We count calories in our food, but what about when we're down the pub? Peta Bee looks at the food equivalents of our favourite tipples
You religiously tot up the calories in the food you eat, but still find you can’t shift the pounds? It could be down not to what you are eating, but drinking. Surveys by drinks charities and the Royal Society of Health (RSPH) have shown that up to 75 per cent of Britons are unaware how many calories are contained in their favourite tipple, and that calorie overload through alcohol is occurring at an alarming rate.
As a result, pressure is mounting on drinks companies to provide more information on labels - including the amount of calories alcoholic beverages contain. The RSPH is among those calling on the EU health commissioner to introduce stricter guidleines on what consumers must be told about the energy content of drinks. “There is a clear appetite for this information,” says Shirley Cramer, chief executive of RSPH. “It could make a major difference to the waistlines of the nation.”
Guidelines in the UK recommend men drink no more than four units a day and women no more than three, with two alcohol-free days per week. Exceeding these limits can not only raise the risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes, it can also lead to weight gain in the places you least want it - around the waistline and on the hips. Katherine Brown, Director of the Institute of Alcohol Studies says weight gain is one of the most instant effects of regular high alcohol consumption: a large glass of wine (250ml) can add 228 calories to your evening meal, the equivalent of a Cornetto ice cream or two fish fingers.
A standard glass of red or white wine (175ml) could also contain up to 160 calories, which is similar to a slice of Madeira cake. Even sticking to the recommended 2-3 units a day could see you consume up to 6,000 calories per month, representing a weight gain of almost two pounds. In 12 months that equates to a stone and a half of added bulk.
Indeed, it’s hardly surprising that Carol Vorderman recently claimed to have shed weight after ditching booze for a year. Brown says a lot of women simply don’t realise that, by sharing a bottle of wine in the evening, they are consuming the calorie equivalent of an indulgent portion of cheesecake. “Women often see alcohol calories differently to those in food," she says. “They are not; they are one and the same.”
So how would it affect you? Here we look at the hidden calories in popular alcoholic drinks and find out the cost:
ALCOHOLIC GINGER BEER
Calories: 254 per bottle
Equivalent to: Glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut
GUINNESS
Calories: 210 per pint
Equivalent to: Plain toasted bagel
BEER
Calories: 182 per pint
Equivalent to: Krispy Kreme doughnut
CHAMPAGNE
Calories: 91 per glass
Equivalent to: 2 rich tea biscuits
RED WINE
Calories: 85 per glass
Equivalent to: One milk chocolate digestive
WHITE WINE
Calories: 92 per glass
Equivalent to: Crumpet and butter
ROSE WINE
Calories: 89 per glass
Equivalent to: Small packet fruit gums
GIN AND TONIC
Calories: 213 per glass
Equivalent to: Choc Ice
PIMMS AND LEMONADE
Calories: 85 calories per glass
Equivalent to: 4 sherbert lemon sweets
SEX ON THE BEACH
Calories: 150 per glass
Equivalent to: Packet bacon and cheddar crisps
BLOODY MARY
Calories: 140 per glass
Equivalent to: 25g honey roast cashews
MAI TAI
Calories: 125 per glass
Equivalent to: 25g mixed nuts and raisins
BELLINI
Calories: 158 per glass
Equivalent to: small plain croissant
LONG ISLAND ICED TEA
Calories: 270 per glass
Equivalent to: Serving apple crumble and custard
WHITE WINE SPRITZER (WITH SODA)
Calories: 132 per glass
Equivalent to: Bowl leek and potato soup
SHERRY
Calories: 139 per glass
Equivalent to: Small slice plain cheesecake
VODKA
Calories: 72 per shot
Equivalent to: 2 Jaffa Cakes
MOJITO
Calories: 111 per glass
Equivalent to: 25g chocolate raisins
MARTINI
Calories: 99 per glass
Equivalent to: Breakaway biscuit
COSMOPOLITAN
Calories: 99 per glass
Equivalent to: Slice toast and butter
BACARDI AND DIET COKE
Calories: 52 per glass
Equivalent to: A banana
BAILEYS IRISH CREAM
Calories: 130 per single serving
Equivalent to: 25g plain popcorn
PINA COLADA
Calories: 280 per glass
Equivalent to: A Scotch egg
BLACK RUSSIAN
Calories: 125 per glass
Equivalent to: Slice treacle tart
ZOMBIE
Calories: 325 per glass
Equivalent to: chocolate covered flapjack
MARGARITA
Calories: 145 per glass
Equivalent to: 2 scoops vanilla ice cream