The Booze News

Health professionals say 1 drink for women and 2 drinks for men per day is considered moderate drinking and is acceptable and even encouraged if you’re drinking red wine. However, I tend to enjoy a few more bumps than just the one, especially come Friday. Alcohol unfortunately is loaded with sugar, calories and carbs and worst of all, it increases your hunger. That said, if you too find yourself in this predicament I have compiled a list of the “best of the worst”, so to speak.

Beer: Always go light and drink out of the bottle rather than an oversized glass, you will drink slower and it’s easier to keep track of how much your drinking. (I’m not much a beer drinker but on a hot day on Lake Minnetonka sometimes an ice-cold beer is delish, so here are my top picks for health/taste)

1. Michelob Ultra or Michelob Ultra Amber- Low carb but sort of a watery taste. (2.6 carbs and 95 cals)

2. Thin Ice- Never actually tried it but apparently it tastes like ginger-ale and only has 1 carb and 90 cals!

Cocktails: Hard liquor is higher in calories per ounce than wine but you consume less of it (usually). Consider the chaser you use to mix it with and you’ve got yourself some serious empty calories! So stay away from the “fru-fru” drinks (aka anything with an umbrella, a crazy name or a think, frothy texture- I know it’s so sad but think about it in comparison to a cheeseburger with french-fries and these less exciting drinks will look soooo much better)

1. Vodka soda with a splash of cranberry (extra lime)- The soda has 0 calories and the splash of cran and limes give it just enough flavor.

2. Jerimiah Weed (vodka) with lemonade- Tastes just like an arnie palmer! This is my fav new summer drink but I try to keep it to 1 due to the lemonade, or I’ll switch to soda…

3. A skinny white bitch- Vanilla vodka with diet coke tastes great and is a better choice than some but flavored liquor has more sugar and calories and diet coke is only ok in small quantities (read my post about DC to find out why J)

4. Vodka water with Crystal Light to-go packets- I always keep some in my purse and whip them out at the bar, one packet gets you several drinks. If you go this route, just prepare to be harassed and laughed at by your fellow bar patrons and bartenders…)

Wine:

1. Red- Although red and white wine have almost equal amounts of calories, carbs and sugar but red wine is rich in antioxidants

2. White wine spritzer- Half wine, half soda, this is a great drink to sip on when you’re having dinner with friends and you want to drink but not get hammered.