Is Alcohol Bad For A Diet?

A big part of eating a healthy diet is controlling the number of calories you consume each day. Alcohol can throw off a well-balanced diet by contributing extra calories the body does not need. This may not be the case for moderate drinkers, however, since moderate consumption has been linked to positive health benefits, according to Roberta Larson Duyff of the American Dietetic Association. The key is to keep alcohol consumption limited to prevent it from affecting a healthy eating plan.

Calories

All types of alcohol contribute calories to your daily total -- the stronger the alcohol, the more calories it contains. According to Christian Finn -- certified personal trainer and creator of the TheFactsAboutFitness.com -- each gram of alcohol contains 7.1 calories. He says that the "true" number of calories in a gram of alcohol is actually between 5.7 and 6 calories due to a boost in metabolism that alcohol initially causes when entering the body.

Effects

When you consume alcohol, only about 5 percent of it gets stored as fat in the body, according to Finn. That may seem like a good thing, but the other effect of alcohol consumption is that your body stops burning stored fat for energy. Instead, your body turns the alcohol into a substance called acetate, which is then burned for energy. So, your body virtually stops burning protein, carbohydrates and stored fat as energy when you drink. This is the most detrimental aspect of consuming alcohol while trying to maintain a healthy body weight.

Hidden Dangers

The main problem with drinking alcohol regularly is the "hidden" calories associated with it. Christian Finn points out how hunger seems to spike during and after drinking alcohol, so you will tend to eat more calories on top of the calories consumed from the alcohol alone. A second issue that can increase the number of calories you consume is the use of mixers. For instance, a shot of vodka may be about 100 calories, but when you add regular soda as a mixer, the calorie count can swell to well-over 300 calories. Choose diet sodas and 100 percent fruit juices as healthier alternatives for mixing drinks.

Recommendation

Duyff of the ADA and Finn agree that moderate alcohol consumption can help you maintain a healthy body weight and offers some potential health benefits. However, consuming alcohol beyond what is classified as "moderate" can lead to weight gain due to an increase in calorie consumption and a decrease in your body's ability to burn fat, carbohydrates and protein for energy. The Mayo Clinic defines "moderate drinking" as one drink per day for women and two drinks for men. A drink is equal to one 12-oz. beer, 5 oz. of wine or 1.5 oz. of liqueur.