9 Ways You're Drinking Wrong for Your Waistline

Yahoo Health


A flute of bubbly here, a glass of eggnog there—the holidays are a time to eat, drink, and be merry, but those liquid calories can quickly add up. Stick to these smarter options to savor the season without wrecking your diet.

When hot coffee won't cut it at a festive brunch, feel free to indulge in one of these classic brunch bevvies (just say no the bottomless option!).
When hot coffee won't cut it at a festive brunch, feel free to indulge in one of these classic brunch bevvies (just say no the bottomless option!).

(Photo: Katja Cho)

1. You think Bloody Marys are a smarter brunch option than mimosas.
When hot coffee won’t cut it at a festive brunch, feel free to indulge in one of these classic brunch bevvies (just say no the bottomless option!). “While both drinks provide vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A, we suggest going for the mimosa,” says registered dietitians Tammy Lakatos Shames and Lyssie Lakatos, authors of The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure. A mimosa has 150 calories to a Bloody Mary’s125, but the canned tomato juice has nearly half a day’s worth of sodium in a serving—a recipe for waking up puffy and bloated the next day.

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Made with calorie-free tea, honey, and brandy, one hot toddy will set you back 145 to 165 calories—less than a sugary cider, which has around 200 calories, say Lakatos and Shames. Also, hot toddies are often served in a Crock-Pot, D.I.Y.-style, so you can add as much or as little honey or other sweetener as you like, adds registered dietitian Rebecca Stritchfield, founder of Capitol Nutrition Group, LLC.But if you love the classic winter cider, there's a benefit to indulging: Cider contains a good dose of cinnamon, which research suggests can help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. Studies also show cinnamon may reduce the body's negative responses to eating high-fat meals, which is ideal when you've overdone it at a party.

(Photo: Stocksy)

2. You think spiked cider is too sweet to be healthy.
Made with calorie-free tea, honey, and brandy, one hot toddy will set you back 145 to 165 calories—less than a sugary cider, which has around 200 calories, say Lakatos and Shames. Also, hot toddies are often served in a Crock-Pot, D.I.Y.-style, so you can add as much or as little honey or other sweetener as you like, adds registered dietitian Rebecca Stritchfield, founder of Capitol Nutrition Group, LLC.But if you love the classic winter cider, there’s a benefit to indulging: Cider contains a good dose of cinnamon, which research suggests can help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. Studies also show cinnamon may reduce the body’s negative responses to eating high-fat meals, which is ideal when you’ve overdone it at a party.


There's nothing more comforting than sipping a hot drink après-ski—especially when it's spiked with a little something extra, like hot cocoa and Baileys or coffee and Kahlua. While you don't want to down multiple mugs of hot cocoa in one day, either drink is a sensible option, says<a href="http://rebeccascritchfield.com/"> &nbsp;Stritchfield</a>. One 8-oz mug of hot chocolate contains about 160 calories, but cocoa also contains powerful antioxidants called flavonoids, which can help fight cancer and heart disease. And if you need a boost of energy after a day on the slopes or frolicking in the snow, go for Kahlua and coffee, which only has about 100 calories if you skip the added sugars. Java has also been shown to help reduce your chance of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182054">developing Alzheimer's</a> and <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/content/65/3/230">cardio vascular disease</a>.

(Photo: Katja Cho)



3. You’re passing up this surprisingly low-cal après-ski treat.
There’s nothing more comforting than sipping a hot drink après-ski—especially when it’s spiked with a little something extra, like hot cocoa and Baileys or coffee and Kailua. While you don’t want to down multiple mugs of hot cocoa in one day, either drink is a sensible option, says Strichfield. One 8-oz mug of hot chocolate contains about 160 calories, but cocoa also contains powerful antioxidants called flavonoids, which can help fight cancer and heart disease. And if you need a boost of energy after a day on the slopes or frolicking in the snow, go for Kailua and coffee, which only has about 100 calories if you skip the added sugars. Java has also been shown to help reduce your chance of developing Alzheimer’s and cardio vascular disease.


A typical 4-oz glass of bubbly clocks in at around 90 calories, making it a smart choice for celebratory occasions, say Lakatosand Shames. If you're buying, check the label for a"brut nature" or "brut zero" designation, which signifies that hardly any extra sugar has been added, explains Madeline Puckette, cofounder of&nbsp;Wine Folly. "Stick to French champagne, Spanish cava, or American sparkling wine, all of which are regions that have stricter rules about added sugar than Italy, where prosecco is produced," she says. <!--EndFragment-->

(Photo: Stocksy)



4. You’re buying bubbly from Italy.
A typical 4-oz glass of bubbly clocks in at around 90 calories, making it a smart choice for celebratory occasions, say Lakatosand Shames. If you’re buying, check the label for a”brut nature” or “brut zero” designation, which signifies that hardly any extra sugar has been added, explains Madeline Puckette, cofounder of Wine Folly. “Stick to French champagne, Spanish cava, or American sparkling wine, all of which are regions that have stricter rules about added sugar than Italy, where prosecco is produced,” she says.

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In terms of calories, white and red wines are quite similar: White wine contains about 121 calories per 5 oz, and the same amount of red is about 125 calories, say Lakatos and Shames.&nbsp;Red wine has the advantage, though, as it contains heart-healthy and disease-fighting resveratrol, a compound that <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120619225941.htm">recent&nbsp;research</a> has also indicated can help improve endurance training and even mimic the effects of exercise. <p>Another tip to keep in mind: "Look for European wines from regions like Italy, France, and Germany," Puckette says. "These countries tend to have stricter laws and regulations on alcohol content inwines than America, so European wines tend to be lower in alcohol and, hence, calories."</p>

(Photo: Katja Cho)



5. You’re drinking red wine from the wrong hemisphere.
In terms of calories, white and red wines are quite similar: White wine contains about 121 calories per 5 oz, and the same amount of red is about 125 calories, say Lakatos and Shames. Red wine has the advantage, though, as it contains heart-healthy and disease-fighting resveratrol, a compound that recent research has also indicated can help improve endurance training and even mimic the effects of exercise. Another tip to keep in mind: “Look for European wines from regions like Italy, France, and Germany,” Puckette says. “These countries tend to have stricter laws and regulations on alcohol content inwines than America, so European wines tend to be lower in alcohol and, hence, calories.”


Ask for a beer over its gluten-free counterpart, hard cider, which has around 200 calories to 150 in beer (unless you're gluten-sensitive, of course). Even better: Choose a light beer, which will cut the calorie count down by about a third, say Lakatos and Shames. One benefit to hard cider is that it does contain a good amount of vitamin C, which can help boost your immunity—a good thing after all that hand-shaking at the holiday party, says Stritchfield.

(Photo: Getty/Stocksy/Katja Cho)



6. You assume cider has less calories because…apples.
Ask for a beer over its gluten-free counterpart, hard cider, which has around 200 calories to 150 in beer (unless you’re gluten-sensitive, of course). Even better: Choose a light beer, which will cut the calorie count down by about a third, say Lakatos and Shames. One benefit to hard cider is that it does contain a good amount of vitamin C, which can help boost your immunity—a good thing after all that hand-shaking at the holiday party, says Stritchfield.


Don't be fooled by tonic water's name: It adds an extra 80 calories and 21.5 grams of sugar to your drink, compared to 0 added calories from soda. If you find soda too boring, jazz it up with a twist of lime or muddled mint or even a splash off ruit juice, suggests Stritchfield.&nbsp; <!--EndFragment-->
Don't be fooled by tonic water's name: It adds an extra 80 calories and 21.5 grams of sugar to your drink, compared to 0 added calories from soda. If you find soda too boring, jazz it up with a twist of lime or muddled mint or even a splash off ruit juice, suggests Stritchfield. 

(Photo: Stocksy/Getty/Katja Cho)



7. You’re choosing vodka tonics over vodka sodas.
Don’t be fooled by tonic water’s name: It adds an extra 80 calories and 21.5 grams of sugar to your drink, compared to 0 added calories from soda. If you find soda too boring, jazz it up with a twist of lime or muddled mint or even a splash off fruit juice, suggests Stritchfield.

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It's a toss-up when it comes to these classic cocktails as they're quite similar in calories (around 220 in one glass), so go for whichever you prefer, suggest Lakatos and Shames. But the best choice? Go for a basic vodka martini, which has only 127 calories. As a general rule when it comes to cocktails, the more complicated it sounds and the more ingredients, the more sugary it probably has, says Stritchfield, so the simpler, the better. <!--EndFragment-->

(Photo: Getty Images)



8. You beeline for the fruity, fancy, gussied-up cocktail choice.
It’s a toss-up when it comes to these classic cocktails as they’re quite similar in calories (around 220 in one glass), so go for whichever you prefer, suggest Lakatos and Shames. But the best choice? Go for a basic vodka martini, which has only 127 calories. As a general rule when it comes to cocktails, the more complicated it sounds and the more ingredients, the more sugary it probably has, says Stritchfield, so the simpler, the better.


If your entire holiday season would be ruined by the absence of eggnog, have one glass and savor it. But keep in mind that it contains a whopping 350 calories and 11 g of saturated fat—over half of your recommended daily allowance if you're on a 2,000-calorie diet, says Stritchfield. Balance out the rest of your day by sticking to water. <!--EndFragment-->
If your entire holiday season would be ruined by the absence of eggnog, have one glass and savor it. But keep in mind that it contains a whopping 350 calories and 11 g of saturated fat—over half of your recommended daily allowance if you're on a 2,000-calorie diet, says Stritchfield. Balance out the rest of your day by sticking to water.

(Photo: Katja Cho)



9. You have eggnog on your radar all season long.
If your entire holiday season would be ruined by the absence of eggnog, have one glass and savor it. But keep in mind that it contains a whopping 350 calories and 11 g of saturated fat—over half of your recommended daily allowance if you’re on a 2,000-calorie diet, says Stritchfield. Balance out the rest of your day by sticking to water.

By Victoria Hughes

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