Halloween candy isn’t only for kids. Neither are Halloween parties. So, if you’re an adult, why not have some wine with your candy – whether it’s the candy you bought for trick or treaters, what you snag from your kid’s collection – or from the inevitable candy filled bowl on just about every counter.

There are all kinds of opinions about what wine goes well with what candy. Experts will tell you that you should consider the wine’s sweetness, acidity, flavor and whether or not it’s sparkling or still. Since most candy is really sweet – especially the Halloween trick or treat kind –“outsweeting” the candy is tough to do!

Ultimately, your choice boils down to what you like, but after doing some research, here’s a synopsis of the recommendations that I’ve found.

Some Pairing Suggestions

Fresher, fruit forward wines are great to pair with fruity candy. Sparkling rosés go really well with gummy bears and worms and Starbursts, especially the pink and yellow ones. The strawberry and cherry notes in the wine mirror some of the red fruit flavors in the candy and the refreshing fizz helps to wash the sugar down. Other Starburst recommended pairings are light reds such as Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Zweigelt or Gamay or sweet whites such as Reisling, Moscato, Malvasia.

Nerds go best with sparkling wines like champagne, proseco, cava, and sparkling rose.

The high acidity in Chenin Blanc off sets the sweetness in Jollyranchers.

Skittles can also pair well with the sweet whites or dry whites such as white table wine, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio.

The sweet creaminess of the yellow, orange, and white mellow crème kernels of Candy Corn and pumpkins can pair with sweet whites, and rich whites such as Chardonnay, Marsanne, or Viognier, sparkling wines, and Port. The trick is to pick a Chardonnay or other wine that retains enough vibrant acidity to cut through the super sweet sugary candy. Or you can just keep shoving handfuls of candy corn into your mouth without allowing time to sip!

KitKat and 3 Musketeers are lighter and fluffier and pair well with sparkling wines and medium reds such as red table wine, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Grenache.

Try a Muscat with sugary Smarties.

Tootsie rolls will always stick to your teeth and pair well with the light reds.

Butterfingers go with the rich whites and the dessert wines such as late harvest ice wines, Sherry, Port, Tawny Port, and Ruby Port.

Twix pairs with dessert wines and with bold reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell, Malbec, and Syrah. The sweetness of ice wines will also likely taste delicious with the caramel, cookies, and chocolate in Twix.

The cherry undertones of Pinot Noir pair nicely with Twizzlers – you could even dunk!

Reese’s pieces, those wonderful bites of peanut butter and chocolate, can go with the light reds, bold reds, and dessert wines. Or try a cool climate California Syrah which will complement the chocolate in the peanut butter cups and with other peanut butter candy bars.

Another recommendation for nutty, chocolate candy is to pair it with wine that balances the sugar and cream from the milk chocolate and the salt from the peanuts and peanut butter. The strong acidic factors in Spanish Sherry make it a great pairing because it cuts through the fat and, depending on the aging, tends to have a nice nutty quality. German Rieslings also pair well.

The strong, sweet, creamy taste of Port pairs quite well with chocolate, caramel, and peanuts like the combo found in Snickers and with classic Caramels.

Heath Bar (one of my all time favorites) goes well with the dessert wines.

M&Ms, while they’re melting in your mouth and not in your hands, can be washed down with the bold and medium reds. Try a red Zinfandel.

For the coconut lovers, the harsh tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon pair well with the dark chocolate and coconut in Mounds.

Sour Patch Kids – maybe aptly named — don’t seem to pair well with anything except a puckering mouth, but you can try a bubbly NV Rosé.

If there are some caramel apples to bite into, the toastiness of caramel and butterscotch might pair well with  Muscat or Gewürztraminer because the acidity of the white wine should stand up well to the sweetness of caramel. If you want to focus on the apple flavor, try ice wine, Sauternes, or a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

And why not pair a Grand Cru Bordeaux with a 100 Grand Bar?

And then there’s chocolate with huge range of strong flavors including sweet, bitter, fruity and even acidic – flavors that don’t pair well with standard dry table wine. After a bite of a rich chocolate it won’t have any flavor. So try a sweet dessert wine instead. Its richness will enhance the flavor of both.

Here are some things to consider for chocolate pairings: think about choosing a wine that’s as sweet as the chocolate or try pairing by color – the darker the chocolate, the darker the wine. consider the bitterness and texture. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and dark chocolate are an excellent classic pairing because the bitterness in the chocolate is similar in texture to the tannins in the wine.

Milk chocolate Hershey bars will always be someone’s favorite and they go with most wines, especially the rich and sweet whites and the light and medium reds. With the more bitter Hershey’s Dark chocolate, try a red Syrah.

Have a Happy Halloween!

The post What Wine Will You Drink With Your Halloween Candy? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

A glass or two of celebratory cheer – a toast to the New Year …

Just a heads up: all of those drinks can really pack a caloric punch. So, just like drinking wisely (and of course, not driving), don’t forget to factor in all those calories.

A Drink Is …

A standard alcoholic drink (in the US) is a drink that contains the equivalent of 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol.

That’s the amount of pure alcohol usually found in:

• 12 ounces of beer
• 8 ounces of malt liquor
• 5 ounces of wine
• 1.5 ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor (gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey, etc.)

Will A Cocktail Affect You More Than Beer Or Wine?

A 12-ounce bottle of beer has about the same amount of alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor. Since it is the amount – not the type — of alcohol in your drink that affects you the most, it is not safer to drink beer or wine rather than liquor if you are consuming the same amount of alcohol.

In other words, whether you have two 5 ounce glasses of wine, two 12 ounce bottles of beer, or two 1.5 ounces of liquor either straight or in a mixed drink — you are drinking the same amount of alcohol.

How Many Calories Are In Alcohol?

Alcohol doesn’t fill you up the way food does because it doesn’t register as “food” in your GI tract or brain.  Even though it doesn’t fill you up, alcohol does have calories — 7 calories a gram – more than carbs and protein, which clock in at 4 calories a gram and a little less than fat which has 9.  It may not feel as though you’re putting calories into your body, but the fact is you can drink a lot of calories and still not feel stuffed (perhaps drunk, but not stuffed).

In General:

• 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
• 5 ounces red wine has 125 calories and 15.6 grams of alcohol
• 5 ounces of white wine has 121 calories and 15.1 grams of alcohol
• 1 1/2 ounces (a jigger) of 80 proof (40% alcohol) liquor has 97 calories and 14 grams of alcohol

Alcohol And Mixers

The higher the alcoholic content (proof), the greater the number of calories:

• 80-proof vodka (40% alcohol, the most common type) has 64 calories/1oz
• 86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 ounce
• 90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 ounce
• 100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 ounce

When you start adding mixers, the calories in a drink can more than double.

• club soda has no calories
• 8 ounces of orange juice has 112 calories
• 8 ounces of tonic has 83 calories
• 8 ounces of ginger ale has 83 calories
• 8 ounces of tomato juice has 41 calories
• 8 ounces of classic coke has 96 calories
• 8 ounces of cranberry juice has 128 calories

Mixed drinks and fancy drinks can significantly increase the calorie count.    The following calories are approximate – bartenders, recipes, and the hand that pours all vary.  Use these figures as a guideline.

• Plain martini (2.5 ounces): 160 calories
• Mimosa (4 ounces):  75 calories
• Gin and Tonic (7 ounces):  200 calories
• Mojito:  (8 ounces):  214 calories
• Cosmopolitan (4 ounces): 200 calories
• Skinnygirl margarita (4 ounces): 100 calories
• Green apple martini (1 ounce each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148 calories
• Bloody Mary (5 ounces): 118 calories
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348 calories
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 ounces): 310 calories
• Vodka and tonic (8 ounces): 200 calories
• Screwdriver (8 ounces): 190 calories
• White Russian (2 ounces of vodka, 1.5 ounces of coffee liqueur, 1.5 ounces of cream): 425 calories
• Rum and Coke (8 ounces): 185 calories
• Chocolate martini: (2 ounces each of vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 ounce of creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438 calories
• Jumbo and super-sized drinks with double shots and extra mixers could add up to 1,000 calories or more (a single giant glass of TGI Friday’s frozen mudslide has around 1,100 calories)
• An 8 ounce white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories
• An 8 ounce cup of eggnog has about 343 calories and 19 grams of fat thanks to alcohol, heavy cream, eggs, and sugar
• Mulled wine, a combination of red wine, sugar/honey, spices, orange and lemon peel, has about 210 to 300 calories in 5 ounces, depending on how much sweetener is added
• One cup (8 ounces) of apple cider – without any additives – has 115 calories
• One hot buttered rum has 218 calories
• One Irish coffee has 218 calories
• One cup of coffee with cream and sugar runs at least 50 calories (more if it’s sweet and light)

The post How Many Calories Will You Drink Over The Holidays? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Halloween candy isn’t only for kids. Neither are Halloween parties. So, if you’re an adult, why not have some beer, wine, or booze with your Halloween candy – whether it’s the candy you bought to give to hand out to trick or treaters or what you snagged from your kid’s collection.

There are many opinions about what beverages go well with what candy. The general consensus is that wine or beer should be sweeter than what you are eating which raises a Halloween candy pairing issue since all of the candy is pretty darn sweet.

Of course, there are many opinions. Here’s a synopsis of some of the recommendations:

Nerds go best with sparkling wines like champagne, proseco, cava, and sparkling rose.

Starburst calls for light reds such as Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Zweigelt or Gamay or sweet whites such as Reisling, Moscato, Malvasia.

The high acidity in Chenin Blanc off sets the sweetness in Jollyranchers.

Skittles also go well with the sweet whites or dry whites such as white table wine, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio.

The sweet creaminess of the yellow, orange, and white mellow crème kernels of Candy Corn can pair with sweet whites, rich whites such as Chardonnay, Marsanne, or Viognier, the sparkling wines, and Port. Or you can just keep shoving handfuls of them into your mouth without allowing time to sip!

KitKat and 3 Musketeers are lighter and fluffier candy and pair with sparkling wines and medium reds such as red table wine, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Grenache.

Try a Muscat with sugary Smarties.

Tootsie rolls stick to your teeth and pair well with the light reds.

Butterfingers go with the rich whites and the dessert wines such as late harvest ice wines, Sherry, Port, Tawny Port, and Ruby Port.

Twix also goes with the dessert wines and with the bold reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell, Malbec, and Syrah. The sweetness of ice wines will likely taste delicious with the caramel, cookies, and chocolate in Twix.

The cherry undertones of Pinot Noir pair nicely with Twizzlers – you could even dunk!

Reese’s pieces, those wonderful bites of peanut butter and chocolate can go with the light reds, bold reds, and dessert wines.

Heath Bar (one of my all time favorites) goes well with the dessert wines.

M&Ms, while they’re melting in your mouth and not in your hands, can be washed down with the bold and medium reds. Try a red Zinfandel.

You can always depend on milk chocolate Hershey bars and of course they go with most wines, especially the rich and sweet whites and the light and medium reds.

With the more bitter Hershey’s Dark chocolate, try a red Syrah.

For the coconut lovers, the harsh tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon pair well with the dark chocolate and coconut in Mounds.

The strong, sweet, creamy taste of Port pairs quite well with chocolate, caramel, and peanuts like the combo found in Snickers and with classic Caramels.

Sour Patch Kids – maybe aptly named, don’t seem to pair well with anything except a puckering mouth, but you can try a bubbly NV Rosé.

If there are some caramel apples to bite into, the toastiness of caramel and butterscotch might pair well with  Muscat or Gewürztraminer because the acidity of the white wines should stand up well to the sweetness of caramel. If you want to focus on the apple flavor, try ice wine, Sauternes, or a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

And why not pair a Grand Cru Bordeaux with a 100 Grand Bar?

Happy Halloween!

The post Adults — What Wine Will You Drink With Your Halloween Candy? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Halloween candy isn’t only for kids.

So, if you’re an adult, why not have some wine  with your Halloween candy – whether it’s the candy you bought to give to trick or treaters or the handful of fun-sized treats you snagged from your kid’s collection.

There are many opinions about what beverages go well with what candy.  The general consensus is that wine or beer should be sweeter than what you are eating which raises a Halloween candy pairing issue since all of the candy is pretty darn sweet.

But, of course, there are many opinions.

Here’s a synopsis of some of the recommendations I’ve found:

Nerds go best with sparkling wines like champagne, proseco, cava, and sparkling rose.

Starburst calls for light reds such as Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Zweigelt or Gamay or sweet whites such as Reisling, Moscato, Malvasia.

The high acidity in Chenin Blanc off sets the sweetness in Jollyranchers.

Skittles also go well with the sweet whites or dry whites such as white table wine, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio.

The sweet creaminess of the yellow, orange, and white mellow crème kernels of Candy Corn can pair with sweet whites, rich whites such as Chardonnay, Marsanne, or Viognier, the sparkling wines, and Port.  Or you can just keep shoving handfuls of them into your mouth without allowing time to sip!

KitKat and 3 Musketeers are lighter and fluffier candy and pair well with sparkling wines and medium reds such as red table wine, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Grenache.

Try a Muscat with sugary Smarties.

Tootsie rolls stick to your teeth and pair well with the light reds.

Butterfingers go with the rich whites and the dessert wines such as late harvest ice wines, Sherry, Port, Tawny Port, and Ruby Port.

Twix also goes with the dessert wines and with the bold reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell, Malbec, and Syrah. The sweetness of ice wines will likely taste delicious with the caramel, cookies, and chocolate in Twix.

The cherry undertones of Pinot Noir pair nicely with Twizzlers – you could even dunk!

Reese’s pieces, those wonderful bites of peanut butter and chocolate, can go with the light reds, bold reds, and dessert wines.

Heath Bar (one of my all time favorites) goes well with the dessert wines.

M&Ms, while they’re melting in your mouth and not in your hands, can be washed down with the bold and medium reds. Try a red Zinfandel.

You can always depend on milk chocolate Hershey bars and of course they go with most wines, especially the rich and sweet whites and the light and medium reds.

With the more bitter Hershey’s Dark chocolate, try a red Syrah.

For the coconut lovers, the harsh tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon pair well with the dark chocolate and coconut in Mounds and Almond Joy.

The strong, sweet, creamy taste of Port pairs quite well with chocolate, caramel, and peanuts like the combo found in Snickers and with classic Caramels.

Sour Patch Kids – maybe aptly named — don’t seem to pair well with anything except a puckering mouth, but you can try a bubbly NV Rosé.

If there are some caramel apples to bite into, the toastiness of caramel and butterscotch might pair well with  Muscat or Gewürztraminer because the acidity of the white wine should stand up well to the sweetness of the caramel. If you want to focus on the apple flavor, try ice wine, Sauternes, or a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

And why not pair a Grand Cru Bordeaux with a 100 Grand Bar?

Happy Halloween!

The post Hey, Adults — Which Wine Should You Have With Your Halloween Candy? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Holiday toasts and festive drinks are a big part of the holidays and can be a big – and hidden – calorie hit. With a little bit of forethought and planning you can enjoy holiday cheer and still keep your calories and buzz under control.

A standard drink (in the US) is 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer (each drink contains about 14 grams of alcohol).

Alcohol, regardless of the type, has 7 calories per gram. It doesn’t register as “food” in your GI tract and brain so it doesn’t fill you up the way food does. You can drink a lot and not feel stuffed (perhaps drunk, but not stuffed).

Is It Safer To Have Beer Or Wine Instead Of A Cocktail?

A 12 ounce bottle of beer has about the same amount of alcohol as a 5 ounce glass of wine or a 1.5 ounce shot of liquor. It’s the amount – not the type — of alcohol in your drink that affects you the most, so it’s not safer to drink beer or wine rather than liquor if you’re drinking the equivalent amount of alcohol.

In other words, whether you have two 5 ounce glasses of wine, two 12 ounce bottles of beer, or two 1.5 ounces of liquor either straight or in a mixed drink – you’re drinking the same amount of alcohol.

Calories In Holiday Cheer

Beer

• Beer (on average), 12 ounces: around 153 calories (different brands vary significantly)
• Lite beer (on average), 12 ounces: around 103 calories (different brands vary significantly)

Alcohol And Mixers

The higher the alcoholic content (proof), the greater the number of calories:

• 80-proof vodka (40% alcohol, the most common type) has 64 calories/1 ounce
• 86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 ounce
• 90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 ounce
• 100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 ounce

Mixed Drinks

When you start adding mixers, the calories in a drink can more than double. For one cup (8 ounces):

• club soda: no calories
• orange juice: 112 calories
• tonic: 83 calories
• ginger ale: 83 calories
• tomato juice: 41 calories
• classic coke: 96 calories
• cranberry juice: 128 calories

Mixed Drinks

Mixed drinks and fancy drinks can significantly increase the calorie count.    The following calories are approximate – bartenders, recipes, and the hand that pours all vary.  Use these figures as a guideline.

• Plain martini (2.5 ounces): 160 calories
• Mimosa (4 ounces):  75 calories
• Gin and Tonic (7 ounces):  200 calories
• Cosmopolitan (4 ounces): 200 calories
• Green apple martini (1 ounce each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148 calories
• Bloody Mary (5 ounces): 118 calories
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348 calories
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 ounces): 310 calories
• Vodka and tonic (8 ounces): 200 calories
• Screwdriver (8 ounces): 190 calories
• White Russian (2 ounces of vodka, 1.5 ounces of coffee liqueur, 1.5 ounces of cream): 425 calories
• Rum and Coke (8 ounces): 185 calories
• Chocolate martini: (2 ounces each of vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 ounce of creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438 calories
• Hot buttered rum: 218 calories
• Irish coffee: 218 calories
• Eggnog, 8 ounces: 343 calories and 19 grams of fat thanks to alcohol, heavy cream, eggs, and sugar (recipes vary)
• Mulled wine, 5 ounces: 210 to 300 calories from a combination of red wine, sugar/honey, spices, orange and lemon peel

Approximate Calories in Various Wines

• Champagne, 4 ounces: 76 calories
• Red wine (burgundy, cabernet), 5 ounces:  125 calories
• Dry white wine (Chablis, reisling, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc), 5 ounces: 120 calories
• Rose, 5 ounces: 100 calories
• Sweet white wine (moselle, sauterne, zinfandel), 5 ounces: 140  calories
• Port (about 20% alcohol), 2 ounces:  94 calories
• Sweet dessert wine (tokaji, muscat), 2 ounces:  94 calories

Remember to drink responsibly.

The post Holiday Cheer Can Pack A Big Punch appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

A standard serving of wine is 5 ounces (around 125 calories) and probably looks smaller than you think. Wine glasses generally have a much larger capacity — good for savoring the wine, but not good for  pouring portion controlled amounts.

Even though we might think we’re in control of how much we’re pouring, visual cues definitely affect how much ends up in the glass.

3 Things That Make A Difference

A new study published in Substance Use and Misuse found that people poured 11.9% more wine into a wide glass than a narrow one. They also poured 12.2% more wine into a glass when the glass was held their hands rather than when they poured into a glass sitting on a table or counter.

Color contrast made a difference, too. People poured 9.2% more white wine into a clear glass than they did red. High contrast between the wine and the glass — for instance red wine in a clear glass — makes it easier to see the level of the wine.

Tip

If you want to be careful about how much wine you’re drinking, go for taller thinner glasses rather that shorter big-bowled ones; stick to red wine – or wine that has color contrast with your glass; and when you pour, put the glass on the table rather that holding it in your hand.

The post How Full Is Your Wine Glass? 3 Things Can Make You Pour Up To 12% More appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

• 12 ounces of beer
• 8 ounces of malt liquor
• 5 ounces of wine (not dessert wine or port)
• 1.5 ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor (gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey, etc.)

So, if you’re comparing a standard portion of one form of alcohol to another, there is the approximate equivalent of alcohol in each drink.

But – take note of the portion sizes.  If the hand that pours puts 10 ounces of wine into a large wine glass (not unheard of) you are actually getting twice the amount of alcohol that you would get in a 12 ounce bottle of beer of a standard shot glass (1.5 ounces) of 80-proof liquor.

Calories From Alcohol Don’t Make You Feel Full

When you drink your calories your body doesn’t actually feel satisfied. Except for perhaps milk or other protein drinks, fluid intake doesn’t typically trigger production of the hormones that tell your brain that you’ve fed your stomach.  Most liquid calories don’t produce “satiety” or the feeling of “being full,” which your brain takes as the cue to stop eating.

This is especially true if you’re slowly sipping your drink — but research has shown that even if the temporary bloat you feel after rapidly downing a beer is no substitute for satiety.

(FYI: even if you don’t feel full, the alcohol you’ve drunk still has 7 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein and 9 calories per gram for fat.)

How Many Calories Are In Your Glass Of Wine?

The standard serving of wine (5 ounces) is probably visually smaller than you think. Wine glasses can generally hold a lot more, and depending on who’s pouring, can be filled with many more than 5 ounces.

Most standard servings of wine have 125-150 calories, but the calories can double depending on the size of the glass and how far it’s filled up.  Sweet and dessert wines are more caloric than table wine and champagne, although the serving size is generally smaller.

For comparison, on average, a 12 ounce bottle of beer has around 153 calories and 1.5 ounces (a jigger) of 80 proof liquor has around 97 calories.

As an experiment, try filling up your usual wine glass – using water—to simulate the amount of wine you would usually pour, and then measure that amount in a measuring cup.  You might be shocked to find that the serving you’re used to pouring is double the standard serving size.

You may have your preference – most of us do – but whether it’s red, white, dry, sweet, or sparkling, it is really easy to overlook the calories in those long-stemmed glasses.

If you have dessert wine after dinner it’s about double the calories per ounce although the standard serving is less:  usually 2 to 3 ounces.  So add on about another 100 to 150 calories for each glass of that smooth dessert wine.

Approximate Calories in One Ounce Of  Various Wines:

Champagne: 19 calories

Red wine (burgundy, cabernet):  25 calories

Dry white wine (Chablis, reisling, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc):  24 calories

Rose:  20 calories

Sweet white wine (moselle, sauterne, zinfandel):  28 calories

Port (about 20% alcohol):  46 calories

Sweet dessert wine (tokaji, muscat):  47 calories

Sangria:  about 22 calories (recipes vary)

For more tips get 30 Ways to Have Low-Calorie Fun in the Sun: Your Guide to Guilt-Free Eating at Picnics, Amusement Parks, Barbecues & Parties  available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

The post Is There Less Alcohol And Fewer Calories In a Serving Of Wine Than There Is In Beer Or A Standard 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.

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.

You may have your preferences – most of us do – but whether it’s red, white, dry, sweet, or sparkling, it is really easy to overlook the calories in those long-stemmed glasses.

What Is The Standard Serving Size Of Wine?

A standard portion of table wine (red or white) is 4 ounces.  But, how many ounces are really in the glass of wine that you usually drink?  Probably five to eight!

So, on average, if 4 ounces of red or white table wine has about 100 calories, you are drinking anywhere from 100 to 200 calories of wine – in one glass. Think about how many glasses of wine and in what size wine glass you drink with a meal.

If you have dessert wine after dinner it’s about double the calories per ounce — although the standard serving is less:  usually 2 to 3 ounces.  So add on about another 100 to 150 calories for each glass of that smooth dessert wine.

Calories In Wine

So it’s easier to compare, here are the number of calories in one ounce of various wines:

• Champagne: 19 calories
• Red table wine (burgundy, cabernet): 25 calories
• Dry white wine (Chablis, hock, reisling): 24 calories
• Sweet white wine (moselle, sauterne, zinfandel: 28 calories
• Rose: 20 calories
• Port (about 20% alcohol): 46 calories
• Sweet dessert wine: 47 calories

The post Do You Know How Many Calories Are In Your Wine Glass? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Calories You Drink Don’t Fill You Up

When you drink your calories your body doesn’t actually feel satisfied. Except for perhaps milk or other protein drinks, fluid intake doesn’t typically trigger production of the hormones that tell your brain that you’ve fed your stomach.  Most liquid calories don’t produce “satiety” or the feeling of “being full,” which your brain takes as the cue to stop eating.

This is especially true if you’re slowly sipping your drink — but research has shown that even if the temporary bloat you feel after rapidly downing a beer is no substitute for satiety.

(FYI: even if you don’t feel full, the alcohol you’ve drunk still has 7 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein and 9 calories per gram for fat.)

Beer:  Light Or Not

Even light beer – although a calorie saver – still has calories that add up. Light beer isn’t like diet soda – calorie and fat free. It does have fewer calories than regular beer but it still has, on average, 100 or more calories for 12 ounces (yes, there are light beers with fewer calories – these are average calorie counts).  Regular beer ranges from about 140-200+ calories, depending on the type of beer.

Alcohol And Mixers

An average shot (1.5 oz) of 80-proof alcohol has around 96 calories. The higher the alcoholic content (proof), the greater the number of calories.

• 80-proof vodka (40% alcohol; the most common type) has 64 calories per 1oz
• 86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 oz
• 90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 oz
• 100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 oz

When you start adding mixers, the calories can more than double.

• 8 oz of orange juice has 112 calories
• 8 oz of tonic has 83 calories
• 8 oz of ginger ale has 83 calories
• 8 oz of tomato juice has 41 calories

How Full Is Your Wine Glass?

Unfortunately, the standard serving of wine (5 oz)  and liquor (1.5 oz) is probably smaller than you think.

Most standard servings of wine have 125-150 calories, but the calories can double depending on the size of the glass and how far it’s filled up.  Sweet and dessert wines are more caloric than table wine and champagne.

Try filling up a glass –using water—to simulate the amount of wine you would usually pour, and then measure that amount in a measuring cup.  You might be shocked to find that the serving you’re used to pouring is double the standard serving size.

Fancy Cocktails May Be The Equivalent Of Dessert

Highly caloric, extremely creative, and often quite large cocktails can actually be desserts in disguise. Chocolaty, creamy, rim coated with sugar cocktails may be delicious, but they’re loaded with calories (even if they have fruit in them).

Jumbo and super-sized drinks with double shots and extra mixers could add up to 1,000 calories or more (a single giant glass of TGI Friday’s frozen mudslide has around 1,100 calories), so don’t forget to factor them in.

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