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Wasted Calories
Alcohol provides a lot of calories but no nutrients - 'empty' calories.
Most of us have heard of empty calories. Common examples of foods that provide empty calories are candy and pop. These choices give us energy in the form of sugar, but don’t provide nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Another source of ‘empty’ calories is alcohol. Alcohol provides a lot of calories but no nutrients. |  |
One gram of carbohydrate or protein provides 4 calories. However, one gram of alcohol provides 7 calories, nearly double that of protein and carbohydrate and almost as much as fat which has 9 calories. The calories consumed from alcohol are empty or ‘wasted calories’ because they don’t provide any nutritional value. ‘Wasted calories’ from drinking alcohol, even drinks labelled as light, can add up quickly and may lead to unhealthy weight gain.
For instance, having a glass of wine every day with your evening meal can add up to almost 750 calories over a week. Most of us will gain one pound if we over consume about 3500 calories. Drinking one glass of wine each day could result in a weight gain of 4.5 kg (10 lbs) in a year. That’s pretty scary! To help you think about how many calories are in alcoholic beverages, see the table below.
Type of Alcoholic Beverage | Size of Drink | Percent of Alcohol | Approximate Amount of Calories |
| Two glasses of red table wine | 148 mL 5 oz | 12 % | 210 (same as a Honey Dip Doughnut) |
| Two shots of liquor (e.g. whisky) | 44 mL 1.5 oz | 40 % | 230 (same as a Beef Taco Supreme - Taco Bell®) |
| Two bottles of light beer | 341 mL 11.5 oz | 4 to 4.5 % | 198 (about the same as small French fries - McDonalds™) |
| Two bottles of regular beer | 341 mL 11. 5 oz | 5 % | 280 (same calories as two pieces of pizza) |
| Two mixed drinks (e.g. liquor and mixer) | 44 mL liquor and 177 ml of pop or mixer 1.5 oz liquor and 6 oz of pop or mixer | 40% | 376 (same as calories as a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich -Sudbury®) |
In addition to the ‘wasted calories’ from alcohol, over-consuming alcohol results in poor decision making, violence, liver disease, and a number of chronic diseases. So, the next time you think about reaching for an evening night cap, think about ‘wasted calories’ and reach for a glass of water or skim milk instead.
