Did you know that beer is one of the top five sources of calorie among American adults? It’s the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea! While it may have a few nutrients in small amounts, including protein, potassium, folate, vitamin B12 and selenium, it’s still not a great source of nutrients, and is considered “empty calories” by many health and fitness professionals.
Drinking two regular beers can have 300-400 calories, and that’s about the same as eating a cheeseburger – minus the fat, but also minus the nutrients. And more often then not, people drink more than two beers a day…along with that cheeseburger!
Light beer usually has fewer calories than than regular beer, but not by much. Many light beers contain 120 calories, but then again so do some regular beers. If you’re trying to lose weight, you should obstain from alcohol all together. If you refuse to give it up, keep it to one or two beers a day. Super light beers like MGD64 and others in the same 60-70 calorie range are very low in calories – 2 beers have the same calories in them as many light beers do in just one. But these are also – as the name suggests- super light! That means they are very low in alcohol, and taste plain and watered down. So if you like beer, you probably won’t be satisfied with one of these.
There are plenty of websites out there with charts and rankings of beers by their calorie to alcohol ratio. Check out getdrunknotfat.com if you’re looking to feel a buzz off as few calories as possible. If you’re just looking to enjoy a great tasting beer that isn’t 200 calories but doesn’t taste like water either, try Guinness Draught – a highly overlooked beer! The dry Irish stout is most famous for its thick, filling goodness, but it’s only 126 calories. You’re better off drinking one of these than two super-light beers.
But it’s not all about the calories and weight gain. Numerous studies have shown that beer can actually be good for you – as good as wine – if you don’t overdo it. Scientists at Italy’s Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura found that beer drinkers had a 42% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s also been found to help reduce risk of strokes and increase HDL cholesterol. It can even be used as a home beauty treatment: try rinsing your hair with beer in the shower for shine and extra bounce!
Whatever your preference, beer is a staple in the American diet and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. But remember, to be healthy and to keep weight gain at bay, stick to two beers a day for men, and one a day for women.
