Can You Drink Alcohol and Still Lose Weight?

What is your cocktail really costing you??

Last November a data brief was released from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).  They reported from a recent study that they conducted: Calories Consumed From Alcoholic Beverages by 11,000 U.S. Adults from 2007-2010.  They used 24 hour dietary recall interviews to obtain information from adults who were ages 20 and older.  The results are quite frankly shocking and I think we need to take a step back and ask... What is your cocktail really costing you?


The study found that 33% of men and 18% of all women consume calories from alcohol daily with about 20% of men and 6% of women consuming more than 300 calories from alcoholic beverages.  The standard portion for an alcoholic beverage contained about 14 grams of alcohol.  Here is the calorie count for the average drink:

• 12 ounces of regular beer (140 calories)
• 5 ounces of wine (113 calories)
• 1 1/2 ounces of 80 proof spirits (100 calories)

The report revealed that the drink of choice for men is beer and for women it is wine.  The study also showed how the amount of calories factored by gender, age, and predicted yearly weight gain.  Here are the charts they came up with.

Men
Age	Alcohol Calories  Consumed Daily	Pounds Gained  Per Year
All ages	150	15.6
20-39	174	18.1
40-59	157	16.3
60 and over	96	10.0

 

Women
Age	Alcohol Calories  Consumed Daily	Pounds Gained  Per Year
All ages	53	5.5
20-39	61	6.4
40-59	60	6.3
60 and over	33	3.4

 

Now consider this, calories obtained from alcohol are what we consider discretionary calories or "empty calories".  These types of foods provide calories but few nutrients.  Sugar and fat also fall into this category of foods.  Ideally, discretionary calories should make up less than 15% of our total caloric intake.  If you take the average from the charts, alcohol calories are making up about 16% of our total daily calories and that doesn't even include what we consume from fat and sugar.

Now, I like a beer or a glass of wine every now and again, but we must remember the amount of calories that comes from these drinks alone.  I would suggest you head over to my article "The Smart Party Animal" to find some great tips on lowering calories and some great drink recipes.

Also, check out the full report from NCHS here: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db110.pdf

Bottom's up, Em

Be a SMART Party Animal

The Healthier Way To Booze :)

We all like to have a few drinks here and there, and we don't want weight loss to throw off our social life, so here are some great tips I like to keep in mind during happy hour with the girls...

1.  Use only fresh squeezed, 100% fruit juice, or whole fruit when possible - Although fruit juice can still be dangerous, you will cut out any "added" sugars.  It is best to dilute it with either ice or water.  Fruit itself will also add fiber and vitamins.

2.  Choose light alcohol over dark - The dark stuff contains more compounds know as congeners, which worsen hangovers.

3.  Choose seltzer water over other carbonated waters - This will eliminate added sodium and additives.  If using soda for a recipe, choose diet or natural versions.  But be careful, artificial sweeteners have there downfall too!

4.  Limit yourself to one shot per drink - Multi-alcohol cocktails pack in loads of calories, so in this case, size DOES matter.  Try to keep all your drinks around the 8 ounce mark.

5.  Choose nutritious ingredients - Lemon, coffee, ginger, natural honey... they have their own proven health benefits.  You can make your own simple syrup (sugar) with a 1/2 T. honey mixed with 3/4 T. warm water to give you better control of your sugar content.

Now for the best part:  Let's start with 5 of my favorite happy hour drinks that keep the hour happy!

1.  Bloody Mary from scratch - 3/4 cup low-sodium, no sugar added tomato juice, juice from 1/2 a lemon, dash of hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, fresh ground pepper, and 1 shot of vodka.  Garnish with celery and a lemon wedge.

2.  Cape Codder - Pour 1 shot of vodka and 2 shots cranberry juice (100% juice) over ice, add 2 shots seltzer water and garnish with a lime wedge.

3.  Light & Stormy - Over ice, combine 1 shot light rum and 2 shots of ginger beer.  Add a squeeze of lime for freshness.

4.  Fruit Mojito - muddle fresh mint leaves in the bottom of a glass, add the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1 T. simple syrup, ice, and pour in 1 jigger of light rum with 3/4 cup seltzer water.  To make it a fruit Mojito, also muddle fresh or frozen fruit in the glass before adding the liquid.

5.  Tequila Sunrise - Over ice, combine 1 shot tequila and 2 shots orange juice (100% juice).  Splash with 100% cranberry juice.

Bottoms up!  Do you have a favorite drink that you have given a healthy twist??

oxox, Em