The Best and Worst Drinks for Your Diet

Watch what you drink

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Alcohol makes the calories add up faster than you think. Though the majority of our calories come from solid foods, "fluid calories also add to your caloric intake, but with little effect on your satiety," says Richard Mattes, Ph.D., a nutrition professor at Purdue University.

Alcohol also slows the breakdown of fat. In one study, people drank 100 grams of alcohol - about six drinks - and their ability to burn fat dropped more than 30 percent. "We burn fat in our liver. But when we drink alcohol, the alcohol burns instead of fat," says Charles Lieber, M.D., director of alcohol research, Bronx Veterans Administration Center.

Beer (12 oz.), 138 cal.
Light beer (12 oz.), 96 cal.
Champagne (6 oz.), 121 cal.
Red wine (6 oz.), 123 cal.
Dry white wine (6 oz.), 114 cal.
Manhattan (2 oz.), 145 cal.
Vodka and tonic (8 oz.), 169 cal.
Coffee liqueur (2 oz.), 191 cal.
Vodka martini with olive (2 oz.), 149 cal.
Get more calorie information and eating tips here >> The Anatomy of a Pig Out


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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.