Kerry McClure – Practical Wellness
June 3, 2015
What do water, salt and alcohol have in common?
They are all substances that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the stomach.
Alcohol is metabolized extremely quickly by the body. Unlike foods, which require time for digestion, alcohol needs no digestion and is quickly absorbed. Alcohol gets VIP treatment in the body absorbing and metabolizing before most other nutrients.
Here are few thoughts on alcohol consumption. Enjoy and drink responsibly!
1. Calories in alcoholic beverages
2. How alcohol is metabolized
3. Guidelines for moderate alcohol use
4. Tips for calorie reduction when consuming alcohol
Alcohol beverages supply calories but few nutrients and may contribute to unwanted weight gain.
1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories
Beer:
Regular, 12oz = 153 calories
Light, 12oz = 103 calories
Distilled spirits:
80-proof gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, 1.5oz = 97 calories
Wine:
Red, 5oz = 125 calories
White, 5oz = 121 calories
Sweet, 3.5oz = 165 calories
Sherry, 2oz = 75 calories
Champagne, 4oz – 84 calories
Cocktails:
Daquiri, 2oz = 112 calories
Martini (traditional), 2.25oz = 124 calories
Martini (extra dry), 2.25oz = 139 calories
Mojito, 6oz = 143 calories
Cosmopolitan, 2.75oz = 146 calories
Whiskey sour, 3.5oz = 160 calories
Manhattan, 3.5oz = 164 calories
Margarita, 4oz = 168 calories
Pina Colada, 9oz = 490 calories
In this calculator, indicate your average number of drinks of choice per week. The calculator will show you the calories you consume per week from alcoholic beverages:
http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/…/caloriecalculator…
The key to a healthy diet is to spend your calories on foods that provide a variety of vitamins and minerals without a lot of calories. Alcohol can do the exact opposite of this. It doesn’t provide a lot of vitamins and minerals and you can easily get an entire meal’s worth of calories from a few cocktails! Alcohol interferes with how your body processes and stores nutrients so the healthy foods that you do eat don’t get to do their job.
Have you ever wondered why you feel the way that you do after drinking alcohol? The effects that alcohol has on your health start with how it’s metabolized. Once alcohol is in your system, your body makes metabolizing it a priority. That means that it will stop metabolizing anything else in order to first get the alcohol metabolized. The reason for this is because unlike protein, carbohydrates, and fat, there is nowhere for alcohol to be stored in our body so it has be metabolized first.
Guidelines for moderate alcohol use:
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that if you choose to drink alcohol you do so in moderation:
—up to 1 drink a day for women
—2 drinks a day for men
Examples of one drink include:
Beer: 12 fluid ounces (355 milliliters)
Wine: 5 fluid ounces (148 milliliters)
Distilled spirits (80 proof): 1.5 fluid ounces (44 milliliters)
Tips for calorie reduction when consuming alcohol:
Have 1 nonalcoholic drink in between each alcoholic drink.
Select light versions whenever possible. “Light” means fewer calories, but these products are not calorie-, sugar- or alcohol-free, so you will still need to limit your intake.
Always have food in your stomach before you have a drink.
Keep water available to quench your thirst while you drink alcoholic beverages.
Learn to sip your drink to make it last longer.
Sources:
Alcohol and nutrition:http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_nutrition/article.htm
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