The best and worst alcohol drinks for weight loss
Are you on a weight loss journey and don’t want to undo your results from your weight loss efforts? Check out the list of the best and worst alcohol drinks for weight loss.
THE BEST
Wine
A glass of red or white whine contains about 100 to 120 calories per glass. In general white wine has less carbohydrates than red wine which makes a small difference when it comes down to calories.
Interesting to note is that red wine on the other hand is richer in antioxidants, and its ellargic acids delay the growth of fat cells with the result of slowing the development of new ones.
Vermouth
Vermouth is mainly popular in France and Italy. It is a wine flavoured with spices and herbs. It’s alcohol content is quite high (15 to 18 %) and one glass only has about 64 calories.
Vermouth is full of polyphenol compounds which may promote healthy weight loss. Just make sure that you don’t mix it in a Martini as this will bump up your calorie and sugar intake.
Liquors
If you want the highest alcohol content and the lowest amount of calories, shots and straight booze on the rocks are the way to go.
All of the main liquors have a similar amount of calories and carbohydrates but in general they say, the stronger the liquor, the higher the calories. A shot of whisky has about 105 calories, while vodka 97.
Don’t mix it up with sweet drinks if you want to keep the calories down (Vodka Red Bull, Rum Coke, etc) and go for the plain option. Instead, add some squeezed lemon or lime if you want to give it some more taste.
Light Beers
Light beers are lower in calories and carbs which makes them the beers to go for if you’re keeping an eye on your weight.
They are lower in alcohol so don’t fall in the trap of drinking too many. This might give you the opposite effect.
THE WORST
Sugary Cocktails
Long island Iced Teas and Margaritas can have more calories than a big order of chips. They are for a lot of people the good stuff but unfortunately won’t help you to shed some weight.
The thing with these cocktails is that our bodies don’t properly metabolise the sugar. Instead our bodies will store the sweet stuff as fat.
High Alcohol Special beer
Sorry to all my Belgian friends but all the good special Belgium beers are high in calories. Duvel, La Chouffe, Chimay, you name it, they all have more calories than you would think. A 330ml of Duvel has 198 calories while a Chimay on the other hand has 212 calories.
The rule is, the higher the alcohol content, the more calories. The good thing is that you wouldn’t be able to drink these beers at the same pace as a normal standard beer, … unless you’ve been practising a lot 🙂
Oh, and one more thing, getting on the booze often goes hand in hand with feeling hungry (or at least you think you feel hungry). Watch what you eat after a few drinks and don’t let yourself get dragged into McDonalds :).
Your body probably doesn’t need it and can do without it!