The Truth About Beverages

As we have talked about before, people are insistent that they not only eat their calories but drink them as well.  I have preached water since I gave up sodas about 2 years ago now (maybe 3?), but I am a failure at giving up one of my favorite beverages - BEER! 

You may think I’m joking, but I’m not.  No, I’m not an alcoholic, but I go out and buy a 6-pack once a week to enjoy on the weekend, and I also go out with my friends or to a bar and down about 5 to 7 nice cold beers about every other week.  So basically I’m drinking sometimes 10 to 14 beers every other weekend and about 6 every other other weekend.  Does that make sense?  Wow, when I type it out it sounds like a lot more than it really is, lol.  But you have to remember, I weigh over 200 pounds - I can hold my beer and then some!  Anyhow, I did a quick search for about how many calories I was drinking in my beer.  Sure I could walk downstairs and look at a beer in my fridge, but those companies knew what they are doing when they stopped posting the calories! Now they just post the carbs - which is cool, but not as much info as I need.  I do drink only light beers like Bud Light, Coors Light, and my personal favorite - Michelob Ultra Light which does help my overall calorie count. 

Anyhoo - I found this great list that discusses calories per beverage in great length and I think we all should commit it to memory.  Think about it the next time you go out or even just go to your fridge how many calories you are ACTUALLY drinking, compared to how many you THINK you drink - I guarantee you will be very surprised! 

Ale - 12 ounces - 156

Apple Juice-Unsweetened - 1 cup - 117

Beer-Light - 12 ounces - 103

Beer-Regular - 12 ounces - 153

Brandy - 1 Jigger - 100

Carrot Juice - 1 cup - 94

Club Soda - 1 cup - 0

Champagne - 1 cup - 200

Cocoa-Homemade w/ skim milk - 1 cup - 135

Coffee - 1 cup - Between 5 and 50 depending on the milk/cream content

Cola - 8oz - 135

Cranberry Juice Cocktail - 1 cup - 137

Cream Soda - 12 oz - 189

Diet Soda - 8oz - 0

Eggnog - 1 cup - 343

Ginger Ale - 12 oz - 124

Gin - 100 proof - 1 jigger - 82

Grape Soda - 12 oz - 160

Grape Juice - 1 cup - 154

Grapefruit Juice, White - 1 cup - 115

Kahlua - 1 jigger - 159

Lemonade-Sweetened - 6 oz - 395

Lemon-lime Soda - SPRITE - 12 oz - 148

Malted Milk - 1 cup - 228

Orange Juice - 1 cup - 105

Orange Soda - 12 oz - 179

Papaya Nectar - 1 cup - 142

Passion Fruit Juice - 1 cup - 126

Peach Nectar - 1 cup - 134

Pineapple Juice - 1 cup - 132

Prune Juice - 1 cup - 182

Root Beer - 12 oz - 152

Rum - 100 proof - 1 jigger - 82

Tonic Water - 12 oz - 124

Tea - 1 cup - 2

Tea-Herbal - 1 cup - 2

Tomato Juice - 1 cup - 41

Scotch - 1 jigger - 107

Sports Drink - Gatorade - 1 cup - 63

Vegetable Juice - 1 cup - 46

Vodka - 100 proof - 1 jigger - 82

Water - 1 cup - 0

Whiskey - 100 proof - 1 jigger - 82

Wine-Red Table Wine - 5 oz - 125

Now as you can see from the list there are some very healthy drinks on here - as long as you stick to one serving.  There are many times that we tend to get a bigger cup to drink them out of rather than a tiny 8 ounce cup - which let’s face it - isn’t that big.  So the next time you drink any of these drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic look at the label to see how many calories you are actually consuming and then add them into your daily calories.  You don’t want to stick to 1500 or 1800 calories in food thinking you have done good for yourself and then screw it all up by drinking 3 margarita’s! 

Let’s not forget that Alcohol is full of all that yummy stuff that sticks to your bod too. I know that I have not consumed any alcohol other than red wine in quite a while. This decision was based on a costly experiment that I conducted.

I weighed myself one morning, knowing full well that friends were coming over and there would be major consumption happening. I was a good girl and only drank 3 Rum Runner. 3. I did not change my eating habits at all. The next morning when i weighed myself....I gained 4 pounds. It also took me almost a week to lose it. Over 3 drinks. Yeah. I don’t think so. Now, I stick with red wine. Not white because white still bloats and sticks. RED. Sangria is my BFF now.

Oh and ummm what exactly is a Jigger?

Mmmm....Margaritas...Um, sorry, what were you saying?

Queenie - a jigger is something used to measure shots of alcohol. I know this because my parents have one. See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measure_(bartending)

Anyway...One tip I have seen often to cut down on alcohol intake - when you are out drinking, alternate between alchoholic drinks and glasses of water.

I actually like club soda & perrier, so I will often have that instead. But I’ve never been a big drinker anyway. Which is to say that I like one or two drinks now and then, but I don’t do it often and I hardly ever go over my self-imposed “3 drinks maximum” rule.

I have a few options to add to your list:

Island Breeze is a lower calorie, lower carb RUM! It is only 45 cals and comes in yummy flavors like lime and coconut.  I love the lime one mixed with diet coke.

Also here is a recipe for a 100 calorie (per serving) margarita.  A regular margarita has between 500-800 calories per serving.

(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 58mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)

Ingredients:

6 oz. Sierra Mist Free (or Diet Sprite Zero, or your other fave no-cal lemon-lime soda)
*1.5 oz. tequila
1/2 tsp. Crystal Light powdered drink mix, Lemonade
1 oz. lime juice
Optional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If desired, run some lime juice along the rim of the glass and dip into a dish of salt or sweetener. Mix all ingredients together. Pour over 1 cup of crushed ice. Optional: Garnish with lime slice. Enjoy. Serves 1!

I posted a topic in Sweet Things in the forums with TONS of lower calorie alcoholic beverages.  Enjoy!

I drink maybe 7 times a year.  I am actually going out this weekend to a bar for the first time in years.  My BIL has finally gotten the balls to get a divorce from his controlling cheating using wife and we are celebrating.

I like clear alcohol like vodka, rum, and white wine.  Red wine and me don’t mix, I get headaches from the sulfates.

I also do the alternate between a drink and water ( helps with the headache from dehydration from the booze)

It is a frequent conversation with my husband, the calories in beverages thing.  Hubby has a tendency to order Sprite and I order a lite beer, and he feels like I’m the one splurging.  Um, no honey, check the calories!  Sheesh!

People need truth!

Thanks for the calories per beverages list really helpful so now i can keep my measure checks correctly with the list that you have posted, easily. Good work done, worth reading.

I actually like club soda & perrier, so I will often have that instead. But I’ve never been a big drinker anyway. Which is to say that I like one or two drinks now and then, but I don’t do it often and I hardly ever go over my self-imposed “3 drinks maximum” rule.