The Best Alcohol That You Can Drink When On A Diet

Full of empty calories and inhibition-lowering substances, alcohol is a dieter's worst enemy. To meet your weight-loss goals, you'd do best to limit yourself to one drink a day. Nonetheless, you can enjoy your daily drink without feeling like you're "cheating": Moderate drinking may have some health benefits. Choose a type of drink that suits your taste and your diet, and you might do yourself some good.

Alcohol and Calories

As a general rule, alcohol has about 7 calories per 1 g. It provides no nutrients, vitamins or minerals, and so the calories are considered "empty" calories. A 12-oz. beer, a 5-oz. glass of wine and a 1 1/2-oz. shot of liquor all have approximately the same number of calories, and the same amount of alcohol. The main exception is light beer, which contains about 3 percent alcohol and has fewer calories in a 12-oz. bottle or can. Conversely, hard liquors have around 40 percent alcohol and are higher in calories.

Alcohol and Weight Loss

Alcohol's empty calories are dangerous when you're on a diet, but it carries other dangers as well. Alcohol can slow the process by which your body burns fat, and it can also stimulate your appetite and loosen your self-control. According to a study in the October 2002 "International Journal of Obesity," you're likely to eat more if you drink alcohol with your meal. However, a study in the same publication's August 2004 issue found moderate alcohol consumption may be safe for dieters. Those who got 10 percent of their daily calories from white wine lost as much weight as people who got 10 percent of their calories from grape juice.

Health Benefits

Surprisingly, moderate alcohol use might have some benefit. According to MayoClinic.com, it's been linked with a reduction in risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke, as well as gallstone risk. It may also reduce the risk of diabetes. However, it's important to limit your intake to one drink per day for women, or two for men.

In a study published in the "European Heart Journal" in July 2004, researchers in France studied heart health compared to the type of alcohol people preferred to drink. They found people who drank wine had a healthier diet and healthier behaviors than other types of drinkers. Wine drinkers were even healthier than those who drank no alcohol. However, this result was linked to where and how people lived, not just what they drank. MayoClinic.com reports that although red wine may seem to be healthy in theory, there isn't any evidence yet that it truly improves health.

Conclusions

When you're following a healthy diet and trying to lose weight, it's important to limit your alcohol intake. For that purpose, light beer might be your best choice. However, red and white wine are also safe choices and may even carry added health benefits. Avoid hard liquors, particularly when combined with sugary, high-calorie juices and mixers, and enjoy your one drink a day with no guilt whatsoever.