What is the Best Alcohol to Drink When on a Diet?

By Charles Carter - 2007-10-31 - Viewed 9590 times. Find more articles like this in our Diets and Weightloss category.

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Alcohol is empty calories if you look at from the calorie perspective. There are good qualities to alcohol assuming that the consumption is moderate and not associated with any addiction. Different alcohols or spirits can be a part of a good weight loss or healthy diet. The best may be the Bacardi and Diet Coke.

First we have to look at alcohol being consumed in moderation.

The liver can remove 2 glasses of beer or wine, and one mixed drink per day. Sorry, you are unable to save them up to have 10 on the weekend.

On the LIVE Nutrition Plan one light beer, glass of wine, or distilled spirit is one fat exchange. The average person will have 3-4 fat exchanges throughout the day. Remember what we said about your liver, using all of your fat for alcohol would not be a good idea for the health of your liver.

Alcohol has many stress relieving properties. Alcohol is a depressant which means that it will support your ability to relax. Drinking alcohol in moderation, less than two a day, has been demonstrated to lower stress so that you live longer than people who drink no alcohol. Just remember two or less.

Light Beer on a Diet

Light beer seems to be the obvious choice when on a diet. The average lite beer is less than 100 calories with some of the new ultra beers having even less. If you can keep your consumption of these beers to two or under a day this is a good choice. The problem with lite beer is the quantity that most people can drink. Many people can consume multiple light beers with ease. Though each beer has few calories they start to add up having if you have 4-6 on a night.

Microbrews on a Diet

Wow, I get to drink dark beer on a diet? Aren't dark beers more calories? The answer is yes dark beers are more calories; the good thing is it is easier to drink just one. The average person who could drinks 5 light beers will probably only be able to drink one dark beer, and the total calories. You total calories from one dark beer will be less than the 5 light beer calorie total.

Diet Wine

Wine in moderation has been known to lower the risk of heart disease. It doesn't seem to be wine specifically, but the stress relieving properties of alcohol, as long as they are consumed in moderation. Wine works the same as light beer, less than 100 calories per glass and one fat exchange on the LIVE diet plan.

Bacardi and Diet Coke

One Bacardi and Diet Coke has 66 calories. Two of these mixed drinks are only a few more calories than one beer. Two Bacardi and diet Cokes are a lot less caloric than many beers on the market. This isn't Bacardi specific, most distilled spirits and diet soda are going to be around the same number of calories. Remember that even though they have less calories, your liver doesn't care when it comes to the amount of alcohol. Moderation of 2 or less is still best. Bacardi and Diet Coke is simply the most popular, which I found out while in Puerto Rico touring the Bacardi Distillery.

Alcohol as a part of a responsible diet can be a part of a person's weight loss program or healthy diet. Remember the key is moderation and picking drinks lower in calories. Enjoy your next party.

Also see Boozing and Belly Fat and if you are starting to put on the pounds around the middle and its starting to show try reading our article on how to Get Rid of a Beer Gut

Charles Carter, BS in Exercise Science is President of LIVE, llc of liveleantoday.com - visit the website for more information on weight loss, core fitness programs, optimal diets, and online personal trainer and dietician services.

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