Many of the purported health benefits of alcohol consumption are seen only at “moderate” levels: one drink per day for women (12 oz beer, 5 oz wine, or 1.5 oz spirits). Moderate alcohol intake can “raise HDL [good] cholesterol, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce markers of in ammation,” says Vasanti Malik, a research scientist in nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Yet the picture is not all rosé. Alcohol can also interfere with glucose production, and because it’s quickly processed by the liver, it also interferes with your liver’s breaking down of fat, which may lead to weight gain. Also, “make sure you get at least 600mcg of folate per day, since alcohol blocks absorption of it, which may impact cancer risk,” Malik says.
Vices and virtues aside, if you’re going to imbibe, here’s how to stay on your diet even in your downtime.
4 Ways to Drink Without Wrecking Your Diet
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Giacomo Galeotti / EyeEm / Getty
Clear the Spirits
Vodka has been shown in limited studies, along with red wine, to be protective of the heart; yet other studies show that vodka, compared with red wine, can lead to cell death in liver tissue, so benefits are inconclusive.The good thing is, due to the distillation process, most spirits (including whiskey, rum, and tequila) contain little to no sugar or carbs and about 100 calories per serving. A note for your noggin: The main culprit for hangovers is ethanol, which all alcohol has, but congeners (chemical compounds that worsen hangovers) may be up to 40 times higher in darker spirits and wine than in vodka. And mind the mixer: “To avoid spikes in blood sugar, skip mixed drinks with juice, soda, or syrup,” Malik says. Instead, drink it with seltzer or low-cal flavored waters.For fitter sips, try the gluten-free and shockingly low-cal—50 per ounce—Lean Vodka (leancocktails.com) and low-cal mixer Sparkling Ice (sparklingice.com).
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Beer
Research finds that moderate beer consumption leads to fewer hangovers than drinking wine or spirits. It also may help protect from neurodegeneration. On the plus side, dark beer actually contains fewer calories (and lower alcohol and sugar content) than its lighter counterparts.With beers, the bottom line comes down to alcohol content. According to craftbeer.com, the higher the alcohol, the more maltose (a type of sugar) is used and thus the higher the calorie content of the brew.Budweiser Select 55 has only 55 calories and 1.8 grams of carbs per 12-ounce bottle (select55.com).
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Dry It Out With Cider
Cider is naturally gluten-free and made from apples, pears, or even berries. That means it may contain more antioxidants than your favorite beer, but that also means it can be higher in sugars. Just like wine, though, the longer it ferments, the less sugar it has, and the drier it will be.So to siphon sugars from your diet, look for dry ciders like Citizen Cider Wit’s Up (citizencider.com), which has 5.9% alcohol by volume and only 2 grams of carbs in 16 ounces. It does carry a somewhat higher number of calories, though, at 155 calories per can. Compare that with 97 calories in a typical 1.5-ounce serving of 80-proof gin, vodka, rum, or whiskey; or to 121 to 125 calories in 5 ounces of white or red wine. On the plus side, the lower the carb count, the more drinkable it is if you’re following a keto diet and find yourself in need of a cold one.
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Go Red for Polyphenols
Red wine has been linked with lowered risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Its high levels of antioxidants may help protect against oxidative stress, too. The antioxidant resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, has been shown to replace harmful belly fat (known as white fat) with obesity-reducing brown fat. By contrast, white wine is linked with higher levels of rosacea.If lurking sugars is your main midsection concern, it matters most whether you reach for dry or sweet. Bone-dry red or white wines can have less than 1 gram of sugar calories in a 5-ounce glass; dry, zero to 6 cals; off-dry, 6 to 21 cals; sweet (like Moscato and Riesling), 21 to 72 cals; and very sweet (dessert wines), 72 to 130 cals. Unfortunately, winemakers are not required to label nutrition facts, so the best way to get the skinny on your favorite vintage requires locating a tech sheet from the winery.For a fitter red, try Skinnygirl Pinot Noir (skinnygirlcocktails.com), which has 100 calories per 5-ounce serving; or Weight Watchers–approved Cense Rosé Wine, which has only 85 calories per 5 ounces (censewines.com).
Vodka has been shown in limited studies, along with red wine, to be protective of the heart; yet other studies show that vodka, compared with red wine, can lead to cell death in liver tissue, so benefits are inconclusive.
The good thing is, due to the distillation process, most spirits (including whiskey, rum, and tequila) contain little to no sugar or carbs and about 100 calories per serving. A note for your noggin: The main culprit for hangovers is ethanol, which all alcohol has, but congeners (chemical compounds that worsen hangovers) may be up to 40 times higher in darker spirits and wine than in vodka. And mind the mixer: “To avoid spikes in blood sugar, skip mixed drinks with juice, soda, or syrup,” Malik says. Instead, drink it with seltzer or low-cal flavored waters.
For fitter sips, try the gluten-free and shockingly low-cal—50 per ounce—Lean Vodka (leancocktails.com) and low-cal mixer Sparkling Ice (sparklingice.com).
Beer
Research finds that moderate beer consumption leads to fewer hangovers than drinking wine or spirits. It also may help protect from neurodegeneration. On the plus side, dark beer actually contains fewer calories (and lower alcohol and sugar content) than its lighter counterparts.
With beers, the bottom line comes down to alcohol content. According to craftbeer.com, the higher the alcohol, the more maltose (a type of sugar) is used and thus the higher the calorie content of the brew.
Budweiser Select 55 has only 55 calories and 1.8 grams of carbs per 12-ounce bottle (select55.com).
Dry It Out With Cider
Cider is naturally gluten-free and made from apples, pears, or even berries. That means it may contain more antioxidants than your favorite beer, but that also means it can be higher in sugars. Just like wine, though, the longer it ferments, the less sugar it has, and the drier it will be.
So to siphon sugars from your diet, look for dry ciders like Citizen Cider Wit’s Up (citizencider.com), which has 5.9% alcohol by volume and only 2 grams of carbs in 16 ounces. It does carry a somewhat higher number of calories, though, at 155 calories per can. Compare that with 97 calories in a typical 1.5-ounce serving of 80-proof gin, vodka, rum, or whiskey; or to 121 to 125 calories in 5 ounces of white or red wine. On the plus side, the lower the carb count, the more drinkable it is if you’re following a keto diet and find yourself in need of a cold one.
Go Red for Polyphenols
Red wine has been linked with lowered risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Its high levels of antioxidants may help protect against oxidative stress, too. The antioxidant resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, has been shown to replace harmful belly fat (known as white fat) with obesity-reducing brown fat. By contrast, white wine is linked with higher levels of rosacea.
If lurking sugars is your main midsection concern, it matters most whether you reach for dry or sweet. Bone-dry red or white wines can have less than 1 gram of sugar calories in a 5-ounce glass; dry, zero to 6 cals; off-dry, 6 to 21 cals; sweet (like Moscato and Riesling), 21 to 72 cals; and very sweet (dessert wines), 72 to 130 cals. Unfortunately, winemakers are not required to label nutrition facts, so the best way to get the skinny on your favorite vintage requires locating a tech sheet from the winery.
For a fitter red, try Skinnygirl Pinot Noir (skinnygirlcocktails.com), which has 100 calories per 5-ounce serving; or Weight Watchers–approved Cense Rosé Wine, which has only 85 calories per 5 ounces (censewines.com).
