Sensible Swilling in the Silly Season

For many of us, worrying about getting through the enormous amounts of food and alcohol are not just for the few days over Christmas. The whole of December and often part of January is a blackout period for our healthy diet and exercise regime. Think endless parties, drinks, short workdays, holidays and functions galore. It sounds wonderful huh…? But the statistics show that over the silly season we consume up to 500 calories more per day. This means by New Year, we’ve gained two to three kilos. Ouch.

Christmas and summery foods are often not unhealthy. Seafood, salads, cold meats are wonderful options for maintaining a healthy diet and weight. But one of the greatest contributors to those 500 calories is from alcohol.

There are some major myths and misconceptions about alcohol and how it affects our body, so here are some stats and a little myth busting: 

• Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, just a little less than fat at 9 calories and nearly double protein and carbs at 4 calories per gram

• One standard drink is equivalent to around 100 calories, or a slice of bread

• Wine and spirits contain no sugar and champagne only a little as it’s been converted into alcohol

• Beer, cider, cocktails and spirits with soft drink or fruit juice will often more than double the calories of the drink with the extra sugar content

• Alcohol is a toxin to the human body so the calories don’t actually get stored as fat

• That means everything else you eat around the alcohol which would usually be burnt as fuel is instead stored as fat

• Anything more than 2 standard drinks at a time for a women and 3 for a man is toxic to the human body and can be damaging

• Drinking too much alcohol over time is associated with overweight and obesity, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, anaemia, depression and gout to name a few.

Here is a list of best to worst options for your alcohol choices this silly season:

• 30mL nip of vodka and soda = 68 cals, 0g sugars

• 120mL red/ white wine = 82 cals, 0g sugars

• 120mL flute of champagne = 89 cals, 2g sugars

• 1 bottle full strength beer = 148 cals, 11.2g carbs, 0.2g sugars

• 1 bottle of cider = 135 cals, 14.5g carbs, 9.9g sugars

• Fruit daquiri = 160 cals, 12g sugars

• Vodka Cruiser = 173 cals, 25g carbs

 Here are a few tips to avoid the booze bulge this silly season:

• Plan your week and social events and choose only to drink at the events and function when you absolutely have to or want to

• Factors in your plan, three to four alcohol free days over the week

• Your lowest calorie and sugar alcohol options are a spirit with soda or diet mixer, wine or champagne

*My rule for balancing calories is for every drink past 2 drinks you need to do an EXTRA 10 minutes of exercise. For example, if you have 4 drinks, the following day you need to add 20 minutes of exercise.