Do you miss the refreshing taste of fruit juice flowing down your throat and hitting that sweet spot?
Let’s face it: nothing can ever quench your thirst quite like fruit juices! Unfortunately, that would be too much sugar for your ketogenic diet!
But what if we told you there’s a way you can still enjoy the flavours of your favourite fruit juices without going out of ketosis? Is crystal light keto? Short answer:
Yes, you can—all thanks to the low-carb and low-calorie water boosters on the market today! Crystal Light is one of them. All you need to do is add these powder mixes to your water, and you can already enjoy all the sugary drinks you loved pre-keto.
Is it too good to be true?
Well, you have to read this article to find out!
What is crystal light?
Crystal Light is a powdered drink mix formulated to be added to water to produce sweet and refreshing beverages, considered healthier soft drink alternatives. They are often referred to as “water enhancers” because of their ability to improve the palatability of water.
Manufactured by Kraft Foods, the product line has expanded to include low-calorie iced tea drinks that are perfect as workout drinks for athletes and active people.
The Crystal Light drink mix is sold in a variety of portion packs: single-serve packs for people on the go, multi-serve packs for home use, and a model designed to be put into soda vending machines.
Why drink Crystal Light?
Crystal Light is famous for many good reasons. Among which:
superior to water in taste
We know that water is good for all of us, but let’s face it: drinking tasteless liquid can be quite tiring from time to time.
In addition, some people cannot tolerate the lack of taste in water. Having a better-tasting alternative (without the amount of sugar that comes with juices and sodas) is undoubtedly an attractive option for these people.
Low sugar
This is the main reason why most diabetics or those trying to lose weight or avoid carbs drink Crystal Light. To achieve the desired sweetness, the company used non-nutritive sugar substitutes.
Some of the non-nutritive sweeteners used are not metabolized by the body, meaning they contain little to no calories per serving and have no significant effect on your body’s blood sugar levels.
low in calories
Some of us prefer to drink juice over water because it tastes better. However, we cannot always drink juice because of the high calories it contains. The excellent news is that the Crystal Light powder mix is low in calories.
Of course, the number of calories you get per serving depends on the type of Crystal Light product line you consume.
What are the Crystal Light product lines and their flavors?
Crystal Light already has four product lines. Among which:
Classic crystal light
The Crystal Light is the original formulation, meaning it is low in calories and low in sugar but uses a lot of artificial ingredients. For this product line, here are some of the flavours you can enjoy:
- Better Sangria
- Tropical coconut
- Black cherry and lime
- Strawberry Watermelon
- Blueberry Raspberry
- Blackberry lemonade
- Concord grape
- Cherry Pomegranate
- Lemonade
- Fruitpunch
- Orange
- Mango passion fruit
- Pink lemonade
- Raspberry ice cream
- Pomegranate lemonade
- Frambozenlimonade
- Strawberry, Orange, and Banana
- Strawberry lemonade
- Strawberry Kiwi
Crystal Light with caffeine
Also called the Crystal Light Energy Mix, the powdered mixes under this product line contain about 60 mg of caffeine per serving, making them perfect for coffee lovers or those in need of an energy boost. Under this product line, these are the flavours you can choose from:
- Cherry splash
- Grape
- Citrus
- Acai Berry Bliss
- Peach Mango
- Tropical Paradise Punch
- Pomegranate
- Refreshing Strawberry Pineapple
- Wild strawberry
Crystal light tea
The Crystal Light Tea product line has been formulated to satisfy the cravings of tea lovers. You can choose from the following flavours for this product line:
- Citroen Decaf
- Lemon iced tea
- Peach
- Pomegranate Green Tea
- Peach-Mango Green Tea
- Raspberry
- raspberry green tea
- Sweet tea
Crystal Light: Pure
It is claimed to be the product line with the fewest artificial ingredients.Basically, it contains no flavourings, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners. For this product line, here are some of the flavours you can enjoy:
- Grape
- Citroen
- Lemon iced tea
- mixed berry energy
- Strawberry Kiwi
- Peach
- Strawberry Lemonade Energy
- Frambozenlimonade
- Mandarin Mango
- Tropical citrus energy
- Tropical mix
What’s in Crystal Light?
Here are the similar ingredients you will find on the label of all Crystal Light product lines:
Citric acid
This is an acid usually found in citrus fruits, but the acid used in Crystal Light is most likely artificial.
Citric acid acts both as a flavor enhancer and as a preservative for Crystal Light products.
Maltodextrin
This ingredient is often used as both a thickener and a filler to increase the volume and extend the shelf life of the powdered drink.
Artificial food colours
It is added to the formulation to give the powder its distinct color, making it more attractive.
Natural and artificial flavours
Crystal Light is formulated with a combination of artificial and natural sweeteners, which give the mix its fruity and refreshing taste.
Artificial sweeteners
To give the mix its sweet taste, it is also formulated with different types of artificial sweeteners.
What are the sweeteners used for Crystal Light?
Since our primary goal is to determine if Crystal Light is keto-friendly or not, we need to look at the type of sweetener it contains. Here we have to take into account that different Crystal product lines use different sweeteners.
Sucralose (Crystal Light-thee)
More commonly known as Splenda, it is considered the sweetest sugar substitute available, as it is said to be 322 to 1000 times sweeter than table sugar. Since it is not nutritious, it is not metabolized by the body and does not have any effect on your body’s sugar levels, so it is considered safe for the keto diet.
However, there is a caveat to using this sweetener. According to studies, sucralose can inhibit the growth of the beneficial bacteria in our gut and interfere with our GI health and functions. (ow )
Acesulfaam-kalium (Crystal Light Tea, Classic)
This artificial sweetener is often used in sugar-free drinks and is often listed as Ace-K. It is also sweeter than sugar—about 200 times sweeter.
According to the FDA, acesulfame potassium is considered safe for consumption. ( )( * ) However, a-gram00 g serving of this sugar contains about 0.5 g of carbohydrates. This is suitable for a regular ketogenic diet, but not recommended for those on a strict ketogenic diet.
Aspartame (Crystal Light with Caffeine)
Also considered a non-nutritive sweetener, aspartame is unlikely to affect ketosis, making it one of the most commonly used sugar alternatives for keto. (ls )
However, a 1-gram serving of aspartame contains 1 gramme of net carbs. This is something to keep in mind when planning your meals and macros.
Stevia Blad Extract (Crystal Light Pure)
Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from stevia leaves. It is one of the most popular sweeteners as it is considered healthier and more beneficial.
The best news is that Stevia is considered keto since it has no glycemic index and does not affect ketosis.
Crystal Light with Caffeine and Pure Sugar
Unfortunately, there are two Crystal Light product lines that contain sugar. This is none other than the Crystal Light Caffeine and Pure product lines, so you should avoid these drinks if you’re on keto.
How many carbohydrates are in a crystal light?
Just as important as identifying the drinks’ sweeteners to determine if they can be consumed on keto, you should also look at each drink’s net carbs. This may vary depending on the Crystal Light flavour you choose.
Here is a simple table that can help you quickly determine the carbohydrate content of the Crystal Light of your choice:
Is Crystal Light keto-compatible?
There are two crucial things to consider before answering this question.
First, there are the sweeteners in the drinks. Based on this consideration, only two product lines are suitable for the ketogenic diet: Crystal Light Tea and Crystal Light Classic. This is because the other two product lines, Crystal Light with Caffeine and Pure, contain added sugars.
Second, we also need to think about the grammes of net carbs in the drinks and how they would fit into your macronutrient needs. Most flavours contain 1-3 grammes of net carbs per serving, which is suitable for a ketogenic diet, as long as you make sure you don’t exceed the 50 g daily carbohydrate requirement.
Considering all these factors, we can say that Crystal Light is keto-friendly.
Is crystal light bad for you?
But we have an even bigger question: Is it good for your health? We’re afraid not.
While many people consider it healthy because it has a lower sugar and carbohydrate content than soft drinks, we should look at the quality of the ingredients it contains.
Unfortunately, it contains too many artificial ingredients—flavorings, dyes, corn syrup, etc.—which can have adverse effects on our health when consumed in large quantities. ( )
last words
Is crystal light keto? Crystal Light is keto-friendly, but some ingredients in its formulation have been associated with negative health effects.
With all these things in mind, here’s our friendly advice: you can drink Crystal Light from time to time, especially if your cravings for sweets are strong, but avoid consuming it as much as you can.
Additionally, make sure you choose the product line with the least amount of artificial ingredients and one that fits your macros well. Based on the data we’ve gathered, it’s best to choose Crystal Light pure flavours that contain only 1 gramme of net carbs per serving.