Is Monster Energy Drink Absolutely Zero Keto Friendly?

The Monster Beverage Company launched in 2002 and has expanded its brand to offer more than 30 varieties of energy drink. The company is known for its association with extreme sports such as BMX biking and mixed-martial arts fights.

Monster launched Absolutely Zero in 2010, and the product has grown in popularity as more consumers move toward low-calorie and low-carb lifestyles. Compared to Monster's original energy drink, which contains 58 g of net carbs, Monster Absolutely Zero is relatively low-carb, but it's not quite low enough to be keto-friendly.

Each can of Monster Absolutely Zero contains 4 g of net carbs, which is higher than similar low carb energy drinks like Rockstar Sugar-Free or Bang. Monster achieves the low carb count in Absolutely Zero by using the zero-carb sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium, which generally don't affect blood sugar.

Tricky labeling

When reviewing the nutritional label for any Monster Energy Drink, keep in mind that the nutrition is for half a can. Unless you're the kind of person who always drinks half a can of Monster, then saves the rest for later, you'll need to double all the numbers on the nutrition label to get an accurate representation of what you're drinking. For this reason, we include Monster's nutrition per can rather than per 8 oz serving.

Caveats

The keto community continues to debate whether artificial sweeteners have a place in the keto diet. The FDA stated that both sucralose and acesulfame potassium are safe for consumption with support from more than 90 studies. However, these artificial sweeteners can interfere with ketosis for a minority of consumers. If you're unsure of how these sweeteners affect you, try Monster in small amounts and monitor for changes in your weight or interference with your ketosis.

Caffeine in drinks like Monster can improve your cognitive performance, but be careful not to overconsume it. A recent meta-study found that drinking multiple energy drinks each day can have adverse effects on your heart, blood pressure, and quality of sleep.

Other Monster varieties

Monster has many different low-carb flavors, many of which have confusingly similar names. The "Ultra" varieties of Monster are its most keto-friendly, as they're sweetened with erythritol, which brings their net carbs down to 2 g per can. Ironically, Monster Lo-Carb Energy Drink contains the most carbs of any drink in this list.

Alternative energy drinks

For an energy drink that's all-natural and keto-friendly, try Zevia Energy Drinks.