Alcohol and weight gain.
Bottoms up, without the beer gut.
By Evelyn Tribole, R.D. Lifetime Television
Q: I am trying to watch my waistline. When out with friends or when celebrating a special occasion, what are my best options for alcoholic beverages?
A: The truth is, alcohol-related weight gain has more to do with the amount people drink than the caloric content of their chosen poison. For instance, a single margarita is the caloric equivalent of a smoothie, whereas five beers add up to one-and-a-half Quarter Pounders.
That said, champagne, wine and light beer are the winners in the low-calorie contest, averaging approximately 100 calories per serving each. Of these, the best choice is red wine, since it's rich in the phytochemical resveratrol, which researchers say may benefit your heart. Straying from light beer can be a problem, especially if you're having a few brews. At approximately 150 calories per 12-ounce bottle, regular ales, stouts and lagers can definitely contribute to a beer belly.
However, mixed drinks are the real caloric heavyweights, because of the sweet mixers they contain. Cocktails are often roughly twice the calories of wine, beer or bubbly. A four-ounce whiskey sour has 192 calories, versus 225 calories (plus a few grams of fat!) in a piña colada and 248 calories in a margarita. At 100 calories, a shot of hard liquor is comparable to a can of beer, but add some sweet stuff and soda — plus lots more calories — and people can slurp these drinks down a lot faster than a mug of beer.
It's definitely a good idea to take note of the caloric content of what you drink, since beverages are an energy source many people overlook. If you're trying to stay slim while still having fun with friends, choose wisely and alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water. If a truly healthy lifestyle is what you're after, nearly every public health organization from the American Heart Association to the American Cancer Society recommends that women limit their intake of alcoholic drinks to one per day, which means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.
By Evelyn Tribole, R.D. Lifetime Television
Q: I am trying to watch my waistline. When out with friends or when celebrating a special occasion, what are my best options for alcoholic beverages?
A: The truth is, alcohol-related weight gain has more to do with the amount people drink than the caloric content of their chosen poison. For instance, a single margarita is the caloric equivalent of a smoothie, whereas five beers add up to one-and-a-half Quarter Pounders.
That said, champagne, wine and light beer are the winners in the low-calorie contest, averaging approximately 100 calories per serving each. Of these, the best choice is red wine, since it's rich in the phytochemical resveratrol, which researchers say may benefit your heart. Straying from light beer can be a problem, especially if you're having a few brews. At approximately 150 calories per 12-ounce bottle, regular ales, stouts and lagers can definitely contribute to a beer belly.
However, mixed drinks are the real caloric heavyweights, because of the sweet mixers they contain. Cocktails are often roughly twice the calories of wine, beer or bubbly. A four-ounce whiskey sour has 192 calories, versus 225 calories (plus a few grams of fat!) in a piña colada and 248 calories in a margarita. At 100 calories, a shot of hard liquor is comparable to a can of beer, but add some sweet stuff and soda — plus lots more calories — and people can slurp these drinks down a lot faster than a mug of beer.
It's definitely a good idea to take note of the caloric content of what you drink, since beverages are an energy source many people overlook. If you're trying to stay slim while still having fun with friends, choose wisely and alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water. If a truly healthy lifestyle is what you're after, nearly every public health organization from the American Heart Association to the American Cancer Society recommends that women limit their intake of alcoholic drinks to one per day, which means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.
