Is Monster Energy Drink Ultra Keto Friendly?

The Monster Beverage Company launched in 2002 and has expanded its brand to offer more than 30 varieties of energy drink. Based on the company's ads, most people drink a can of Monster after doing a 30 foot jump on a BMX or finishing an intense kickboxing match. In reality, most people reach for a Monster as a convenient drink to wake themselves up with decent flavor.

The Ultra line of drinks is Monster's lowest carb selection of energy drinks. While Monster's original energy drink packs an astonishing 58 g of net carbs per can, Monster Ultra is more keto-friendly at just 2 g of net carbs per can.

Monster Ultra's sweeteners are erythritol, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium, all of which are keto-friendly as they generally have no effect on your blood sugar.

In addition, Monster Ultra is rich in Niacin, which helps regulate your body's cholesterol level. It also contains 100% of your recommended daily dose of vitamin B6, which helps with brain health and vitamin B12, which keeps your blood healthy.

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.

Varieties

There are several varieties of Monster Ultra, but each contains nearly identical ingredients and shares a similar nutritional profile.

Alternative energy drinks

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