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For
those of you wanting to drown your sorrows of a
holiday season gone mad with copious amounts of spiked
eggnog like actor Chevy Chase in the movie Christmas
Vacation or bringing good cheers by combining large
amounts of high-fat treats with high-caloric alcohol,
the New Year may start with a rude awakening.
Researchers
at the Laval University in St.-Foy, Quebec found that
combining high-fat foods such as glazed ham, stuffing
and pecan pie with alcoholic drinks causes people to
put away many more calories than eating fatty foods
with nonalcoholic drinks, or eating low-fat foods with
or without alcohol.
Considering
that a traditional Christmas dinner can easily add up
to more than 1,500 calories—a plate filled with ham,
cornbread with butter, a slice of cheesecake, mashed
potatoes with gravy, salad with croutons and
vinaigrette, and a glass of beer—consuming
additional calories from alcohol is likely to put
extra pounds on your frame.
Some
alcoholic beverages are more forgiving— at least in
terms of their caloric intake— than others. In
general, hard liquor and cocktail drinks tend to have
many more calories than a glass of beer or wine, but
having one cocktail or multiple drinks can easily add
up to a meal.
Let’s
take a look at some popular seasonal choices for
alcoholic beverages:
Eggnog
One
cup of eggnog (250 ml) contains 160-290 calories and a
shot of spirits adds about another 60 calories, a fine
dessert in itself.
Wine
Red
and white wine have about the same amount of calories,
121-125 calories per 5-ounce glass. Dessert wines tend
to have more calories: A 3.5-ounce glass, for
instance, has about 165 calories.
Beer
Among
the popular non-light beers on the market, a 12-ounce
bottle of Corona Extra (148 calories, 14 g of carbs
and 4.6% alcohol by volume) is the “lightest”
pick.
Samual
Adams Boston Lager comes in second with160 calories,
18 g of carbs and 4.8% alcohol content; Bass Ale ties
with 160 calories, 13 g of carbs, but a higher 5.5%
alcohol content; and George Killian’s Irish Red a
close third with 163 calories, 14 g of carbs, and 4.9%
alcohol content.
Better
for your waistline are the following two “light
beers”: Beck’s Premier Light with 64 calories, 4 g
of carbs and 3.8% volume of alcohol and Michelob
ULTRA, which has 95 calories, 2.6 carbs and 4.1%
volume of alcohol. Amstel Light, which packs 99
calories, 5.5 g of carbs and 3.5% volume of alcohol,
is a true alternative to Amstel’s heavyweight Cream
Stout.
Hard
Liquor and Cocktails = Hard to Burn Calories
When
it comes to hard liquor, a 1.5-ounce glass of 53-proof
Kahlua has 170 calories, which is only 10 calories shy
of a whole wheat Krispy Kreme doughnut.
A
frozen margarita made with 2 ounces of tequila, 4.5
ounces of Jose Cuervo margarita mix, and salt will set
you back about 246 calories, the equivalent of a
4-ounce serving of Baskin-Robbins Cherries Jubilee ice
cream.
A 12-ounce serving of Rum and Coke will set you back
361 calories, or those packed in Carl’s Jr.
Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich.
A
2-ounce Martini, made with Gin and dry Vermouth, has
119 calories; a 2.1-ounce serving of a Manhattan, made
with Whiskey, Vermouth and Bitters, has 132 calories.
This makes these two “Ms” the low-calorie cocktail
drink alternative.
A
Happy Holiday
So
whether you’re struggling with holiday angst or
excessive holiday cheer, try going for a walk, a bike
ride or any other type of physical activity that will
lift your spirits.
Being
physically active before or after a meal will not only
help burn calories, but is also a great way to deal
with holiday stress.
Then
get the family and friends together for a great comedy
hour with the Griswold’s, the Grinch, or if you
prefer a Hallmark classic, the television
rebroadcasting of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
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