When it comes to Christmas and New Year, low calorie alcoholic drinks can do wonders for your waistline. After all, alcohol is not the healthiest of drink choices. It contains 7 calories per gram making it the most calorie rich food group behind dietary fats (which contain 9 calories per gram). It also contains no vitamins or minerals, hence the reason the calories in alcohol are often referred to as “empty calories”. However, the reality is that most people (even those who lead a relatively healthy lifestyle) enjoy alcohol to some degree. With the Christmas holidays now in full swing and the New Year fast approaching you are likely to be consuming more alcohol than normal. If you are not careful this additional alcohol can lead to festive weight gain. That is why today I am going to help minimise the impact this has on your waistline over the festive period by listing 5 Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks.
Whether you are a fan of spirits, wine or beer there should be some low calorie alcoholic drinks for you here. So take a browse of the list and see if you can find a few low calorie alcoholic drinks that you enjoy and could consume on a regular basis. Also, if you want more information on cutting the calories in your alcohol, make sure you check out the posts below:
- The Free Fitness Tips Low Calorie Alcohol Roundup
- 4 Low Calorie Ciders To Try
- 6 Light Beers To Try
- 5 Low Calorie Cocktails To Try
- Alcohol & Fitness – Can The Two Go Hand In Hand?
1) Coors Light Beer – 1 Of The Best Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks For Beer Lovers
Premium lagers are particularly popular at this time of year as supermarkets put special Christmas offers on and families buy them as a festive treat. Unfortunately, the extra alcohol content in premium lagers adds unwanted calories. Coors Light Beer is 1 of the low calorie alcoholic drinks that allows you to enjoy your premium lager without adding too many extra calories. It is the same strength as other premium lagers but contains half the carbohydrates which cuts out a significant amount of calories. A pint of Coors comes in at 174 calories which is almost 90 calories less than a 262 calorie pint of Stella Artois.
Nutritional Breakdown Of Coors Light Beer:
HALF PINT (284ml) | FULL PINT (568ml) | 100ml | |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (GRAMS – g) | 284 | 568 | 100 |
Alcohol | 9.66 | 19.31 | 3.4 |
Carbohydrates | 4.23 | 8.46 | 1.49 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0.6 | 1.19 | 0.21 |
Water | 269.52 | 539.03 | 94.9 |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (CALORIES) | 86.9 | 173.81 | 30.6 |
Alcohol | 67.59 | 135.18 | 23.8 |
Carbohydrates | 16.93 | 33.85 | 5.96 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 2.39 | 4.77 | 0.84 |
Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MINERALS (MILLIGRAMS – mg) | 61.68 | 123.37 | 21.72 |
Macrominerals | 61.68 | 123.37 | 21.72 |
Potassium | 51.55 | 103.09 | 18.15 |
Sodium | 10.14 | 20.28 | 3.57 |
2) Champagne – 1 Of The Most Popular Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks
Champagne is a popular celebratory drink and one of the most popular low calorie alcoholic drinks on this list. A small glass of champagne contains just 100 calories whilst a large glass contains a respectable 201 calories. So if you want to celebrate Christmas and the New Year without worrying about your waistline make sure you stock up on Champagne.
Nutritional Breakdown Of Champagne:
SMALL GLASS (125ml) | LARGE GLASS (250ml) | 100ml | |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (g) | 125 |
250 |
100 |
Alcohol | 12.375 | 24.75 | 9.9 |
Carbohydrates | 1.75 | 3.5 | 1.4 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0.375 | 0.75 | 0.3 |
Water | 110.5 | 221 | 88.4 |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (CALORIES) | 95.125 | 190.25 | 76.1 |
Alcohol | 86.625 |
173.25 | 69.3 |
Carbohydrates | 7 | 14 | 5.6 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 1.5 | 3 | 1.2 |
Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MINERALS (mg) | 100.49 | 200.98 | 80.39 |
Macrominerals |
100 | 200 | 80 |
Calcium | 11.25 | 22.5 | 9 |
Potassium | 88.75 | 177.5 | 71 |
Sodium | 6.25 | 12.5 | 5 |
Microminerals | 0.49 | 0.98 | 0.39 |
Iron | 0.34 | 0.68 | 0.27 |
Selenium | 0.000125 | 0.00025 | 0.0001 |
Zinc | 0.15 | 0.3 | 0.12 |
3) Dry White Wine – 1 Of The Top Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks When It Comes To Wine
Most types of wine are low in calories with a small glass of red, rose and white all containing less than 100 calories. However, of these three, dry white wine is the winner when it comes to low calorie alcoholic drinks with a small glass coming in at just 83 calories. This compares very favourably with the festive favourite mulled wine for which a small glass contains almost three times the calories (253 calories per small glass).
Nutritional Breakdown Of Dry White Wine:
SMALL GLASS (125ml) | LARGE GLASS (250ml) | 100ml | |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (g) | 125 |
250 |
100 |
Alcohol | 11.375 | 22.75 |
9.1 |
Carbohydrates | 0.75 | 1.5 |
0.6 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0 | 0 |
0 |
Water | 112.875 | 225.75 | 90.3 |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (CALORIES) | 82.625 | 165.25 | 66.1 |
Alcohol | 79.625 |
159.25 | 63.7 |
Carbohydrates | 3 | 6 | 2.4 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MINERALS (mg) | 100.74 | 200.98 | 80.39 |
Macrominerals |
100 | 200 | 80 |
Calcium | 11.25 | 22.5 | 9 |
Potassium | 88.75 | 177.5 | 71 |
Sodium | 6.25 | 12.5 | 5 |
Microminerals | 0.74 | 0.98 | 0.39 |
Iron | 0.34 | 0.68 | 0.27 |
Selenium | 0.000125 | 0.00025 | 0.0001 |
Zinc | 0.15 | 0.3 | 0.12 |
4) Jack Daniels – 1 Of The Best Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks For Whiskey Lovers
Straight spirits contain the lowest calories per unit of alcohol because all their calories come from alcohol. They contain no additional carbohydrates to bulk up the calorie count. This makes Jack Daniels one of the ultimate low calorie alcoholic drinks. If you normally drink your Jack Daniels with Coke try it straight, on the rocks or with some water. Cutting out the Coke removes 111 calories from the drink and brings the calorie count for a single Jack Daniels down to just 55.
Nutritional Breakdown Of Jack Daniels:
SINGLE (25ml) |
DOUBLE (50ml) | 100ml | |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (g) | 25 |
50 |
100 |
Alcohol | 7.9 | 15.8 |
31.6 |
Carbohydrates | 0 | 0 |
0 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0 | 0 |
0 |
Water | 17.1 | 34.2 | 68.4 |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (CALORIES) | 55.3 | 110.6 | 221.2 |
Alcohol | 55.3 |
110.6 | 221.2 |
Carbohydrates | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MINERALS (mg) | 0.77 | 1.54 | 3.08 |
Macrominerals |
0.75 | 1.5 | 3 |
Potassium | 0.5 | 1 | 2 |
Sodium | 0.25 | 0.5 | 1 |
Microminerals | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.08 |
Iron | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
Zinc | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
5) Vodka – 1 Of The Most Versatile Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks
Like Jack Daniels, all the calories in vodka come from alcohol with a single measure containing just 55 calories. Vodka is the basis of many sugary, alcoholic drinks so why not cut the sugar and try the vodka on its own? You might actually like it and you will be consuming one of the best low calorie alcoholic drinks that is available. If you find the taste of straight vodka too strong then go for a flavoured vodka or try adding ice and water. Flavoured vodkas only contain 5 more calories per single measure than regular vodka so it is still one of the top low calorie alcoholic drinks when compared with traditional alcopops. For example, a standard 275ml bottle of WKD contains 220 calories which is four times the calories in a single vodka.
Nutritional Breakdown Of Vodka:
SINGLE (25ml) |
DOUBLE (50ml) | 100ml | |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (g) | 25 |
50 |
100 |
Alcohol | 7.9 | 15.8 |
31.6 |
Carbohydrates | 0 | 0 |
0 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0 | 0 |
0 |
Water | 17.1 | 34.2 | 68.4 |
ALCOHOL, MACRONUTRIENTS AND WATER (CALORIES) | 55.3 | 110.6 | 221.2 |
Alcohol | 55.3 |
110.6 | 221.2 |
Carbohydrates | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dietary Fats | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MINERALS (mg) | 0.77 | 1.54 | 3.08 |
Macrominerals |
0.75 | 1.5 | 3 |
Potassium | 0.5 | 1 | 2 |
Sodium | 0.25 | 0.5 | 1 |
Microminerals | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.08 |
Iron | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
Zinc | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks Summary
If you have a big night planned for New Year’s Eve I hope this list helps you identify some of the top low calorie alcoholic drinks that are available. If you stick to these low calorie alcoholic drinks, avoid these high calorie alcoholic drinks and burn some Christmas calories you can ensure your big night out will have a minimal impact on your waistline. low calorie alcoholic drinks low calorie alcoholic drinks low calorie alcoholic drinks
Further Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks Resources:
Calories and Nutrition Information (Fit and Trim)
Calorie Counter – Alcohol (Weight Loss Resources)
Calories in Alcohol (Nutracheck)