Calories in Alcohol: Liquid calories count, even if not recorded

When researchers look for trends that might explain the nation’s obesity epidemic, most agree on at least one thing: Americans have a drinking problem.

It’s not just alcohol. It’s everything: soft drinks, sports drinks, specialty coffees and teas, fruit drinks of all kinds. With the exception of milk, Americans’ per capita consumption of virtually all beverages has risen steadily over the past two decades…along with our average weight.

Does that mean all the extra consumption is to blame? Nutritional researchers believe that it is definitely part of the problem, for several well-documented reasons.

For starters, despite advertising promises of “satisfying soda,” science shows that when we drink our calories, we don’t actually feel full—literally. With the notable exception of milk, fluid intake is normally not enough to trigger the production of hormones that alert the brain that the stomach has been fed. That’s the feeling doctors call “satiety”; most people call it “being full” and recognize it as the signal to stop eating.

This is particularly true if you’re sipping slowly, but research shows it’s true even if you’re drinking a tall, cold one, and in Southwest Florida, who hasn’t done that? But that sudden temporary bloating you’ll feel is no substitute for satiety.

Now consider that point along with another key part of the problem: Food portion sizes are spiraling out of control, and drinks are the worst.

Choose any bottled drink, one of those fancy coffees or teas, a fruit drink, a soda, or a sports drink. Then check the nutrition label, first for calories and then for the number of servings. Most contain two or more servings, but how many of us are actually sharing that Snapple with a friend?

And dietary research at Penn State showed that even among consumers who checked nutrition labels for calories, they simply didn’t go the extra step and multiply the extra servings to get an accurate total calorie count.

Fountain drinks are even more problematic than bottled drinks. Gram for gram, those big fountain drinks are a better deal, so we’re buying more and drinking more! A 32-ounce convenience store fountain drink costs, on average, about 69 cents. Sounds like a real deal, but keep in mind that a typical adult should consume 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day. If you put regular sweetened soda in that tub, you’ll add about 300 calories to your daily intake, get no nutritional benefit, and won’t even alleviate your hunger. That’s not a bargain, no matter how big the drink.

Maybe you’re one of those heavy drinkers or drinkers who have made the switch to a “healthier” fruit drink or sports drink. Don’t assume you’re getting way ahead of those who are sucking on the soda. Many commercially produced fruit juice drinks do not actually contain much juice. They are mostly high fructose corn syrup, water, and fruit flavorings. Nutrients, if any, have usually been added after the fact to make the product more appealing to those consumers researching the nutrition facts.

Take Hi-C, that perennial children’s favorite. He is “fortified” with additional vitamin C, but contains only 10 percent fruit juice, a fact proudly noted on the label. Sunny Delight would have us believe that “citrus drink” is a healthy drink option, and it’s heavily marketed as a smart alternative to soda. Don’t believe the hype. Sunny D is primarily corn sweeteners, water, and fruit flavors, and is a poor source of nutrients relative to caloric content.

The researchers also found that when we drink our calories, instead of consuming them in food, we simply don’t realize we’re consuming calories at all! When we load up on extra calories by indulging or eating too much at one meal, most of us make up for it by cutting something else, to try to consume roughly the same number of calories overall.

Not so with drinks. Study after study shows that it’s as if people think calories don’t count if they come in liquid form. People often sip drinks throughout the day, but rarely shift their food intake to allow for this. The 300 calories in that big cola add to the bottom line. The same goes for alcohol. People tend not to think about the calories in alcoholic beverages, and after the first few drinks, they don’t care either.

The good news is that as the unwanted calories disappear, it’s pretty easy to cut calories from drinks. While dieters often have trouble cutting calories from food, research shows that cutting calories from beverages is, well, a lot easier to swallow.

THROUGH THE FORCES AND THE FRUITS:

Quick Liquid Calorie Cuts

Just switch to low-calorie and no-calorie beverages, such as diet soda, regular coffee and tea, or good-quality water. It may take a few drinks to adjust to your new flavor choice, but it will be much easier than adjusting to a new, larger pant size.