Alcohol and Healthy Diet

Similarly to FAT alcohol is a source of calories, supplying 7 calories per gram. Although alcohol is metabolized as carbohydrate it exhibits none of the properties of food.

Alcohol calories supply no nutrients to the body at all ! Indeed alcohol calories are USELESS in meeting your body's nutrient needs.

For instance alcohol does not become a protein and is not a source of vitamins and does not contribute to any type of tissue except FAT.

In addition to liver disease alcohol is a direct contributor in OBESITY.

Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps ? Approx 500 calories ! It's your choice.

Did you know that :

• A bottle of wine has approximately 500 calories, the equivalent of 2 pints of continental lager or ...a Kebab (168g) 429 calories.;
• A portion of chicken tikka (150g) at 232 calories is the equivalent of approximately 2 medium size (175ml) glasses of wine ... or 1 pint of your favourite lager;
• What we know as alcohol is formed by producing glucose (sugar) from fermented yeast;
• The percentage of alcohol in a drink depends on the length of the fermentation and the amount of yeast used;
• With 7 calories per gram the number of calories in alcohol is second only after FAT (9 cals/g);

The table below gives you some indications as to how many calories are contained per typical alcoholic drink:

Description	Serving Sizes	kCal
Calories in Best/Premium Bitter	Pint	187
Calories in Draught Mild	Pint	136
Calories in Gin & Slimline Tonic	Single	56
Calories in Gin & Tonic	Single	120
Calories in Red Wine	175ml Glass	119
Calories in Regular Bitter	Pint	170
Calories in Regular Dry Cider	Pint	204
Calories in Vodka & Coke	Single	120
Calories in Vodka & Diet Coke	Single	56
Calories in Vodka, Lime & Soda	Single	76
Calories in Whisky & Lemonade	Single	82
Calories in White Wine - Dry	175ml Glass	116
Calories in White Wine Spritzer (lemonade)	Reg Spritzer (175ml wine)	138
Calories in White Wine Spritzer (soda)	Reg Spritzer (175ml wine)	130

Wine lovers may want to know that . . .

Description	Serving Sizes	Kcal
Red Wine	175ml Glass	119
	250ml Glass	170
	1/2 Bottle (37.5cl)	255
	Bottle (75cl)	510

Description	Serving Sizes	Kcal
White Wine - Dry	175ml Glass	116
	250ml Glass	165
	1/2 Bottle (37.5cl)	248
	Bottle (75cl)	495

While Beer/ Ale enthusiasts have got plenty to think about . . .

Description	Serving Sizes	Kcal
Calories in Best/Premium Bitter	Pint	187
Calories in Boddingtons Draught Bitter	Pint	170
Calories in Guinness Draught	Pint	210
Calories in Low Alcohol Bitter	Pint	74
Calories in Regular Bitter	Pint	170

Oh and lets not forget Lager. Refreshing . . maybe, but let you waistline do the maths . .

Description	Serving Sizes	Kcal
Calories in Alcohol-free Lager	Pint	40
Calories in Becks Bier	Pint	204
Calories in Bud Light	Pint	227
Calories in Carling	Pint	187
Calories in Carlsberg Special Brew	Pint	392
Calories in Castlemaine XXXX	Pint	222
Calories in Fosters	Pint	193
Calories in Grolsch	Pint	244
Calories in Heineken	Pint	227
Calories in Low Alcohol Lager	Pint	57
Calories in Premium Lager	Pint	335
Calories in Regular Lager	Pint	165
Calories in Stella Artois	Pint	256

By comparison ...

Description	cal	g. of fat
Calories in cheese and onion crisps (1 bag/35g)	cal 184	g. of fat 11.6
Calories in ready salted light crisps (1 bag/28g)	132	6.2
Calories in a Big Mac (215g)	492	23.0
Calories in a kebab (168g)	429	28.6
Calories in a Chicken Tikka  (150g)	232	6.2
Calories in naan bread (½ piece)	269	10
Calories in Beef in black bean (386g)	432	16.6

• Healthy Eating Advice (Surrey Health)