Alcohol is deeply ingrained in our culture. It's a common element at celebrations, and features prominently at weddings, happy hours and other social occasions. Given the variety of alcoholic beverages that are concocted and those that are commercially available, there is not always a straightforward way to determine the caloric value of an alcoholic drink. Interestingly, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau does not mandate nutritional labeling requirements for alcoholic beverages.
Significance
There are several considerations when counting the calories in alcoholic beverages. Other than the calorie density of the pure alcohol itself, you must measure the quantity of the beverage consumed and the mixers, including sugar and sugar-based liquids, that make up the rest of the drink. Aside from the obvious addition of calories, the sugar in alcohol is rapidly metabolized and can lead to a rapid spike and subsequent drop in blood sugar levels, causing hunger.
Facts
Calorie counts for typical alcoholic drinks average about 120 for 5 ounces of wine, 100 to 150 for 1.5 ounces of hard liquor and 100 to 200 calories for 12 ounces of beer. By these estimates, a single drink every weekend can add approximately 500 calories to the month's total. Drinks concocted in bars and restaurants have the added elements of uncontrolled volume and added flavorings and mixers.
Designer Drinks
Bars and restaurants often market larger drinks that are complex and adorned to attract customers. This fact, combined with the media portrayal of alcoholic beverages, generates a certain excitement around a designer drink. Merchants add the age-old effect of sugar to alcoholic beverages to increase consumption in restaurants. This alone can add hundreds of calories to a single alcoholic beverage.
Consequences
A few extra calories consumed per day can have a significant effect on your body weight over time. Even a heart-healthy glass of wine at dinner adds 120 calories, assuming you drink only one small serving. This is not cause for concern if you can tolerate that daily caloric increase and balance it elsewhere in the diet or through exercise. But it can get complicated when weekend partying adds a hefty 1,000 calories to your weekly intake.
Solutions
A simple solution to circumventing the calories from additives and mixers is to pick a beverage with nutritional information that's easy to estimate. Bottled beer and single servings of wine are sensible picks. Cocktails are a bad idea at restaurants, but can be made at home using a variety of commercially available low-sugar, low-carb cocktail mixers. Whether dining our or at home or out, make sure you gauge the quantity of beverages you consume.
References
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: Section 205(e) Federal Alcohol Administration Act
- "Diabetes Medicine"; Alcohol Drinking, the Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes in a Population with High Mean Alcohol Consumption; Clerc et al. 2010
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: College Drinking Prevention Caculators
- "Alcohol and Alcoholism"; The Impact of Alcohol Marketing on Youth Drinking Behavior: A Two-Stage Cohort Study; Gordon et al. 2010
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