This is just a little something to think about while enjoying the holidays with your friends and family. You already may know the importance of drinking water or non-calorie beverages for health reasons and weight maintenance. With holiday parties and festive gatherings approaching many alcoholic beverages may be served. It's just as important to make smart choices when choosing higher calorie alcoholic beverages. Because it's easier to drink a high calorie drink without noticing the extra calories than it is to fill up on whole food, make sure you know how many calories are in your drinks to make a more informed decision.
One cup of eggnog can contain 340 calories and a shot of spirits adds about another 60 calories boosting your drink to 450 calories. Two of these drinks will set you back 900 calories without noticing it.
Red and white wines have about the same amount of calories, 125 calories per 5-ounce glass.
When it comes to hard liquor, a 1.5-ounce glass of 53-proof Kahlua has 170 calories, which is only 10 calories shy of a whole wheat Krispy Kreme doughnut.
One Pina Colada, made with Malibu rum, pineapple juice and cream, packs about 312 calories, or 32 calories less than the Small Chocolate Sundae sold at the Dairy Queen.
The Mudslide, made with vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and vanilla ice cream, is the bomb of all cocktails. It packs 820 calories in a 12-ounce serving, the equivalent of an entire restaurant meal.
For the same calories packed in a Mudslide cocktail you can eat one Arby's Roast Beef and Swiss Market Fresh Sandwich (810 calories); one Denny's Buttermilk Pancake Platter (890 calories); or two slices of Domino's Classic Hand-tossed Pizza (510 calories) and a soda.
Knowledge is power. Know how many calories are in your drinks so you can make an informed decision. If you know you should only be eating X amount of calories a day, are you going to go over the limit by having a couple of drinks, or cut back on some of your meals first?
