Diet Friendly Alcohol Choices

Choose Wisely to Stay On Track

 

 

A key to any successful lifestyle change is moderation. While you may be sticking to a healthier eating plan on most days, certain occasions call for a bit of relaxation, oftentimes in the form of an alcoholic drink. While alcohol is fat-free and low in carbs, it's important to remember that it's the calories that count when it comes to weight management. As you know, alcohol and dieting don’t mix well—your body processes alcohol first, leaving carbohydrates and fats to get stored as fat instead of getting used as fuel. Even if you are careful about your alcohol consumption, all drinks are not created equal on the dieting scale and some choices are better than others. Here's a short guide to the calorie contents of different types of alcohol. Use it as a quick resource so you can make the best alcohol choices while sticking to your dietary goals. Wine: The Most Diet-Friendly Choice If you’re going to drink, wine is the most calorie-friendly selection with a typical 20 calories per ounce. Each 5-ounce glass would then be 100 calories with no cholesterol, sodium or fat. This is true for both red and white wine, from merlot to chardonnay. Sherry, a sweet, fortified wine runs a bit higher with 32 calories per ounce but it is usually served in smaller portions as an after-dinner drink. Here is the nutritional information for some popular wines per ounce: Wine Calories Carbs Per 5-oz Serving Chardonnay 20 0.4 g 100 calories, 2 g carbs Pinot Grigio 20 0.4 g 100 calories, 2 g carbs Zinfandel® White Wine 20 0.4 g 100 calories, 2 g carbs Cabernet Sauvignon 20 0.8 g 100 calories, 4 g carbs Merlot Red Wine 20 0.8 g 100 calories, 4 g carbs Hard Liquor: Easy on Your Diet Hard liquor is higher in calories per ounce than wine, and is often mixed with soda, which increases the calorie count. If you’re going to drink liquor, use calorie-free mixers like diet soda or diet tonic water. One shot glass or mixed drink will contain about 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. Here is the nutritional information for some favorites, based on one ounce: Hard Liquor Calories Carbs Per 1.5-oz Serving Vermouth 32 0.2 g 64 calories, 0.4 g carbs Coconut Rum 51 5.3 g 77 calories, 8 g carbs Beefeater® Gin 65 0 g 98 calories, 0 g carbs Rye Whiskey 69 0 g 104 calories, 0 g carbs Scotch Whiskey 69 0 g 104 calories, 0 g carbs White Rum 69 0 g 104 calories, 0 g carbs Vodka 69 0 g 104 calories, 0 g carbs Cognac 69 2 g 104 calories, 3 g carbs Tequila 69 5.3 g 104 calories, 8 g carbs Gilbey’s® Gin 79 0 g 119 calories, 0 g carbs Beer: Raise Your Glass with Care Beer is the next best choice for dieters with, about 150 calories per 12-ounce serving. Choosing light beers will drop your caloric intake without sacrificing much flavour, but keep in mind that it can be hard to estimate your intake when pouring from a pitcher or into an oversized beer mug. Here is the nutritional information for different types of beer, based on a single ounce: Beer Calories Carbs Per 12-oz Serving "Light" Beer 9 0.5 g 108 calories, 6 g carbs Draft Beer 12 1.1 g 144 calories, 13.2 g carbs Lager 14 1.1 g 168 calories, 13.2 g carbs Ale 18 1.1 g 216 calories, 13.2 g carbs Liqueur: Small but Potent Sometimes the words "cordial" and "liqueur" are used interchangeably since both drinks are flavoured, very sweet and often served as (or with) dessert. Liqueurs can be served alone, over ice, with coffee, or mixed with cream or other mixers. Adding mixers will increase the calorie and fat content of your drink. Whether served alone or in a cocktail, one liqueur serving is about 1.5 ounces. While tasty, liqueurs pack the most calories per ounce, so enjoy them sparingly. Here is the nutritional information for common liqueurs, per one-ounce serving: Liqueur Calories Carbs Per 1.5-oz Serving Chocolate Liqueur 103 11 g 155 calories, 17 g carbs Mint Liqueur 103 11 g 155 calories, 17 g carbs Peppermint Liqueur 103 11 g 155 calories, 17 g carbs Strawberry Liqueur 103 11 g 155 calories, 17 g carbs If you budget your calories carefully, you can safely afford to have a drink or two on a special occasion. But beware—drinking loosens your inhibitions and may make you eat without thinking. From a health standpoint, calories aren't the only thing to consider. Practice moderation (no more than one drink daily for women and no more than two drinks daily for men) and consider other potential health benefits of different types of alcohol. Most health experts recommend the following hierarchy when choosing alcohol based on potential health benefits (such as antioxidant content): choose red wine over white wine; choose wine over beer; choose darker-coloured beers over lighter-coloured beers; and choose beer over liquor and liqueur.

 

Ref -  Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer

Alcohol and Weight Loss

Alcohol and Weight Loss

Can You Have Both?

 

Alcohol and weight loss are enemies, but an occasional drink can have a place in a healthy lifestyle. In fact, many experts note the potential health benefits of consuming a single drink per day, including a reduced risk for high blood pressure If, however, you are exceeding one drink daily, you might be sabotaging your weight loss plans. Alcohol is metabolized differently than other foods and beverages. Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are slowly digested and absorbed within the gastrointestinal system. However, this digestive process changes when alcohol is present. When you drink alcohol, it gets immediate attention (because it is viewed by the body as a toxin) and needs no digestion. On an empty stomach, the alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall quickly and can reach the brain and liver in minutes. This process is slower when you have food in your stomach, but as soon as that food enters the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first priority and is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. As the alcohol reaches the liver for processing, the liver places all of its attention on the alcohol. If you drink very slowly, all the alcohol is collected by the liver and processed immediately—avoiding all other body systems. If you drink more quickly, the liver cannot keep up with the processing needs and the alcohol continues to circulate in the body until the liver is available to process it. That's why drinking large amounts of alcohol (or drinking alcohol quickly) affect the brain centres' involved with speech, vision, reasoning and judgment. When the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, these calories are converted into body fat and are carried away for permanent storage on your body. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes water loss and dehydration. Along with this water loss you lose important minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. These minerals are vital to the maintenance of fluid balance, chemical reactions, and muscle contraction and relaxation. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and offers NO nutritional value. It only adds empty calories to your diet. Why not spend your calorie budget on something healthier? Alcohol affects your body in other negative ways. Drinking may help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. As a result, you get less rest, which can trigger you to eat more calories the next day. Alcohol can also increase the amount of acid that your stomach produces, causing your stomach lining to become inflamed. Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to serious health problems, including stomach ulcers, liver disease, and heart troubles. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which is detrimental to your diet plans. Alcohol actually stimulates your appetite. While you might be full from a comparable amount of calories from food, several drinks might not fill you up. On top of that, research shows that if you drink before or during a meal, both your inhibitions and willpower are reduced. In this state, you are more likely to overeat—especially greasy or fried foods—which can add to your waistline. To avoid this, wait to order that drink until you're done with your meal. Many foods that accompany drinking (peanuts, pretzels, chips) are salty, which can make you thirsty, encouraging you to drink even more. To avoid overdrinking, sip on a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage. Skipping a meal to save your calories for drinks later is a bad idea. Many drinkers know they'll be having some alcohol later, whether going to a bar, party, or just kicking back at home. Knowing that drinking entails extra calories, it may be tempting to "bank" some calories by skipping a meal or two. This is a bad move. If you come to the bar hungry, you are even more likely to munch on the snacks, and drinking on an empty stomach enhances the negative effects of alcohol. If you're planning on drinking later, eat a healthy meal first. You'll feel fuller, which will stop you from over drinking. If you are worried about a looming night out with friends, include an extra 30 minutes of exercise to balance your calories—instead of skipping a meal. What are more important, calories or carbs? You might think that drinking liquor is more diet-friendly because it has no carbohydrates, while both wine and beer do contain carbs. But dieters need to watch calories, and liquor only has a few calories less than beer or wine. Plus, it is often mixed with other drinks, adding even more empty calories. Hard liquor contains around 100 calories per shot, so adding a mixer increases calories even more. If you are going to mix liquor with anything, opt for a diet or club soda, instead of fruit juice or regular soda. Sweeter drinks, whether liquor or wine, tend to have more sugar, and therefore more calories. In that respect, dry wines usually have fewer calories than sweet wines. The list below breaks down the number of calories in typical alcoholic drinks. Compare some of your favourites to make a good choice next time you decide to indulge in a serving of alcohol. Drink Serving Size Calories Red wine 5 oz. 100 White wine 5 oz. 100 Champagne 5 oz. 130 Light beer 12 oz. 105 Regular beer 12 oz. 140 Dark beer 12 oz. 170 Cosmopolitan 3 oz. 165 Martini 3 oz. 205 Long Island iced tea 8 oz. 400 Gin & Tonic 8 oz. 175 Rum & Soda 8 oz. 180 Margarita 8 oz. 200 Whiskey Sour 4 oz. 200 Alcohol can easily be the enemy when it comes to weight loss. It adds extra calories to your diet, encourages you to eat more food, and alters the normal digestive process. Not only are the extra calories a hindrance, but the changes in food breakdown sends turns those extra calories into unwanted body fat. Alcohol does have a bad reputation when it comes to weight loss, and rightfully so, so be smart about your alcohol choices if you're watching your weight.

 

Ref -   Liz Noelcke

Reviewed by - Becky Hand, MS, licensed and registered dietician