You often hear that you must watch what you eat. But it’s also true you must watch what you drink! By being aware of the amount of calories in alcoholic drinks, you can be more careful about consuming too many calories.
Here are the typical calories contained in most popular alcoholic drinks. These are rough guides, because different brands vary.
A good rule of thumb is that the higher the alcohol content, the more the calories they contain. Also dryer wines and sherries contain fewer calories than their sweeter counterparts.
Alcoholic Drinks Calories
Alcopops 5% – 170 calories per 275ml bottle
Alcopops 4% – 140 calories per 275ml bottle
Bailey Liqueur – 120 calories per 50ml
Stout – 210 calories per pint
Ale or Bitter – 220 calories per pint
Cider – 230 calories per pint
Lager – 240 calories per pint
Medium glass of white wine – 130 calories per 175ml glass
Medium glass of red wine – 120 calories per 175ml glass
Sherry – 55 calories per 50ml glass
Whiskey – 55 calories per 25ml shot
Brandy – 55 calories per 25ml shot
Vodka – 55 calories per 25ml shot
Mixers
Cola – 105 calories per 250ml glass
Lemonade – 55 calories per 250ml glass
Tonic water – 83 calories per 250ml glass
Soda water – 0 (that’s right zero!) calories per 250ml glass
A few tips to help you reduce alcohol consumption
1. Dilute your drinks with soda water. Soda water contains no calories.
2. Don’t participate in rounds. They usually make you drink faster because the slower drinker usually tries to keep up with the quicker drinker.
3. Drink the odd glass of water in between alcoholic drinks.
4. Avoid salty snacks. Not only will they add to your calorie count, they make you more thirsty and drink more.
5. Add ice cubes. They will water down your drink. The cold will usually slow you down, and they can trick you into thinking you’re drinking more than you actually are.
6. Find things to do that don’t involve drinking. Maybe learn a musical instrument, or take up a new hobby such as archery or fencing.
Now you know the calories in alcoholic drinks. Hopefully this will help you make informed choices about what calories you consume when drinking. Why not print this guide out and put it in a prominent place, such as a notice board or your fridge?
