5 Smart New Years Eve Drink Substitutes

With New Years Eve celebrations going on up and down the country you are likely to be drinking quite a bit of alcohol tonight.  Unfortunately, at 7 calories per gram alcohol is one of the most calorie rich food groups out there.  Drinking just 4 double Jack Daniels and Cokes, 4 pints of Stella or 5 standard 275 millilitre (ml) bottles of WKD can add over 1,000 calories to your daily consumption.  Fortunately, if you make some smart drink substitutions you can minimise the amount of extra calories you consume.  That is why today I am going to list 5 calorie saving New Years Eve drink substitutes you can implement tonight.

1) BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM>CHAMPAGNE:- Bailey’s Irish Cream is not something you would normally drink on a night out.  However, if you start your night with a meal at a friend’s house Bailey’s may be one of the after dinner drink options.  Whilst it is a smooth, tasty after dinner drink it is also very rich in calories containing a significant 240 calories per unit of alcohol.  Substituting Bailey’s for the much lighter champagne saves you a significant 163 calories per unit of alcohol with one unit of champagne containing just 77 calories.

2) JACK DANIELS AND COKE>JACK DANIELS:- Jack Daniels and Coke is one of the most popular mixers around.  Unfortunately, the coke in this mixer adds a lot of calories with one unit of alcohol in Jack Daniels and Coke containing a massive 181 calories.  Removing the coke removes most of these calories with straight Jack Daniels containing just 56 calories per unit.  If you always take your Jack Daniels with coke then give it a try on its own, on the rocks or with some water this year.  You might find you like it just as much and you will save a massive 125 calories per unit.

3) MULLED WINE>DRY WHITE WINE:- Mulled wine is another drink you are probably not going to be drinking all night.  However, if you start your night outdoors this winter warmer may be on offer.  If it is, substitute the mulled wine for dry white wine and save yourself 67 calories per unit of alcohol.  Mulled wine contains a notable 140 calories per unit of alcohol.  Dry white wine contains almost half this amount at 73 calories per unit of alcohol.

4) STELLA ARTOIS>COORS LIGHT BEER:- Premium lagers are another popular drink on New Years Eve.  Unfortunately, the relatively high alcohol and carbohydrate content of these drinks adds a number of unwanted calories with Stella Artois containing 102 calories per unit of alcohol.  Coors Light Beer contains less carbohydrates than most other premium beers and comes in at 71 calories per unit of alcohol.  Whilst a saving of 31 calories per unit may not seem like much, a pint of Stella Artois contains 3 units so you will save a more impressive 93 calories per pint by making this substitution.

5) WKD>VODKA:- WKD is a particularly popular drink amongst teenagers.  Unfortunately, it contains a lot of additional sugar calories.  One unit of alcohol in WKD contains a massive 178 calories.  If you remove the sugar and substitute WKD for straight vodka you are left with a much lower 56 calories per unit of alcohol which equates to a saving of 122 calories per unit of alcohol.  If you find the taste of vodka too strong and want something that tastes similar to WKD then go for flavoured vodka on the rocks.  Flavoured vodka contains just 75 calories per unit of alcohol which is still a huge saving of 103 calories per unit on WKD.

SUMMARY

When it comes to alcohol smart substitutions can make a big difference.  For example, over the course of 10 units you can save 1,250 calories by consuming Jack Daniels instead of Jack Daniels and Coke.  If you switch your WKD for vodka you can save 1,220 calories over the course of 10 units.  So before you go out tonight have a quick look at the list below and implement some of these smart alcoholic drink substitutions.

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