Counting Cocktail Calories

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Q: I enjoy an occasional glass of spirits. I have heard the following, but do not know if they are myths:

Best choices: Vodka, whiskey, tequila because their sugar content is zero.

Not so good choice: Beer because it does not turn into sugar.

Worst: Wine because it does turn to sugar.

Could you please clear the cobwebs for me and explain which would be the least harmful to a diet?

A: Sure. First, you need to know how alcohol is used by the body. Alcohol metabolism differs from any of the other calorie containing nutrients—fat, sugar and protein. Alcohol isn’t digested along the gastrointestinal tract. It goes directly from your stomach and intestines to your bloodstream and impacts the entire body. Meanwhile, your liver suppresses glucose production while metabolizing alcohol. None of it turns to sugar (as you mentioned in your question) although some sources, like beer, liqueurs and wine coolers, contain considerable amounts of it.

In order to determine which beverage has the least calories, you need to know what a one drink serving of alcohol is. Each serving of alcohol has about 14 grams of pure ethanol. Each gram of alcohol contains about seven calories (compared to nine calories per gram of fat and four calories per gram of carbohydrate or protein). The serving sizes and calorie content of common alcohol products are:

One shot or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits contain 100 calories
Twelve ounces of regular beer contains 150 calories
Five ounces of wine contains 100 calories
Liqueurs vary and can have 100 calories or more per ounce
Wine coolers vary by product

Keep in mind that any other mixers in your cocktail will increase your calorie consumption.

A little bit of drink can take you a long way. There are proven health effects of alcohol like the heart-health promoting effects of red wines. Also, there is research that suggests that drinking alcohol in moderation—up to one drink per day for women and up to two per day in men—can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. However, too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect.

Be a conscientious drinker. Know how alcohol is used by the body and what a standard serving size is. More important, know your own personal limits with alcohol and don’t over-drink.

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Keecha Harris is President of Harris and Associates, a food systems and public health consulting firm based in Birmingham, Ala. (Read her full bio.)