The choc shock in your six pack of spirits
A can of premixed spirits contains as many calories as a chocolate bar and switching your drinking habit could help you shed kilos, a shocking analysis shows.
Two glasses of prosecco or a pint of full strength beer are equivalent to eating a slice of pizza.
And, if you down two bottles of cider you’ll be drinking as many calories as there are in a cheeseburger.
Opting for a non-alcoholic version would slash the calorie intake by 70 per cent to just 70 calories.
The alcohol junk food index was prepared by the Cancer Council’s Live Lighter obesity action group to highlight how alcohol is the reason you could be putting on weight.
A Cancer Council analysis of premixed drinks sold in major chains in 2023 found alcohol companies try to hide the number of calories in their drinks.
Only 148 out of the 259 premixed alcohol products surveyed had nutrition information on the label.
Our Health Of The Nation survey of 3000 Australians found half of us drink alcohol once a week or more often, with 35 per cent (one in 3) drinking multiple times a week.
Alcohol is the largest discretionary source of energy in the diets of Australians, Live Lighter dietitian Alison MCAleese said.
It accounts for 16 per cent of the daily energy intake of a typical Aussie, around double the 8 per cent provided by junk foods like cakes and muffins, she said.
“We know that alcohol causes seven different types of cancer and, on top of that, being an unhealthy weight is a risk factor for 13 types of cancer,” Ms Mcaleese said.
“You can make a huge difference just by having alcoholfree days or spacing your drinks on the days that you do drink so you’re having some non-alcoholic drinks in between”.
If you cut out beer and you replace it with soft drink, you’re not going get as big a benefit because a 600ml soft drink contains more than your daily allowance of sugar and 258 calories.
One option is to swap your alcoholic drink for a non-alcoholic version.
The huge range of non- alcoholic wines, beers and “spirits” entering the market not only have less alcohol they have between 70-80 per cent fewer calories.
“Most of the most of the energy in alcoholic drinks comes from the alcohol,” Ms MCAleese said.
“Alcohol is really energy dense, more energy dense than sugar and that’s why it contributes to weight gain so much.
“Even if it says no carbs, no sugar on the label, that’s just marketing.
“The most important thing is how much alcohol are you having. So the best option is a no alcohol beer”.
Swapping your alcoholic gin and tonic premix for the nonalcoholic versions will eliminate 145 calories per 330ml can.
A 150ml glass of alcoholic sauvignon blanc contains over 100 calories compared to just 20 calories in the zero alcohol version. Full strength 5 per cent alcohol beer has 140 calories.
To lose around half a kilo a week you would need to cut out 480 calories a day.
TO CHECK OUT THESE IDEAS FOR LOWER CALORIE BEVERAGES GO ONLINE: LIVELIGHTER COM.AU/ EATING-WELL/HEALTHYEATING/SUGARY-DRINKS