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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The holiday season is upon us, and we’re probably going to drink a bit more (I’m being optimistic about only a bit more!). It may seem like day after day (it might actually be day after day) of eating and drinking, so let me remind everyone now that nothing packs on the pounds like alcohol. Since the new year with its diet resolutions will be here faster than we think, I decided to resend this tip about one of the highest sources of calories, alcohol that is! In fact one of my favorite saying’s is, “Alcohol the Liquid Fat” and worse, it can become more fattening than fat! So, while this isn’t the time for most of us to start a diet, I suggest it’s time to maintain. Now, why is alcohol more fattening than fat?
The Why
Fat contains 9 calories per gram, and alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. However, alcohol does not go through the exact same digestive process as dietary fat. Our body uses energy to digest and absorb all nutrients including fat, which means that about 10% of our calories are used up during the digestive process. Not the case with alcohol! Alcohol begins to enter our bloodstream through our tongue, then our stomach (especially when we have an empty stomach) and then the remainder goes through the usual route of digestion and absorption through the small intestine. Even water doesn’t reach our bloodstream and cells as quickly! So, the calories in alcohol are almost like our “net fat calories” after digestion. Hence, my famous “Alcohol the Liquid Fat” (sorry!). Worse, alcohol’s sugar is more easily stored as fat since alcohol sugar raises our blood sugar levels quickly (might as well pour the drink on our waistlines!) bringing excess calories to be stored.
Let’s make matters even worse, if we start with a drink before eating, we’re likely to eat and drink more than we intend to (the domino effect!). If we have that drink at a cocktail party on an empty stomach, we’re even more likely to over- indulge later. Some of us think that since we’re going from one celebration to another, we should save most of our food calories for the main party. But, have we ever done that only to drink more, and then eat more? And let’s not forget how many times we’ve said “what the heck” as we’ve reached for another drink with more food once our resistance was lowered (I know I have blown my eating plan this way)?
Lastly, do you like the more expensive brands of liquor? Well it’ll cost in calories. If we use one shot of gin as an example, the average for 1.5 fl. oz. of gin is 97 calories while a popular more expensive brand logs in at 115! And if you’re like me and love a mixed drink such as an apple martini, well at 235 calories for the average cocktail glass, I try to stick with one (two of these would equal 1/4 of my daily calorie requirement).
Okay, here’s the average calorie cost for some of our favorites (keep in mind, hard liquor averages 80-100 calories per ounce!)
Champagne averages 80 calories per 4 ounces
Wine averages 120 calories per 5 ounces, both red and white
Sangria (8 ounces) Red averages 150 calories
Martini (2 ounces) Apple 235 calories, chocolate 450 calories Regular, no olives 140 calories (shall we keep in mind how small 2 ounces is, and do we usually drink just one?).
Eggnog averages 170 calories for 4 ounces without added alcohol (add in 1 oz. of alcohol and add 80-100 calories!)
Margarita averages 150 calories for 3 ounces on the rocks with 1 ounce of tequila (I’m not going to list the frozen kind, it’s off the charts!)
Gin & Tonic (6 ounces) 150 calories (1 oz. gin, and only 5 ounces tonic! Switch to club soda with the same twist of lime and save)
So, if we have 2 glasses of champagne to start, and just 2 small glasses of wine at our holiday dinner (sounds reasonable!), we’ve consumed about 400 calories of fat in one night, or 20% of a single day’s calories based upon a 2,000 calorie diet. Add this up for the next 3 1/2 weeks several nights a week, and oh my, it’s not hard to see where the extra few fat pounds come from.
So, let’s remember, January is still just around the corner (without those extra pounds, we hope!)! Now one word of caution just issued by the FDA about the new energy drinks, which also contain alcohol, caffeine and similar high energy ingredients that may interfere with how the alcohol effects us. Scroll down for the link, and just in case you care to get a head start thinking about a new year weight loss goal, my book just published last week, is available now! Here’s the link to Amazon, http://www.amazon.com:80/Its-Not-Diet-Creative-Eating/dp/1432743597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259605985&sr=1-1 and click on my website too.
In the meantime (follow me on twitter too for a new tool of my program, posted every Sunday)
Here’s to a little less liquid fat!
June M. Lay M.S.
June Fit
FDA Warning on alcoholic energy drinks http://www.duiattorney.com/news/6293-fda-unsure-on-alcoholic-energy-drinks
Junefit is included in Google’s top ranked women’s health resources, scroll midway http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Women’s_Health/Resources/
June is Lifestyle Columnist at www.healthnewsdigest.com/
Sources for calories include calorieking.com, and USDA food database
copyright 2009, junefit. All rights reserved.
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