alcohol

Which Alcohol has the least calories and makes you gain weight

Alcohol consumption is on the rise, even though happy hour at bars and restaurants is on hold in many parts of the world. How have you felt lately about alcohol? Just tipsy, got into a hangover, or did you fall asleep post alcohol?

Many times while we party we do not realize how much is too much and we end up consuming a lot and a lot of alcohol. l has wide-ranging effects on the body. There are purported benefits, as well as pitfalls, to consuming alcohol.

Once it enters your system, it triggers immediate physiological changes in the brain, heart, and liver, among other organs. Over time, these changes can lead to long-term health complications if you’re drinking too much.

There’s a lot you may not know about this popular substance that’s found in varied varieties ranging from beer, wine, gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey, rum and you can consume it in several forms like cocktails, shots, pints, and towers of beer or simply plain like whiskey. 

Let’s understand each by its calories: 

1. Beer(Alcohol)

Beer: Each category of beer can have a wide variety of calories. Most 12-ounce cans of light beer have about 4 percent alcohol and 100 calories

A beer, like Budweiser of the same size, is fairly light, too, with 5 percent alcohol and 150 calories. The following chart shows you the number of calories per pint for each brand.

Pic source: Nutrition Action

But the calories begin to increase when you move from the above-mentioned alcohol having 5% alcohol content to Belgian brews, IPAs, and stouts, which often contain 7 to 10 percent alcohol.

If you consume a higher alcohol percentage, add up to another 100 calories each to the above calculations.

Calories by brands both outside and India: explained. Table 1.1 explains calories in 330 ml beer pint.

%Calories
Budweiser Select 552.455
Miller 642.864
Corona Premier490
Budweiser Select4.3100
Busch Light4.1100
Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty Lo-Cal IPA4100
Michelob Ultra or Miller Lite4.2100
Victory Easy Ringer Lo-Cal IPA4.3100
Coors Light4.2100
Corona Light4100
Sufferfest Repeat Kolsch Style3.5100
Heineken Light3.3100
Lagunitas DayTime IPA4100
Miller High Life Light4.1110
Bud Light4.2110
Busch4.3110
Pabst Blue Ribbon Easy3.8110
Bud Ice5.5120
Michelob Golden4.6120
Michelob Light4.1120
Sam Adams Light4.3120
Guinness Draught Stout4.2130
Bud Light Platinum6140
Busch Ice5.9140
Allagash Saison6.1140
Dogfish Head SeaQuench Session Sour4.9140
Founders All Day IPA Session Ale4.7140
Heineken5140
Miller Genuine Draft4.7140
Miller High Life4.6140
Pabst Blue Ribbon Original4.8140
Sufferfest Head Start Stout4.5140
New Belgium Dayblazer Easygoing Ale4.8140
New Belgium Slow Ride Session IPA4.5140
Budweiser5150
Allagash White5.2150
Coors Banquet5150
Sierra Nevada Sierraveza5150
Corona Extra4.6150
Michelob Lager4.8160
Corona Familiar4.8160
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale5.2160
Sufferfest FKT Pale Ale5.5170
Blue Moon Belgian White5.4170
Sierra Nevada Sidecar Orange IPA6.8170
Sufferfest Flyby Pilsner5.1170
Shock Top Belgian White5.2170
Bell’s Amber Ale5.8180
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale5.6180
Samuel Adams Boston Lager5180
Samuel Adams New England Pale Ale5.5180
Bell’s Official Hazy India Pale Ale6.4190
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA6190
Budweiser Copper Lager6.2200
New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA7200
Samuel Adams Rebel IPA6.5200
Dogfish Head American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA7210
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale7210
Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA6.7210
Sierra Nevada West Coast Style Stout5.8210
Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout6220
Allagash Black7.4230
Allagash Tripel9.1240
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA7.2240
New Belgium Trippel8.5240
Allagash Curieux10.4260
Victory Golden Monkey9.5260
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA9290
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Triple IPA9.6310
Figure 1.1

Alcohol Content in Indian beers. Table 1.2 explains calories in 330 ml beer pint.


1.2 Indian beer vs calories

2. Wines

Wines: Wine is an old-age tradition that has been around for centuries. It is a sophisticated drink that takes years to produce to achieve the perfect taste.

Every bottle is fermented with science and history. And to put in simple classification, you can find them in either red or white wine.

More complex categories like port wine, sparkling wine, rose wine, fortified wine, etc can also be enjoyed.

Let’s understand the calories in wine. Table 2.1 explains calories per glass which is 150 ml -170 ml or 6 oz. Each bottle of wine is sized 750ml which means that you can end up consuming 4-5 glasses of wine in each bottle.

%Calories
FitVine Prosecco11110
Carlo Rossi White Zinfandel*8110
Yellow Tail Sauvignon Blanc11.6120
Yellow Tail Super Crisp Chardonnay11.7120
Yellow Tail Pinot Grigio11.9120
Yellow Tail Riesling11.3120
Carlo Rossi Sweet Rosé*9.2120
Yellow Tail Moscato7.5120
Yellow Tail Pink Moscato7.5120
Carlo Rossi Pink Moscato Sangria*6.5120
Carlo Rossi Moscato Sangria*6.8120
FitVine Pinot Grigio13.4130
FitVine Rosé12.4130
Yellow Tail Chardonnay13.2130
Sutter Home White ZinfandelNA130
Sutter Home Moscato SangriaNA130
FitVine Chardonnay13.4140
FitVine Sauvignon Blanc13.4140
FitVine Pinot Noir13.9140
FitVine Cabernet Sauvignon13.9140
FitVine Syrah13.9140
Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon13.9140
Yellow Tail Merlot13.9140
Yellow Tail Pinot Noir14140
Yellow Tail Shiraz13.9140
Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet13.8140
Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc*12140
Carlo Rossi Cabernet Sauvignon*12.9140
Barefoot Rosé*10.5140
Barefoot White Zinfandel*9140
Sutter Home ChardonnayNA140
Sutter Home MerlotNA140
Sutter Home Pinot GrigioNA140
Sutter Home Pinot NoirNA140
Sutter Home RoséNA140
Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon*12.7150
Barefoot Malbec*13150
Barefoot Chardonnay*13150
Barefoot Pinot Noir*13150
Barefoot Pinot Grigio*12150
Yellow Tail Sangria11.5150
Barefoot Riesling*8150
Carlo Rossi Sweet Red*8150
Sutter Home Sauvignon BlancNA150
Sutter Home ZinfandelNA150
Sutter Home MalbecNA150
Sutter Home Cabernet SauvignonNA150
Sutter Home MoscatoNA150
Barefoot Merlot*13.5160
Cupcake Vineyards ProseccoNA160
Cupcake Vineyards RieslingNA160
Carlo Rossi Chardonnay*12160
Barefoot Moscato*9160
Barefoot Pink Moscato*9160
Sutter Home RieslingNA160
Sutter Home Sweet RedNA160
Sutter Home Pink MoscatoNA160
Cupcake Vineyards Pinot GrigioNA170
Cupcake Vineyards RoséNA170
Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon BlancNA170
Carlo Rossi Red Sangria*10170
Sutter Home SangriaNA170
Sutter Home Red MoscatoNA170
Cupcake Vineyards MalbecNA180
Cupcake Vineyards ChardonnayNA180
Cupcake Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonNA180
Cupcake Vineyards Pinot NoirNA180
Cupcake Vineyards Petite SirahNA180
Cupcake Vineyards MoscatoNA180
Cupcake Vineyards MerlotNA190
Cupcake Vineyards ShirazNA190
Cupcake Vineyards MerlotNA190
Cupcake Vineyards ShirazNA190
2.1 Wines and calories

3. Liquor Alcohol

Hard Liquor: Most of the time, we prefer to stick to a peg of whiskey or 2 shots of tequila or a max of 2 vodka cocktails.

Let’s understand the breakup for our liquor variety. 3.1 figure shows alcohol content and calories in 1.2 oz or approx 40 ml alcohol.

3.1 Hard liquor

Now, here is the deal. If you see, most beers (1 pint) are ranging between 100-300 calories, a glass of wine is 100-200 calories and the above-mentioned gin/rum/vodka/whiskey is also around 100-150 calories.

But the real differentiators are alcohol percentage, sugar content and quantity intake each time we drink alcohol.

If you see, % alcohol is quiet high with gin/vodka/whiskey/rum that is why you end up only sipping between 30-60 ml adding up to no sugar intake vs beer/wine adding upto many pints or glasses to feel high or tipsy to enjoy a Saturday night party.

4. Cocktails Alcohol

Mixing Alcohol and creating cocktails: Now each time we blend each of the above we end up consuming way more calories than all of the above.

For example, mixing gin+vodka+rum+juice may add up to (100+150+100+250=550 calories) over 550 calories or above in just 1 cocktail drink. In this chart, here are a few examples to explain the same:

Alcohol mix – Cocktails

Alcohol, calories break-up: Overall

BEVERAGESERVING SIZECALORIES
Beer
Beer (light)12 oz (355 ml)103
Beer (regular)12 oz (355 ml)153
Beer (higher alcohol, craft beers)12 oz (355 ml)170 to 350
Distilled Alcohol
Gin (80 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)97
Gin (94 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)116
Rum (80 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)97
Rum (94 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)116
Vodka (80 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)97
Vodka (94 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)116
Whiskey (80 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)97
Whiskey (94 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)116
Liqueurs
Coffee liqueur1.5 oz (45 ml)160
Coffee liqueur with cream1.5 oz (45 ml)154
Crème de menthe1.5 oz (45 ml)186
Mixed Drinks
Bloody Mary4.6 oz (136 ml)120
Chocolate martini2.5 oz (74 ml)418
Cosmopolitan2.75 oz (81 ml)146
Daiquiri2.7 oz (80 ml)137
Highball8 oz (235 ml)110
Hot buttered rum8 oz (235 ml)292
Mai Tai4.9 oz (145 ml)306
Margarita4 oz (120 ml)168
Mimosa4 oz (120 ml)75
Mint Julep4.5 oz (135 ml)165
Mojito6 oz (177 ml)143
Pina colada6.8 oz (200 ml)526
Rum and Coke8 oz (235 ml)185
Rum and Diet Coke8 oz (235 ml)100
Tequila sunrise6.8 oz (200 ml)232
Vodka and tonic7 oz (207 ml)189
Whiskey sour3 oz (89 ml)125
White Russian8 oz (235 ml)568
Wine
White table wine5 oz (145 ml)128
Gewurztraminer5 oz (145 ml)128
Muscat5 oz (145 ml)129
Riesling5 oz (145 ml)129
Chenin Blanc5 oz (145 ml)129
Chardonnay5 oz (145 ml)128
Sauvignon Blanc5 oz (145 ml)128
Fume Blanc5 oz (145 ml)128
Pinot Grigio5 oz (145 ml)128
Dry dessert wine3.5 oz (90 ml)157
Red table wine5 oz (145 ml)125
Petite Sirah5 oz (145 ml)125
Merlot5 oz (145 ml)122
Cabernet Sauvignon5 oz (145 ml)122
Red Zinfandel5 oz (145 ml)129
Burgundy5 oz (145 ml)122
Pinot Noir5 oz (145 ml)121
Claret5 oz (145 ml)122
Syrah5 oz (145 ml)122
Red dessert wine3.5 oz (90 ml)165
Alcohol Intake: Overall

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