If you are working towards a fitness goal, trying to get off medications, or trying to lose weight, it’s best if you avoid alcohol until you are where you want to be. Also, alcohol is terrible for your health, especially your liver and brain cells. (Disclaimer over… had to say it!)
That being said, let’s learn how you CAN drink so you don’t lose all your hard-earned progress!
We put together a spreadsheet of the top beer, wine and spirits and classified them based on their carb content and their caloric density based on how much alcohol there is. Essentially, what is the most “efficient” alcoholic beverage that will help you stay within your range of fitness goals.
Click on the below image to see how your favorite beverage rated:
When it comes to the biggest buzz for your buck, in terms of alcohol content vs carbs or calories, distilled spirits are the way to go. For the most part, plain distilled spirits (regular vodka not fruit flavored vodka) contain zero carbs, whereas the flavored spirits may contain some sugar. Most companies don’t list the nutrition facts on their website, so it’s a bit of a guessing game. For flavored spirits, the rule I use is anything with 35% or higher alcohol percentage, probably doesn’t have sugar in it. But I do try and stuck with plain distilled spirits for the most part, and add flavors with diet soda or some other zero carb mix in.
For wines, it turns out that dry white wines are a little better than dry reds, but even so they are pretty close. Dry over sweet though, if you are limiting carbs.
And beer… I know there will be some commentary about how light beer is really just water, and craft beers are the only thing worth drinking, and I get it. But this spreadsheet is just about carbs vs alcohol, and when it comes to sticking to your diet and making it work within reason… the lights and ultras are better (I’m sorry hefeweizens… I miss you). The more full-bodied the beer, generally more carbs and calories it’s going to have. Not saying you can’t have something like that occasionally, but you may find it harder to stick to your goals if you have it too often.
If there are any beverages that we left off the list and you’d like to see added, just let us know! We focused on what is popular in our area.
