The word diet puts me in a bad mood. And, if that diet goes even further and eliminates my daily glass of wine, that mood gets even worse.
Good news—you can work a glass of wine into your diet, perhaps even a cocktail or beer. If you’re on a gluten-free diet, there are gluten-free beers and wines are gluten-free. So, there are ways to enjoy your favorite cocktail or glass of wine without destroying your diet. Watch the video to see which wines have the lowest calories.
Sugar is what it all boils down to with any alcoholic drink as they relate to a diet…all drinks have calories and some have a heck of a lot more than others. So, let’s break it down.
A very common question is which has more calories red or white wine. They are almost identical and frankly it depends on the wine – some whites if they’re heavy on the sweet side will have more than reds. Some reds, if they’re big, high alcohol varietals will have more…sometimes a lot more than white.
Prosecco and sparklings, in general, are lower in calories. Typically, the pours are less than a glass of wine as the flutes are smaller, and the alcohol levels are lower. So, sparklings average about 70 calories a glass.
The alcohol levels are key. You’ll find the alcohol level on the label in itsy-bitsy print. Up until about the last five or six years, the average alcohol level on most bottles of wine was about 12.5%. That number has increased to about 14-15%…some are even pushing the envelope approaching 16%.
A 12.5% glass of wine, red or white, with a 5 ounce pour is approximately 120-125 calories. Bump up that alcohol level to 14.5% and you add about 25-30 more calories to the glass. BUT, it gets even more interesting.
Alcohol levels are not only a game changer in your diet when it comes to calories, they also dramatically affect the blood-alcohol level in your body.
A doctor quoted in Forbes magazine recently described the relationship between alcohol levels and intoxication this way, saying that at 12.5% alcohol, a couple can easily drink a bottle of red wine and be none the worse, but at 14.5% a couple will be feeling intoxicated. And, he said that couple who decided to drink an entire bottle of a 12.5% wine, he says, could still consume two vodka tonics before reaching the same blood alcohol level as they would had they consumed only the 14.5% alcohol wine. Keep in mind everyone’s body weight and reaction to alcohol is not the same. Moderation is key.
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