**NOT medical advice**
All these diet & holiday NAZI folks are chiming in telling you alcohol is going to make you FAT. Guess what?? I'm here to tell you they're all full of CRAP!! Tis the season to be MERRY!!
I'm going to discuss how alcohol is absorbed and metabolized, and used for energy in the body, (and why it does not make you fat!) I’m going to dispel a few myths or common misbelieves, mostly pertaining to diet and weight loss, and our health. I have no intention to discuss the many adverse effects on one’s motor skills from an aviation aspect or otherwise, or get into BAC levels or any kind of legal or ethical discussion. I don’t want to bore you with such repetitiveness or present you with yet even more information bashing alcohol. In fact much to the contrary, this article will cast a positive light on including moderate amounts of alcohol in your diet. But this isn’t a result of me just presenting information from selective sources that you want to hear. This is based on a broad review of many studies and resources, with no spin on my part.
Myth: Alcohol makes you fatter. Excess calories make you fatter, period. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram and can be used as an energy source by the body just like carbs, protein, and fat can, (4, 4, and 9 calories per gram respectively). The only catch is that the body must burn the alcohol calories first, before it can move on to the other food you’ve eaten. However, don’t forget to consider your mixer, or how dark your beer is, as this will add carbs/sugars and additional calories to your alcoholic beverage. When you order that Margarita or Bloody Mary, you’re drinking a lot more than just alcohol.
Beverage Table | Serving Size in Ounces (Standard) | % Alcohol by Volume (About 10 to 15 grams) | Approx. Calories/Carbs |
Wine | 5 ounces | 12.5 % | 115 cals/4 g |
Beer | 12 ounces | 4 to 5 % | 130 cals/13 g |
Liquor/Whiskey | 1.5 ounce (shot glass) | 40 % (80-proof) | 75 cals/0 g |
** Some of the calories accounted for in this chart for beer and wine are from the additional carbs/sugars they contain. This is a standard serving, but most of us usually drink more per serving. Darker beers and micro-brews are higher in calories, from both higher alcohol and carb content. Dry wine will have as little as 2 grams of sugar per serving**
