Eat Out Eat Well

Restaurants, Diners, Fast Food

How Many Calories Are In Your Beer?

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calories in beerHave you ever noticed that alcohol doesn’t fill you up the way food does?  Here’s why: it doesn’t register as “food” in your GI tract or your brain.

The bad news:  it doesn’t fill you up but it does have calories — 7 calories a gram – more than carbs and protein which have 4 calories a gram and fat which has 9.  So, even thought it doesn’t feel as though you’re putting calories into your body, you can drink a lot of calories and still not feel stuffed (perhaps drunk, but not stuffed).

How Much Beer Is Equivalent To A Standard Drink?

A standard drink is equal to 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol, the amount usually found in 12 fluid ounces of beer. The serving size of malt liquor, or beer with high alcohol content, is 8-9 fluid ounces.

There is huge variation between brands and types of beer, but on average:

  • 12 ounces of beer has 153 calories and 13.9 grams of alcohol
  • 12 ounces of lite beer has 103 calories and 11 grams of alcohol

Different types of beer and malt liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. Light beers can almost as much alcohol as regular beer – about 85% as much.   Put another way, on average:

  • Regular beer: 5% alcohol
  • Some light beers: 4.2% alcohol
  • Malt liquor:  7% alcohol

How Many Calories Are in Your (12 ounce) Beer Bottle? 

  • Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale: 330 calories
  • Samuel Adams Boston Lager: 180 calories
  • Guinness Extra Stout: 176 calories
  • Pete’s Wicked Ale: 174 calories
  • Harpoon IPA: 170 calories
  • Heineken: 166 calories
  • Killian’s Irish Red: 163 calories
  • Long Trail: 163 calories
  • Molson Ice: 160 calories
  • Samuel Adams Brown Ale:  160 calories
  • Budweiser:  144 calories
  • Corona Light: 105 calories
  • Coors Light: 102 calories
  • Heineken Light: 99 calories
  • Budweiser Select: 99 calories
  • Miller Light: 96 calories
  • Amstel Light: 95 calories
  • Anheuser Busch Natural Light: 95 calories
  • Michelob Ultra: 95 calories
  • Miller MGD 64:  64 calories
  • Beck’s Premier Light: 64 calories

Calorie Saver:

Analyze your beer choice.  Since there’s a very wide variation in the calories in beer, can you be satisfied with one of the lower calorie brews?

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Want more information like this? My newest book: 30 Ways to Have Low-Calorie Fun in the Sun: Your Guide to Guilt-Free Eating at Picnics, Amusement Parks, Barbecues & Parties available on Amazon.

 

Boardwalks and Ballparks: What’s To Eat?

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ballpark foodSports stadiums, amusement parks, state fairs and street fairs.  What do you usually do at these places – other than watch games and have a blast on the rides? EAT, of course!

Oh, the food!  Oh the calories! So how can you be calorie aware when there are food vendors about every 20 feet hawking dogs, ice cream, and fried everything?

There Are Ways And Then There Are Ways

If you’ve got a will of iron you could ignore the food and drinks.  But if you’re tempted at every turn, you can try to minimize the damage without taking away the fun.  If you know you’re going to be having a stadium or boardwalk meal, do some thinking, planning, and sleuthing.  The best choices are not always the obvious ones.

Do you need both peanuts and popcorn?  Can you make do with a regular hot dog instead of a foot-long?  Can you keep it to one or two beers instead of three?  Can you choose the small popcorn instead of the jumbo tub? Can you ditch the soda — or maybe the second one — and replace it with water?

Make Your Best Choice To Save A Few Calories

It’s all about choices. You can enjoy your day and make the best caloric choice (we’re not necessarily talking best nutritional choice) and still enjoy traditional ballpark and amusement park food.  Weigh your options – what’s your best choice?

  • Cotton Candy: Nothing but heated and colored sugar that’s spun into threads with added air. Cotton candy on a stick or wrapped around a paper cone (about an ounce) has around 105 calories; a 2oz. bag (common size) has 210. A lot of sugar, but not a lot of calories – albeit empty ones.
  • Funnel cake:  The fried dough wonder and staple of fairs, boardwalks, and amusement parks, funnel cake is made by pouring dough through a funnel into cooking oil and deep frying the “funnels” of dough until they’re golden-brown and crispy – then topping the pieces with powdered sugar, syrup, or honey.  Different cultures have varying versions of fried dough – sometimes it’s long strips and sometimes just round fried balls of dough. The calories vary enormously depending on the quantity and toppings.  Just remember, regardless of the shape, they’re all dough fried in oil topped with a sweetener.  That means high calories and low nutrition.  You probably have to figure a minimum of around 300 calories for a 6 inch funnel cake (do they ever come that small?). Onward and upward from there!
  • Good Humor Ice Cream:  Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar (83g):  230 calories; Toasted Almond (113g):  240 calories; Candy Center Crunch:  310 calories;  Low Fat Ice Cream Sandwich, vanilla:  130 calories
  • Cracker Jack (officially cracker jack, not jacks): candy-coated popcorn with some peanuts. A 3.5oz stadium size box has 420 calories but it does have 7g of protein and 3.5g of fiber.
  • Hamburger:   6oz. of food stand beef (they’re not using extra lean – the more fat, the juicier it is) on a bun has about 490 calories — without cheese or other toppings — which up the ante.
  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich, 6oz.:  280 calories – not a bad choice.  6oz. of chicken tenders clock in at 446 calories.  Barbecue dipping sauce adds 30 calories a tablespoon.
  • Hot Dog: Most sold-out baseball stadiums can sell 16,000 hot dogs a day. A regular hot dog with mustard has about 290 calories: that’s 180 for the 2oz. dog, 110 for the bun, zilch for regular yellow mustard. Two tbs. sauerkraut adds another 5-10 calories and a punch of flavor, 2 tbs. ketchup adds 30, and 2 tbs. relish another 40. A Nathan’s hot dog racks up 320 calories; a foot-long Hebrew National 510 calories. A regular size corn dog has around 280 calories.
  • Fried Battered Clams:  A boardwalk staple.  1 cup (5 large clams or 8 medium clams or 10 small clams) has around 222 calories.
  • Pizza: Stadium pizza is larger than a usual slice, about 1/6 of a 16-inch pie (instead of 1/8) making it about 435 calories a slice – add calories if you add toppings.
  • Super Nachos with Cheese: A 12oz. serving (40 chips, 4oz. cheese) has about 1,500 calories!!! Plain French fries look like a caloric bargain by comparison.
  • French Fries: A large serving has about 500 calories. A serving of Hardee’s chili cheese fries has 700 calories and 350 of them come from fat.
  • Potato Chips:  One single serving bag has 153 calories (94 of them from fat).
  • Peanuts in the Shell: What would a baseball game be without a bag of peanuts? Stadiums can sell as many as 6,000 bags on game days. An 8oz. bag has 840 calories; a 12oz. bag has 1,260. Yes, they have some protein and fiber.  But wow on the calories.
  • Soft Pretzel: One large soft pretzel has 483 calories – giant soft pretzels (7-8oz.) have about 700 calories.
  • Draft Beer: A stadium draft beer — 20oz. cup, the usual size –has about 240 calories. A light draft saves you 60 calories.
  • Coca Cola:  A 12oz can has 140 calories –- and close to 10 tsp. of sugar.
  • Helmet Ice Cream: Your team’s mini-helmet filled with swirly Carvel, 550-590 calories.
  • Souvenir Popcorn: At Yankee Stadium a jumbo size has 1,484 calories and a souvenir bucket has 2,473 calories.

For more “Fun in the Sun” ideas, check out my new book:  30 Ways to Have Low-Calorie Fun in the Sun:  Your Guide to Guilt-Free Eating at Picnics, Amusement Parks, Barbecues & Parties available through Amazon.

 

Ice Cream Or Gelato? What’s The Difference? What About Calories?

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ice-cream-and-gelatoWhat says summer more than strolling down the street, ice cream cone in hand – trying to lick up every last melting drip before it hits the sidewalk?

The cold deliciousness of ice cream, gelato, or sorbet is hard to beat.  There are an astounding number of choices with varying degrees of fat, calorie, sugar, and dairy content.  The sad truth is that no matter how innovative food scientists and savvy marketers have become, a three-scoop sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream, and other assorted toppings still isn’t going to rank at the top of the health-o-meter.

The Difference Between Ice Cream And Gelato

In the US, the government regulates what can be called ice cream, but in some other countries ice cream can mean all frozen desserts.

Ice cream and gelato are usually dairy-based but differ in texture, fat and air content, and ingredients. Because gelato is made and stored at a higher temperature than ice cream, it’s softer, smoother, and quicker to melt.

Both are usually made from sugar, milk, eggs, and flavorings — although gelato is often made from fresh fruit. Gelato has less butterfat than ice cream, usually about 4 to 8% compared to ice cream’s 10 to 20%.

Gelato has a higher sugar content than ice cream, and the sugar/water combination acts like anti-freeze — preventing the gelato from freezing solid. Most US commercial ice creams are frozen in an assembly line freezing process while gelato is frozen very quickly in small batches.

Both ice cream and gelato are churned during the freezing process, which incorporates air. Most commercial ice cream contains about 50% air while gelato contains much less, generally 20-35%, producing a denser product with more intense flavor.

Ice cream is sold by weight, not by size, so a pint of cheaper ice cream which is fluffed up with more air than premium or artisanal ice creams will feel lighter than better brands which are pumped up with just enough air to make the ice cream nice and smooth.  Compare pints of different levels of quality when they’re fresh out of the freezer case.  Which one is heavier in your hand?  Not suprisingly, the premium brands will also be higher in calories, probably have more intense flavor, and be higher in price.

Ice cream, with its higher fat content, can be stored frozen for months. High-quality artisan gelato, when stored carefully at consistent, low temperatures, only keeps its peak flavor and smooth texture for several days.

What’s In The Frozen Desserts?

According to US federal standards, a frozen dessert must have a minimum of 10% milk fat to be called ice cream.  Economy brands usually have the least amount of fat and super premium brands have more.  Milk fat content of less than 10% makes the product ice milk or light ice cream.

  • Premium ice cream has between 11% and 15% butterfat, which makes it richer, denser, higher in calories.  It often comes in gourmet flavors.
  • Regular ice cream – what you usually find in the larger containers in the market — is somewhat less dense and contains 10% to 11% butterfat (perfect for milkshakes).
  • Economy ice cream, by law, has 10% butterfat.
  • Light ice cream has either 50% less fat or 33% fewer calories than the producer’s regular ice cream. Here’s the hitch: because of the starting point of fat content, light versions of premium ice cream can have more fat and calories than the regular version of other brands.
  • Reduced fat ice cream must, by law, have 25% less fat than the regular ice cream produced by the same vendor.
  • Soft serve ice cream is the same as regular ice cream but is served at a higher temperature.
  • French Style Ice Cream also called glace, has a custard base that includes eggs, which makes it silky and rich.
  • Gelato (plural, gelati) has more milk than cream (if any) so its fat content is significantly lower. It doesn’t saturate your taste buds as much as ice cream so the flavor seems more intense. It’s often flavored with fresh fruit, nuts, chocolate, and other natural flavors. Gelato is served at a higher temperature than ice cream making it look more like frozen yogurt or whipped cream than ice cream.
  • Sorbet, which means water ice, is made from fruit, wine, or liqueur, but not milk, is sometimes flavored with herbs and spices and then whipped to lighten its texture. It’s sometimes used as a palate cleanser.
  • Sherbet, like sorbet, is traditionally fruit flavored but with milk added for creaminess. By law it contains between 1 and 2% butterfat – which makes it lighter in flavor and texture.
  • Granita is similar to sorbet but not whipped. Ice crystals give it a granular appearance and a crunchy texture.

How Many Calories?

There’s a huge variation in nutrition so it’s best to check labels if you’re counting calories, fats, and/or carbs. These are the general caloric ranges for “naked” ice cream and gelato (without sauce, toppings, nuts, and whipped cream):

  • 3.5 oz of milk-based gelato has between 120 and 160 calories, 4g to 8 g of fat, and 30 g to 45 g of carbs.
  • Milk and soy-based gelato has between 3g and 5g of protein.  Sorbet, with no dairy, has no protein.
  • 3.5 oz of American ice cream (not churned, light, or reduced fat) averages 240 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 24g carbs.
  • 3.5 oz of light ice cream can vary between 100 to close to 200 calories depending upon whether it is just light or if it is slow churned light.  The flavor and the add-ins for the flavor can significantly raise the calorie count.
  • Frozen yogurt also has a wide range of calories depending on fat content. Frozen yogurt can be as caloric, if not more caloric, than other frozen desserts.

Tip:  Order a small serving of ice cream or gelato instead of a medium or large. You’ll probably be just as satisfied.  Even if you indulge in your favorite full-fat flavor, you’ll save as many as 550 calories with a 5-ounce size of ice cream instead of a 12-ounce size.

7 Ways To Cut Down On Pizza Calories

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Save-Pizza-CaloriesHave you had “a slice” recently?  If you did, consider it one of the 46 slices that American men, women, and children eat, on average, in a year.

We eat a lot of pizza:

  • 94% of Americans eat pizza regularly
  • Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants and pizza accounts for more than 10% of all food service sales
  • Kids 3 to 11 prefer pizza over other food groups for both lunch and dinner
  • In the US, 61% prefer regular thin crust, 14% prefer deep-dish, and 11% prefer extra thin crust
  • 62% of Americans prefer meat toppings; 38% prefer vegetables
  • 36% order pizza topped with pepperoni

What’s Good, What’s Not-So-Good?

It’s difficult to estimate the number of calories and fat grams in a slice of pizza because the size and depth of the pies and the amount of cheese, meat, or other toppings vary enormously.

Here’s the good news: pizza can be a healthy food choice filled with complex carbs, B-vitamins, calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin C and calorically okay if you choose wisely and don’t eat more than your fair share.

The not so good news:  fat and calories. If your mouth starts to water at the thought of golden brown crust and cheesy goodness — here’s the downer: that luscious pizza can be a fat and calorie nightmare.

Mall Pizza Can Be Okay — And Not Okay

  • Sbarro’s Low Carb Cheese Pizza has 310 calories and 14 grams of fat.
  • Sbarro’s Low Carb Sausage/Pepperoni Pizza has 560 calories and 35 grams of fat.
  • A slice of Sbarro’s Fresh Tomato Pizza clocks in at 450 calories with 14 grams of fat.
  • Any of Sbarro’s “Gourmet” pizzas have between 610 and 780 calories a slice and more than 20 grams of fat.
  • “Stuffed” pizzas are even worse—790 calories minimum and over 33 grams of fat per slice.

The membership warehouse club Costco has 416 domestic locations, and most of them have a food court that sells pizza, making Costco the 15th largest pizza chain in the US. They serve a whole lot of pizza and a whole lot of calories.

A single slice of Costco pizza is estimated to have 804 calories, 342 of them from fat.

Build a Better Slice of Pizza

Although we all have our own pizza preferences, the next time you order try some of these tricks to keep your choice on the healthy side:

  1. Order thin crust rather than a thick doughy or deep dish crust.
  2. Resist the urge to ask for double cheese  — better yet, go light on the cheese or use reduced-fat cheese (if they have it).
  3. Ask for a pizza without cheese but topped with veggies and a little olive oil. You can always sprinkle on a little grated parmesan – 1 tablespoon has 22 calories — for flavor.
  4. Instead of cheese go for big flavors:  onion, garlic, olives (use them somewhat sparingly because of the oil but they’re a whole lot better than meat).  And don’t forget anchovies  — a lot of flavor for minimal calories – but you have to like them!
  5. Choose vegetable toppings instead of meat (think about the fat content in sausage, pepperoni, and meatballs) and you might shave 100 calories from your meal. Pile on veggies like mushrooms, peppers, olives, tomatoes, onion, broccoli, spinach, and asparagus. Some places have salad pizza – great if it’s not loaded with oil.
  6. Order a salad (careful with the dressing) on the side and cut down on the amount of pizza.  Salad takes longer to eat, too.
  7. If you’re willing (and not embarrassed or grossed out), try blotting up the free-floating oil that sits on top of a greasy slice. Blotting (it’s easy to do this on the kind of hot slice where the oil runs down your arm) can soak up a teaspoon of oil worth 40 calories and 5 grams of fat.

This is the fifth week of the lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks challenge.  How are you doing?  Let us know on Facebook — and remember to “Like” Eat Out Eat Well when you’re there! Visit Eat Out Eat Well’s boards on Pinterest, too.

 

Brunch: Is It Lunch Or Breakfast – And Do you End Up Eating Both?

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brunch-calories-graphicDo you have trouble keeping the calories in check at a brunch or a buffet? It’s pretty darn hard with all of that tempting food staring you in the face. It’s even harder when there’s both tempting food and you’re with lots of friends having a good time — a classic recipe for mindless (over)eating.

A sit down brunch is a little easier to control than a buffet.  At least you’re ordering something specific and not subjected to the myriad of delectable choices at a buffet.

You still have to deal with overflowing bread and pastry baskets and multiple mimosas or bloody marys – but the best bet is to make a deal with yourself ahead of time about how many drinks and how many baked goods you will allow yourself to have.  Ahead of time is key – staring at freshly baked muffins while you decide what not to eat makes a reasoned decision pretty difficult!

Here’s Some Tips For Handling A Buffet/Brunch:

  • Choose a seat that puts your back to the buffet table or kitchen spread and preferably some distance away. How long can you sit and stare at those sticky buns without wanting one?  Not having them in your line of sight helps to keep your mind out of the “I’ve got to have it” mode.
  • Distance helps, too.  Having to get up and walk past lots of people, many of whom you know, with a plate filled to the brim can serve as a “seconds” and “thirds” deterrent.
  • Before putting any food on your plate, just cruise the buffet eyeballing all of the choices and decide what you’ll have before you start filling your plate.  Make trade-offs:  a sticky-bun and coffee instead of a couple of drinks and a second slice of toast . . .
  • What’s going to energize you and what are you going to eat the rest of the day? If you think you can eat at 11AM and have no food until the next day, bad decision.  By late afternoon you’ll probably be so hungry that you’ll head for pizza or a cheeseburger while promising yourself you’ll get back on track the next day.
  • Have a good meal that will fill you up, keep your blood sugar at a nice level, and tastes good so you don’t feel deprived. What does that mean?  Some protein and some complex carbs.  Easy on the fat and simple carbs.
  • Put your food on a smaller rather than larger plate (look for the smaller plates near the salad/fruit section) and you’ll fill up your plate and your stomach with fewer calories.
  • If you decide you really will feel totally deprived if you don’t indulge in one of those delicious baked goods, try to choose one without loads of thick buttery crumbs on top, cut it in half and be satisfied with that amount.  Put it on a separate small plate that you can easily push away from you.  Keeping it on your main plate means you’ll be nibbling at it the entire time.
  • Enforce the no seconds rule:  take what you want the first time, eat it and enjoy it, and stay away from reloads.
  • If you indulge, don’t beat yourself up – keep the 80/20 rule in mind.  Eat well 80% of the time and 20% of the time allow for some indulgences. Total deprivation never works and leaves you vulnerable to a major “raid the fridge” or “hit the bakery” attack.  Instead, plan ahead, know you’re going to indulge, choose carefully, and enjoy your choices – without going overboard.