It’s summer.  It’s hot.  You’re thirsty.  You want some shade and something cool – or maybe ice cold – to drink.

Check Out The Calories

A lot of those cool, refreshing drinks come with a hefty dose of calories. You might be surprised at the number of calories in a drink you’ve been having for years.

Do a little research, figure out your best choice, and then make that your drink of choice.  Can you be satisfied with a bottle of beer that has around 100 calories rather than another brand that has around 300 – or water with a hint of flavor instead of a sports drink?

Water and Sports Drinks

• Gatorade:  12 oz, 80 calories
• SoBe Lifewater:  20 oz, 90 calories
• Glaceau Smart Water:  33.8 oz, 0 calories
• Vitamin Water:  20 oz, 125 calories
• Vitamin Water 10:  20 oz, 25 calories
• Perrier Citron Lemon Lime (22 oz bottle):  0 calories
• Vitamin Water Focus Kiwi-Strawberry (20 oz bottle):  125 calories, 32.5g sugars

• Hint Blackberry (16 oz bottle):  0 calories
• Gatorade G Orange (12 oz bottle):  80 calories, 21g sugars
• Water (as much as you want):  0 calories

Iced Coffee and Tea Drinks

• Dunkin’ Donuts Vanilla Bean Coolatta:  16 oz, 430 calories
• Dunkin’ Donuts Sweet Tea:  16 oz, 120 calories
• Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino:  16 0z (grande), 240 calories
• Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino, light:  16 oz grande), 110 calories
• Tazo Unsweetened Shaken Iced Passion Tea:  0 calories
• Iced Brewed Coffee with classic syrup:  12 oz (tall), 60 calories

Soda and Non-Carbonated Drinks

• Mountain Dew:  one 20 oz bottle, 290 calories
• Coke Classic:  one 20 oz bottle, 233 calories
• Diet coke:  one 20 oz bottle, 0 calories
• Snapple Orangeade (16 oz):  200 calories, 52g sugar
• San Pelligrino Limonata (11.15 fl oz can):  141 calories, 32g sugars
• Can of Coke (12 oz):  140 calories, 39g sugars
• Bottle of 7Up (12 oz):  150 calories, 38g sugars
• Root beer float (large, 32 oz):  640 calories, 10g fat

Beer (12 oz 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

Wine

• Red Wine:  5 oz, 129 calories
• White Wine:  5 oz, 120 calories
• Sangria:  8 oz, 176 calories

Alcoholic Drinks

• Mojito:  7 oz, 172 calories
• Frozen Magarita: 4 oz, 180 calories (the average margarita glass holds 12 oz, 540 calories)
• Mimosa:  137 calories
• Gin and Tonic:  175 calories

The post How Many Calories Are In Your Favorite Summer Drink? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

It’s summer.  It’s hot.  You’re thirsty.  You want some shade and something cool – or maybe ice cold – to drink.

Just remember – a lot of those cool, refreshing drinks come with a hefty dose of calories.

Check Out The Calories

You might be surprised at the caloric content of a drink you have been having for years.  There is a wide variation in the number of calories even in the same category of drinks.  Do a little research and learn your best choice and then make that your drink of choice.  You often can be satisfied with, for instance, a bottle of beer that has around 100 calories rather than another brand that has around 300.

Of course, there’s always water, plain or flavored (beware the vitamin enhanced kinds with added sugar)!

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Water and Sports Drinks

• Gatorade:  12 oz, 80 calories

• Propel:  24 oz, 30 calories

• SoBe Lifewater:  20 oz, 90 calories

• Glaceau Smart Water:  33.8 oz, 0 calories

• Vitamin Water:  20 oz, 125 calories

• Vitamin Water 10:  20 oz, 25 calories

Iced Coffee and Tea Drinks

• Dunkin’ Donuts Vanilla Bean Coolatta:  16 oz, 430 calories

• Dunkin’ Donuts Sweet Tea:  16 oz, 120 calories

• Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino:  16 0z (grande), 240 calories

• Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino, light:  16 oz grande), 110 calories

• Tazo Unsweetened Shaken Iced Passion Tea:  0 calories

• Iced Brewed Coffee with classic syrup:  12 oz (tall), 60 calories

Soda

• Coke Classic:  one 20 oz bottle, 233 calories

• Diet coke:  one 20 oz bottle, 0 calories

• Mountain Dew:  one 20 oz bottle, 290 calories

Alcoholic Drinks

Beer

• Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale:  one 12 oz bottle, 330 calories

• Samuel Adams Brown Ale:  160 calories

• Amstel Light:  95 calories

Wine

• Red Wine:  5 oz, 129 calories

• White Wine:  5 oz, 120 calories

• Sangria:  8 oz, 176 calories

Alcoholic Drinks

• Mojito:  7 oz, 172 calories

• Frozen Magarita: 4 oz, 180 calories (the average margarita glass holds 12 oz, 540 calories)

• Mimosa:  137 calories

• Gin and Tonic:  175 calories

The Single Biggest Source Of American Calories

According to CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest), carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet.  We tend to forget about the calories in sugared sports drinks and in sweetened ice teas, juices, and alcoholic beverages.  Alcohol has 7 calories per gram  — compared to protein and carbs which have 4 calories per gram and fat which has 9 calories per gram.     Couple the alcohol with sweetened juices, syrups, and, in some cases, soda, and you could be drinking a significant portion of your suggested daily calorie allowance.  There are low and lower calorie choices in each category of cold drinks.  Choose wisely, sip slowly, limit the repeats and/or alternate with water, seltzer, diet soda, or iced tea or coffee.

The post How Many Calories Will You Be Drinking this Summer? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.