Alcohol
Alcohol can contain a lot of added sugar and almost as many calories per gram as fat. Alcohol can be described as ’empty calories’ as they provide no nutritive value and can contribute to weight gain as it is usually additional to the calories that you consume in the rest of your diet.
Alcohol comparisons
It can be surprising how many calories are in some of our favourite drinks. Have a look at some examples below:
1 pint (568ml) of lager (4%ABV) 181 kcal has the same calories as 1 standard slice of pepperoni pizza (71g) 181kcal
1 large glass (250ml) of white wine (13%ABV) 225 kcal has the same calories as a 60g slice of carrot cake 224kcal
In terms of how much exercise you would need to do to burn off the calories:
If you had 3 pints of lager, you would need to do 55 minutes of running
If you had 3 large glasses of white wine, you would need to do 68 minutes of running
However, while you should have alcohol only in moderation as part of a balanced diet, there are some lower calorie options you can opt for. Clear spirits such as gin, vodka or rum mixed with diet drinks or tonic will reduce the amount of calories you consume.
Units of alcohol
To help keep health risks from alcohol at a low level, you should not drink more than 14 units a week (both men and women), and to spread weekly alcohol intake over at least three days.
By sticking to the guidelines you lower the risk of serious long-term effects of alcohol which include cancer, mental health problems, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, liver and heart disease.
As a visual guide, the images below represent what 14 units looks like:
It’s important to remember that alcohol can come in different strengths, so something that has a higher percentage of alcohol will also be higher in units than the examples given above.
If you want to find out more about calorie and units in alcohol, see the Drinkaware calculator.
Alcohol and lifestyle
It isn’t just the calories in alcohol that can contribute to weight gain, it can be the unhealthy habits that go along with it.
Some people find that they eat more when they drink alcohol, either snacks whilst they are drinking or maybe raiding the fridge or ordering some takeaway food at the end of the night.
If you have a hangover then it is more likely that you will eat unhealthier food and less likely to do any physical activity, so these resulting behaviours can also contribute to weight gain.
Cutting down your intake
If you’d like to find out more about alcohol and ways to reduce how much you drink then have a look at the DrinkAware website or download Public Health England’s Drink Free Days app for free on iOS and Android.
To continue, please click on the quiz below.
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