Alcoholic Drinks That Won't Make You Fat

Alcohol is very often not the cause of that extra pound or two you gained over the holidays or after a few parties.

The fact that alcohol relaxes you, lowering your inhibitions means that unless your dancing on the table you're probably scoffing all the high fat, high sodium nibbles on the table.

You conveniently forget all the cheese sticks and sausage rolls you ate and blame the alcohol. Stick with the list below and I'm afraid you'll have to face the truth. You're a binge nibbler after a few tipples.

1. Sparkling wine is surprisingly low in calories, containing only a mere 105 calories for a 140 ml glass.
2. White wine averages 91 calories per 140 ml glass. Sweeter wines will average an extra 20 calories. Pour your white wine into a long glass and top with soda water, adding volume to your drink without adding calories. Alternatively pop a couple of ice cubes into your wine glass.
3. Red wine comes in at 98 calories for every 140 ml glass.
4. Next up are some low calorie spirits. Vodka comes in on average at 55 calories per 25 ml. Add plenty of ice, 50 ml of lime cordial and top with soda water for a long drink. A total of 61 calories a pop. Yippee! bring on the vodka...
5. Gin is also 55 calories per 25 ml. Add lots of ice, a slice of lime and 100 ml of Schweppes's tonic. This delightful tipple will rob a mere 92 calories from your daily allowance.
6. A 25 ml of whiskey topped with soda water has to be the lowest of all, hitting home at only 55 calories. Ye hay!
7. A 25 ml of whiskey and 120 ml of ginger ale will set you back 95 calories.
8. A martini averages 200 calories per glass, if you don't eat the olive. I say eat the olive. There's a lot of alcohol in that olive. To hell with the extra 8 calories.
9. A better choice would be a bloody mary complete with celery stick! A bloody mary will cost you about 120 calories. Tomato juice is also full of vitamin C, which helps prevent a hangover the next morning. And celery is a zero calorie food. Three good reasons to drink bloody mary's.
10. A Tom Collins runs along side the bloody mary at an even 120 calories per glass.

There are plenty of other drinks that won't ruin your waist line. On a serious note, however, moderation is the key with everything. Too much of anything is not good for you and that goes double for alcohol. Drinking is a very social commodity to be enjoyed on occasions, not an excuse to empty the drinks cabinet or drink all your lunch money!

Another ten items to add to your list of low calorie alcoholic drinks...

1. Bacardi Rum 54 cals per 25 ml
2. Malibu Rum 61 calories per 25 ml
3. Tequila 54 cals per 25 ml
4. Brandy 56 cals per 25 ml
5. Peach schnapps 71 cals per 25 ml
6. Tia Maria 75 cals per 25 ml
7. Kahlua 76 cals per 25 ml
8. Port 98 cals per 50 ml
9. Sherry (dry) 100 cals per 50 ml
10. Cream liquors 150 to 200 cals per 50 ml

A little healthy attitude with your alcohol will keep calories at bay and you feeling fresher the next day. Mixers that are so worth the fuss...

1. Mix fresh orange juice with your vodka.
2. Ditch the tonic and do the grapefruit juice with your gin.
3. Splash a little ginger in your brandy.
4. Pour your red vino in a pitcher, add ice and sliced fruit. A healthy option indeed.
5. Top your whiskey with boiling water (slightly cooled) and plop in a lemon wedge and a few cloves.

A pint of larger hits the scales around 200 calories. Ale is slightly less at 180 calories and cider a little more at 220 calories. Less than a bag of chips! But hey! who eats ten bags of chips right?

Beer is actually relatively low on the calorie scale compared to a lot of drinks and foods that are readily available to us every day. When you think about it, alcohol isn't fattening at all if you enjoy a drink or two; it's consistent bingeing that brings on the dreaded beer belly.

I guess the five pint-er among us is cringing! Thank God I'm a gin and tonic lover! I have no guilt what so ever, and the lime, well that's one of my 5 a day.

Generally speaking wine and spirits don't have any fat content. It's the sweet fizzy mixers that add the calories.

A can of coke has 140 calories. A can of 7up 147 calories. If you're topping up your drink with calorie laden-ed mixers you're basically spooning in sugar.

Perhaps you need to change your drink style. Of course you can always opt for sugar free or diet mixers instead. To aid your slimming mission even more opt for soda water as a mixer.

Don't ruin a night out counting calories. Opt for a drink that won't spoil your waist line. Don't be a party poo-per either; no sulking over a diet spritzer in the corner.

If you have to have a cocktail, stick to ones that don't have added cream, milk or artificial fruit juices. Leave the pina coladas and margaritas in their bottles. White spirit based cocktails with fresh juice and cordials are a good calorie bet.

Oh! and leave the salty pretzels, potato chips and taco dips for someone else to scoff! Now hit the dance floor and get boogieing.

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© 2010 Gabriel Wilson All Rights Reserved