Alcohol: Sodas, juices add calories to mixed drinks

By Charles Stuart Platkin

At 7 calories per gram, alcohol can doom a diet. Illustration by Martha P. Hernandez • The Honolulu Advertiser

Most of her foods are low in calories, but I know for a fact that she likes to have a few cocktails during the week, and on the weekend — well, let's just say she indulges. She just didn't realize how many calories her drinks were adding to her diet.

The holiday season, and particularly New Year's Eve, adds to the opportunity for imbibing. But beware.

If you're trying to lose or control your weight, watching alcohol consumption can be essential. A couple of glasses of wine over the course of a party can easily add as many as 400 calories. Simply having one beer a night adds more than 1,000 calories per week — an extra 15 pounds per year.

Remember, the alcohol is what contains much of the calories, so the lower the alcohol content, the lower the calories. There are seven calories per gram of alcohol, compared with four calories per gram for either carbohydrates or protein. (Fat contains nine calories per gram.) However, not all drinks are created equal when it comes to caloric excess.

Recently, consumer groups led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest proposed that the government institute an "Alcohol Facts" label similar to the "Nutrition Facts" label found on supermarket foods. In the meantime, here are some suggestions:

• You be the judge. Alcohol tends to impair judgment — which means you might eat and drink more than you normally would. To top it off, most people enjoy eating high-calorie, high-sodium snacks when they drink alcohol — triple the trouble if you're trying to lose weight.
• Disturbing the peace. Alcohol can be especially harmful to dieters because it may cause blood sugar levels to drop more rapidly. That can stimulate appetite and disrupt your ability to tell when you've had enough to eat.
• Keep it light. Beer and wine are your best choices when it comes to consuming alcohol, but they still have calories. Try to choose light beers; regular beer contains 150 calories a bottle, whereas light beer has 100 (none of these beers has fat). The new low-carb beers are somewhat lower in calories than the light versions, and nonalcoholic beer is still lower, at about 70 calories per drink.

While five ounces of dry wine or champagne will cost you only 100 calories — both relatively good choices — watch out for sweet dessert wine, which has 226 calories (for five ounces).

Michelob (12 oz): 155 calories, 13.4g carbs.

Michelob Light (12 oz): 134 calories, 11.7g carbs.

Michelob Ultra Low-Carb (12 oz): 95 calories, 2.6g carbs.

Hard liquor. Keep in mind that the higher the proof, the more alcohol a product contains and the higher the calories. One ounce of 80-proof (40 percent alcohol) liquor contains about 70 calories.

A typical serving of Scotch on the rocks has anywhere from one to two shots or ounces (depending on who's pouring and how well you know the bartender). Also, sweet stuff is much higher in calories, such as créme de menthe (a shot is 186 calories) or schnapps (159 calories).

Mix it up. Alcohol itself is packed with calories, but when you add in mixers — soda, juice, cream, sugar and other ingredients — watch out. Turning rum into a rum and Coke nearly doubles the calories; the same goes for a gin and tonic. Soda or juice adds about 100 to 150 calories per drink.

The average mixed drink contains at least 300 calories for an 8-ounce glass. So keep it simple and on the rocks. Don't be shy — ask for diet sodas or seltzers for all of your mixers.

Avoid creamy, frozen, or fruity. Sweet drinks such as kahlua and cream or pi–a colada can have as many calories as a full meal or more — plus added fat.

Those bucket-sized margaritas easily contain more than 700 calories. A 16-ounce pi–a colada has almost 1,000 calories; you would have to walk for six hours to burn off that one drink. Try to choose smaller drinks and avoid the creamy and frozen ones.

Alcopops. The new premium malt beverages are the latest rage targeting the younger market. With names like Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver and Stolichnaya Citrona, they typically have more than 200 calories per drink.

To get people hooked on them, the alcohol content is kept very low, and they're loaded with tons of sugar to mask the taste. To burn off just one serving of Skyy Blue (277 calories, 45.3g carbs), you would need to ride your bike for about 35 minutes.

I'm not suggesting that you never drink again — in fact, moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce the chances of heart disease. But it is important to be conscious of what you consume, and make the best choices from what's available.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a syndicated health, nutrition and fitness columnist, and author of the best-selling book "Breaking the Pattern" (Red Mill Press, 2002). Platkin's column, "Shape Up," appears Wednesdays in The Advertiser.

Some of the nutrition information for this column has been provided by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.