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Low calorie cocktail

My husband and I like to go out with friends once or twice a week for a drink. I gave up beer (and the belly that comes with it) after college and now I am trying out different mix drinks. Any recommendations for a tasty and low calorie cocktail? 


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Calories add up even more quickly for mixed drinks than for beer and wine. The standard 1.5 ounce serving of 80-proof alcohol has 96 calories even before you add any mixers. A 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 84 calories, but add a shot of alcohol to make it a screwdriver, and the calories more than double. The best bet is to use a diet mixer like diet coke or tonic.

Better yet order a glass of wine and sip it over the course of the night. Wine is much better for your health when used in moderation.

But here is a link with some great drink ideas.

http://www.cocktailtimes.com/original/uv_vodka_carb.shtml 

Good luck and best wishes. 

Posted 2008-01-14T18:07:17Z
In reply to AnnieSu's question
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The most fattening thing in cocktails is the alcohol, it's almost as fatty as oil - if you still want to drink there's not much you can do about that. The best drink you can have and keep your diet is white wine and drink that in moderation, it's still about 70-90 calories a glass.

Aside of that, as said, the calories to add up fast, I think the best mixers you can use are probably based on diet drinks (rum and diet coke, Tequila and diet sprite and so on) or club soda (whiskey and soda for instance) or sour mixture. Don't use juice or non-diet soda.

Another alternative would be to drink a martini or a vodka martini - they contain only liqueur and so, though the alcohol is fatty, you can't really drink so many of those without getting totally wasted...

The other big dietary challenge  of drinking is that after a couple of drink, the body really craves fatty food, the fat absorbed the alcohol and help the body process it, and in combination of the low judgment drinking mode - you find yourself having burgers and fries at 4:00. To avoid that eat a full meal before you start drinking and make sure there are some low calories snacks around for when you are drinking (low cal cracker with yogurt dip for instance, or sushi)

Posted 2008-01-21T09:43:20Z
In reply to AnnieSu's question
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Imran
(deleted account)

Low-Calorie Cocktails
5 ways to keep from overloading on calories when you have an alcoholic drink.
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Thank goodness it's Friday! It's been a long week, and you're looking forward to happy hour. But a night on the town can do serious damage to your diet, especially if you order cocktails made with high-calorie mixers. Still, happy hour doesn't have to be a diet downer. With a little planning, you can avoid diet disaster, and there are some alcoholic drinks that are relatively low in calories.

It's all too easy to overdo it with alcohol calories. We all know desserts are fattening. But when it comes to alcoholic drinks, sometimes the calories don't register, even though a single chocolate martini has more calories than a McDonald's grilled chicken sandwich. In fact, 1 gram of alcohol has 7 calories, compared with only 4 calories for a gram of carbohydrates or protein.

And calories add up even more quickly for mixed drinks than for beer and wine. The standard 1.5 ounce serving of 80-proof alcohol has 96 calories even before you add any mixers. A 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 84 calories, but add a shot of alcohol to make it a screwdriver, and the calories more than double.

Calories aren't the only reason to take it easy on alcohol. Not only do cocktails boost calories, they also have a powerful impact on your inhibitions.

"Your resolve can be really strong when you are sober, but after a few drinks, you may find yourself mindlessly overeating the nuts, another slice of pizza, or whatever food is within striking distance," says Christine Gerbstadt, RD. Drinking alcohol can also make you feel hungrier because alcohol can lower blood sugar.
What Makes Calories in Alcoholic Drinks Add Up?

The number of calories in mixed drinks depends on several things, including the amount and proof of the alcohol; the mixers; and the size of the drink.

"It's the mixers, syrups, and sodas that really get people into calorie trouble, because most drinks start with 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits that only have around 96 calories, but mixologists can easily turn that into a drink with hundreds of calories," says Carolyn O'Neil, MS, RD, co-author of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous.

Whether you're drinking a beer or a cosmo, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories, says O'Neil. For example:
80-proof vodka (40% alcohol; the most common type) has 64 calories per 1oz
86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 oz
90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 oz
100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 oz

When it comes to portion size, the average serving size of wine and alcoholic beverages is probably smaller than you think.  Beer, on the other hand, is more standardized in bottles and beer glasses, except if you are in a European beer garden.

Imran

http://www.myjewelersplace.com

Posted 2009-02-28T18:29:44Z
In reply to AnnieSu's question

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