A Guide To Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks
Posted on June 29, 2009
Filed Under Fitness |
Through a conducted research it has been observed that the consumption of large amount of alcohol is the chief cause for causing obesity in a person. Because of the incidence of obesity, we find that even at social meetings, the conversation veers toward low calorie alcoholic drinks and the means to control weight gain.
Experimental studies, on effects due to intake of low calorie alcohol drinks and dietary fat restriction, have been carried out on obese people with the result that significant weight loss was greater in people put on low calorie than in people on dietary fat control.
It is the assumption that alcohol increases weight in a person who consumes more alcoholic drinks. But, what is only partly true is the feeling that it is the sugar and carbohydrate content in alcohol is the main reason for weight gain. To control this, the intake of low calorie alcoholic drinks with less sugar and carbohydrates, by the habitual drinkers will be necessary.
When we look at the high calorie alcoholic drinks and the low calorie alcoholic drinks, it can be seen that beer and wine belong to the high as well as low calorie categories. The low category can always be chosen. Your dieting plan goes awry when you take cocktails whose calories have shot up in the concoction preparation. The higher calorie category also includes liquor items like vodka, gin, rum and whisky.
Among the different brands of beer, the dark colored has over 150 calories and the light colored has less than 150 calories. The Sierra Nevada Bigfoot brand has 330 calories, while the Samuel Dams Boston Lager brand has 180 calories per bottle of 12 ounces. Another brand AnheuserBusch Natural light contains 95 calories, while AnheuserBusch Natural Ice contains 157 calories, whereas the Heinken contains 166 per bottle of 12 oz with Heinken Light having only 99 calories per bottle of 12 oz.
At the lower level we have Becks Premier Light at 64 calories, Miller light at 96 calories and Corona Light at105 calories, all per 12 oz bottle.
While wine, derived from the Latin word vinum, is considered to be good for health, it must be noted that wine has alcohol content. The caloric content in wine varies according to its alcohol content. Ruby Port wine counts at 185 calories for a 4 oz glass and is one of the highest calorie counts. White Port has 170 calories. Other brands in this range are Tokay, Muscatel and Madeira and many more.
The brands with lower calorie content are: Sauterne with 110 and Pink Champagne and Mosell coming in at 100 calories. White Zinfandel is much less at 80 calories.
Wine, a drink generally taken after a meal by many for digestion, is made from fermented grapes and few other fruits. Red wine which is made from red grapes comprises Resveratrol, a chemical substance found in the skin of red grapes. Resveratrol protects the body from infections and cancer. Flavanoids is another chemical that prevents clotting of blood and accumulation of cholesterol in the body.
A glass of wine taken after a meal, has the properties of breaking down the food and metbolism follows, and therefore is very helpful in keeping down the body weight. But if more alcohol is taken, then metabolism is delayed, because alcohol gets burned first and there is accumulation of body fat leading to weight gain.
Keeping to a limit, many people enjoy drinking wine with the belief that it is good for health. But, when limit is crossed, then it affects the body because of its alcohol content. In the de-alcoholised form, wine comprises just 0.3 % alcohol, the same percentage as contained in orange juice. If wine is consumed in the right quantity then one can enjoy it with good food.
It must be understood that it is the carbohydrate and the calorie content that affects the body and not the alcohol in high or low calorie alcoholic drinks. Cocktails do the most damage.
When we go out for an evening with friends, we transcend into a joyous and ecstatic mood and consume alcoholic drinks of various concoctions, forgetting to the extent that it leads to increase in the insulin levels of the body causing weight gain and health problems.
Among cocktails, the Long Island Iced Tea concoction beats it out at a high of 780 calories per glass. Chocolatini is next with a high of 500 calories per glass. This confirms the high caloric content of cocktails.
Finally, to conclude, it should be noted that it is always good for a person to take low calorie alcoholic drinks than high caloric drinks. For a person who enjoys having alcoholic drinks this will also ensure good health.
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