The holidays are a time for celebration, and assuming you do NOT have an alcohol problem and can drink responsibly, it’s fine to enjoy them. The key to not getting fat from alcohol is to understand the calorie and carbohydrate content of alcoholic drinks and plan your intake in advance in terms of exactly what you want to drink and how much you have.
All alcoholic drinks tend to stimulate insulin production, so they’re a big no, no for diabetics and other people taking certain medications. ALWAYS check for drug-alcohol interactions before drinking any alcoholic beverage.
It’s also important to understand that in addition to the alcohol content itself, alcoholic drinks are often full of sugar, which further stimulates insulin and fat production. The good news is that there ARE alcoholic drinks that contain much less sugar/carbs and calories.
Champagne
One of the best deals on a low-carb holiday drink is champagne! Champagnes have the lowest carbohydrate and calorie content of all wines and are therefore a good choice, especially drier champagnes. A 100-gram serving contains only 1.6 grams of carbohydrates and only 84 calories, making champagne the best choice for holiday fun!
Communal white wines
After champagnes, white wine is the best choice (NO dessert wine included!)
Per 5 ounce serving size:
Chardonnay – 120 calories and 3.43 grams of carbohydrates
Sauvignon Blanc – 120 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates
Reisling – 120 calories and 5.54 grams of carbohydrates
Pinot Grigio – 122 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates
Common Red Wines
Merlot – 118 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrates
Cabernet Sauvignon – 130 calories and 3.82 grams of carbohydrates
Burgundy – 122 calories and 5.46 grams of carbohydrates
Pinot Noir – 116 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrates
Shiraz – 116 calories and 3.79 grams of carbohydrates
Low-carb beers
Bud Select 55 – 55 calories with only 1.9 grams of carbohydrates
Miller64 – 64 calories with 2.4 grams of carbohydrates
Michelob Ultra – 95 calories with 2.62 grams of carbohydrates
Becks Premier Light – 64 calories with 3.2 grams of carbohydrates
Miller Light – 96 calories with 3.2 grams of carbohydrates
Amstel Light – 95 calories with 5 grams of carbohydrates
Coors Light – 102 calories with 5 grams of carbohydrates
Bud Light – 110 calories with 6.6 grams of carbohydrates
Mixed drinks
Liqueurs like gin, vodka, whiskey and rum, but are packed with calories and to some extent act as a “super” carbohydrate that triggers insulin and hunger. That said, they contain no carbs at all, so as long as you mix them without sugar/calorie mixers, you can keep your carb and calorie intake somewhat in check.
One of the best choices is vodka and soda water with lime or lemon, without carbs and about 100 calories! Other examples include whiskey and diet coke, Seagram’s 7 and Diet 7-up, Rum and diet coke, or Spiced Rum and Diet Ginger Ale.
What to avoid!
When it comes to mixed drinks, pay attention to those mixers – most standard mixers, like all soft drinks, fruit juices and tonics, are full of sugar unless you use the diet versions. All your Caribbean and tropical drinks like Pina Coladas, Daiquiris, Mai Tais and Margaritas, etc. are packed with sugar and calories.
Set a budget for your intake!
Set a budget for your alcoholic beverage intake and keep track as you drink them so you know how much you’ve had each hour. Remember that processing each beer, glass of wine, and mixed drink takes the average man an hour (and longer for women), so anything over 1 hour per hour will get you drunk at some level.
In addition to budgeting your intake, drink a glass of non-alcoholic, low-calorie beverage such as water or soda for every drink/beer/glass of wine. You need to slow yourself down and stay hydrated.
If you want to notice a buzz, drink your limit and switch to all non-alcoholic drinks for 2 – 4 hours before driving.
Even better, get a designated driver or use Uber or Lyft for travel to and from holiday parties!
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