Alcohol and Nutrition (cont.)
Does alcohol impact your weight?
Your body has a set number of calories necessary that must be consumed to
maintain your weight. This need is based on your height, weight, age, gender,
and activity level. When you consume more calories than your body needs, you
will gain weight. Alcohol provides many calories in a small volume and can end
up being a source of unwanted extra calories and weight gain. One study showed a
20% increase in calories consumed at a meal when alcohol was consumed before the
meal. There was a total caloric increase of 33% when the calories from the
alcohol were added. These additional calories can very easily contribute to
weight gain over a short amount of time.
Studies have shown that in the short term, alcohol stimulates food intake and
can also increase subjective feelings of hunger. Other studies have shown that
the stimulatory effects of alcohol on food intake are controlled by hormonal
regulation of satiety and satiation, such as the hormone leptin. Regardless of
the cause, the outcome is the same; people consume more food when they have
consumed alcohol.
Regulating your calorie consumption is the key to successful weight loss and
maintenance. A balanced diet will assist with curbing your hunger and providing
the necessary nutrients for health and wellness. Alcohol is not considered a
necessary component in a healthy diet. Instead, it provides a lot of calories
and negatively impacts many aspects of your health. If you choose to consume
alcohol, you will need to limit the quantity and frequency that you do so. You
will also have to count the calories from alcohol in any diet plan. You can
limit calories in your drink by choosing those with less alcohol and a limited
amount of sweetened beverages. By using flavored seltzers or water, you will
save many calories.
Here are the calorie contents for some common alcoholic drinks:
| Alcoholic Drink |
Calories |
| Beer, lite, 12 oz. |
100 |
| Beer, regular, 12 oz. |
150 |
| Frozen daiquiri, 4 oz. |
216 |
| Gin, 1.5 oz. |
110 |
| Mai tai, 4 oz. |
310 |
| Margarita, 4 oz. |
270 |
| Rum, 1.5 oz. |
96 |
| Vodka, 1.5 oz. |
96 |
| Whiskey, 1.5 oz. |
105 |
| Wine spritzer, 4 oz. |
49 |
| Wine, dessert, sweet, 4 oz. |
180 |
You can look up other drinks at
http://www.fitday.com/webfit/calories/calories_93.html. Here are some tips for
calorie reduction.
- Have one nonalcoholic drink in between each
alcoholic drink.
- Select light versions whenever possible. "Light" means
fewer calories, but these products are not calorie- or alcohol-free, so you will
still need to limit your intake.
- Keep water available to quench your thirst
while you drink alcoholic beverages.
- Learn to sip your drink to make it last
longer.
Next: How does alcohol affect your blood sugar? »
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