How many calories do you actually consume from alcohol?
In the UK, the average Briton consumes 21 units of booze a week, with a unit being an average of 85 calories.
This adds up to an extra 1,750 calories a week. By cutting out alcohol entirely, the average person could limit their calorie intake by 91,000 a year.
Because alcohol is made from sugar, it is very high in calories. In fact, alcohol almost contains the same number of calories as pure fat!
Find out how many extra calories you are consuming from alcohol by using our alcohol calorie calculator to the right!
Alcohol calorie calculator
Find out how many extra calories you are taking in on a night out
WTF is a calorie?
In order to answer this question, it helps to define a calorie. A calorie is a unit that is used to measure energy. The Calorie you see on a food package is actually a kilocalorie, or 1,000 calories. A Calorie (kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius
How many calories should you be having per day?
Brits should aim to reduce their calorie intake to 1,800 a day over their three main meals, according to new guidance from Public Health England (PHE). Until now, official government recommendations have stated that women should consume 2,000 calories a day, whereas men should consume 2,500.
Why are calories in alcohol so bad for you?
Because alcohol is made from sugar or starch, it contains lots of calories, equalling around seven calories per gram. Calories from alcohol are 'empty calories' and have no nutritional value.
What does drinking alcohol mean for weight loss?
If you are drinking regularly, you may be consuming higher numbers of calories than your body can burn off during the week. If this calorie surplus continues over time then you are likely to struggle to lose weight.
Drinking alcohol can also have a negative impact on how your body processes the other essential nutrients you consume. Your body cannot store alcohol, thus it prioritises getting rid of alcohol from your system over the absorption of things like proteins, vitamins and minerals and interrupts the burning of fat for energy meaning weight loss is slowed down.
How do you calculate alcohol calories?
If you can't find your drink in our alcohol calorie counter, you can work out your alcohol calories for yourself with this handy rule:
1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories
The standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol so this would be 70 calories purely from alcohol.
This does not factor in the calories from any sugary drinks you mix with alcohol. This is why drinks such as cocktails are so high in calories.
Consider the number of calories in popular alcoholic drinks:
- There are usually 220 calories in a large glass of wine
- They can be around 180 calories in a pint of beer
- There are roughly 100 calories in vodka
- There are 65-70 calories in a shot of tequila
- There are around 120 calories in a gin and tonic
Are calories in alcohol more unhealthy?
The calories that come from alcohol are considered empty, meaning they can pack on the pounds, but they have no nutritional value.
If you have too much alcohol, it can also turn into fat in your liver, which then turns into fat in your blood and is likely to be stored as fat in your body.
Is alcohol free better for you?
With insignificant amounts of alcohol and fewer calories, it's clear that drinking alcohol-free beer (up to 0.5% ABV) is better than opting for an alcohol-laden equivalent and great for giving your liver a rest.
Most alcohol–free beers have about 10 to 35 calories per 100ml.
How many calories in a pint of beer?
Guiness
There are 210 calories in a pint of Guinness.
Heineken
There are 227 calories in a pint of Heineken.
Peroni
There are 235 calories in a pint of Peroni.
Budweiser
There are 193 calories in a pint of Budweiser.
Tennent's
There are 173 calories in a pint of Tennent's.
Cut out some calories
If you would like to reduce the number of calories you are consuming through alcohol, here are some tips on cutting down!
- If you don't buy it and have it at home, you can't drink it! Consider avoiding the alcohol isle on your next weekly shop.
- Switch to lower calorie alcohol-free alternatives. There are hundreds on the market for you to try out!
- Replace the time when you would usually sit down with a drink with something else. Keeping your mind off drinking and refocusing on building new habits is the way to create lasting change!
If you would like to change your relationship with alcohol, come and join us on an alcohol-free challenge and see how you can live life better!
