Lime, Maui Coconut Raspberry, and Puna Coconut Pineapple flavors.
You can buy a 12 pack of this drink at a steal-deal price on Amazon.
Bai Cocofusions can be a healthy replacement for your morning coffee if you feel caught in a rut! It can also be a great accompaniment to your keto snack.
Bai SuperTea
Bai Superteas are brewed tea beverages with a fruity touch to them.
Think of it as a sweet iced tea without the extra sugar and carbs! Bai Supertea is crafted with real tea extracts from white and black tea.
Supertea is available in the following flavors:
- Nariño Peach Tea
- Rio Raspberry Tea
- Socorro Sweet Tea
- Tanzania Lemon Tea
Bai Lemonade
Bai lemonade is the healthier version of a regular lemonade that is surprisingly keto-friendly!
It can be a very refreshing keto drink in the times of scorching heat in summers.
Bai lemonade is available in the following variants:
- Burundi Blueberry Lemonade
- Lanai Blackberry Lemonade
- São Paulo Strawberry Lemonade
I personally feel that Bai drinks and other keto-friendly beverages require a few trials to adjust to the taste!
Since they are made with keto sweeteners and natural sweeteners like stevia, you can’t compare the taste with other sugar-laden soft drinks such as regular Coke.
Are Bai Drinks Healthy
Bai drinks are a rich surce of vitamin C, antioxidants, electroylytes, and selenium.
Even those who are not on keto but want to give up sugary drinks, Bai can be a very promising option!
It is refreshing, free from artificial stuff, and does not spike your insulin like other soft drinks. Trust me, high-sugar stuff really messes up your mood sometimes!
Sugar is in fact, one of the most under-rated drugs out there that are highly addictive and can damage your mood and health!
Bai drinks are definitely much healthier than other soft-drinks out in the market. It is gluten free, Soy free, Vegan, Kosher, Low GI, NON-GMO, and BPA Free.
However, at the end of the day it’s also a processed food and should only have it in moderation. These beverages can’t be substituted for water on a daily basis!
Sweeteners Used in Bai Drinks
How are Bai drinks sweet but don’t even contain spoonfuls of sugar like most soft-drinks?
Stevia and erythritol are the two natural sweeteners that are used in Bai drinks.
Stevia has effectively 0 calories because it can’t be absorbed by the human body. It is a well known sugar substitute for fitness enthusiasts looking to lose weight.
Erythritol, on the other hand, is a type of sugar alcohol that is a common sweetener well known in the keto community!
The carbs present in Erythritol can’t be digested and hence they are not considered “net carbs” in the keto diet.
Alternative Keto Friendly Beverages
Drinks are the sneakiest source of extra carbs in a keto diet!
You can easily ruin all your low-carb efforts with just a can of soda in the evening. But if you know the right kind of low carb drinks, you are much less likely to cheat on your diet.
Here are some more keto drinks besides water that can refresh you after a hectic day at work!
Sparkling Water
Sparkling water is a carbonated water that can be a great substitute for soda or soft drinks.
The carbonation adds that fizzy effect to the drink and makes it similar to a club soda.
These are some of the well known keto-friendly sparkling water brands:
- Ferrarelle Acqua Minerale. This one has just the right amount of fizz – neither too much nor too less. If you don’t like bubbles bursting on your face as you bring the glass to your mouth, this is the one you want!
- San Pellegrino. It is an Italian brand of sparkling water and only the unflavored ones are keto-friendly. Fruity flavors are high in sugar and they should be avoided.
- LaCroix Sparkling Water. It is a natural sparkling water with subtle flavors. It is also a keto-friendly beverage.
- Voss Sparkling. Voss Sparkling has a wide range of fruit and herb flavored water drinks. They are zero-calorie and zero-carb as well.
Zevia Soda
Zevia is a brand offering zero-sugar and zero-carb beverages that are ultimately keto-friendly.
The name Zevia rhymes with “Stevia” which is the main natural sweetener present in all Zevia drinks.
Zevia on keto Zevia offers many low carb sodas, energy drinks (with caffeine), iced teas, and mixers (such as ginger beer and tonic water).
Cherry Cola and Cream Soda are some of the flavors I really love and they almost feel like real soda.
Keto-Friendly Alcohol Drinks
Alcoholic beverages and other cocktails can be surprisingly high in carbs if not chosen carefully!
You should stick to hard liquors on the keto diet as they won’t spike insulin and blood sugar levels, unlike regular beer!
Checkpoints for Keto-friendly alcohol:
- Light Beer. Light beer such as Bud Select or Miller 64 is a good keto option. Even though they do have some carbs, but they are much less than the regular beer.
- Wine. You can find some low-carb wines with less than 5 grams of net carbs per glass (5 oz.). It includes dry red wine, dry white wine, and unflavored champagne.
- Liquor. Unsweetened and pure liquor like vodka, rum, gin, tequila, whiskey do not have any carbs. It is only the cocktails with mixers and chasers that contribute to the sugar overload!
Conclusion
Is Bai Keto Friendly?
Bai drinks are keto-friendly because one bottle contains just 2g of net carbs. You can easily accommodate this number within your daily carb limit!
They are sweetened with zero-carb sweeteners like Stevia and Erythritol. Bai drinks on keto are also a good source of Vitamin C and radical-fighting antioxidants.