Beer and Cocktails - Any Healthy Drinks?

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rae_84
rae_84 Posts: 40 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I like to have a drink or two on the weekends, but cannot seem to find a healthy drink to have on the weekends when I am out with friends. I love to try new beer and have sweet cocktails (mojitos and margaritas). Does anyone have any suggestions on a lower calorie or more healthy alcoholic beverage?

Thanks!

Replies

  • MicheleRussell
    MicheleRussell Posts: 7 Member
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    I am not really sure of any healthy drinks, but I am having the same issue. I am curious to follow your question and see what people post. I have heard of the "skinny girl" margarita but haven't checked into it yet to see how to make one.
  • jessicajude
    jessicajude Posts: 1 Member
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    i want to try the skinny girl margaritas..they are low cal supposed to taste pretty great. They sell it most grocery stores.. personally i love vodka and soda with a lime.. i've heard kettle one has the lowest amount of calories. hope that helps
  • Anidorie
    Anidorie Posts: 291 Member
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    i have a great idea. alcohol is awful for your kidneys and liver. it kills brain cells and if you are drinking with friends my guess is you are getting drunk. there are a million and one things that can happen when you are drunk. my advice is to drink some yummy diet ginger ale in an emptyed out and washed out beer bottle.
  • kathleencook88
    kathleencook88 Posts: 2 Member
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    Unfortanitly i dont think there are any! :(

    I try and stick to vodka, soda water and a piece of lime when im out if that helps! :)
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
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    Any spirit (rum, vodka, gin) is about 60 calories an ounce--most of the calories in mixed drinks come from the mixers. I like Captain and diet coke, but if I want something sweet/fruity, I will have vodka, soda, and a tiny splash of cranberry or pineapple juice.

    Also, be careful at bars as most bartenders are more generous with their shots--you tend to get 1.5-2 ounces. I combat this by ordering my drinks "tall"--same amount of liquor, but more mixer and then I count them as 2 drinks (which they basically are).

    The fun, flavored martinis (that I adore) tend to run anywhere from 150 to 350 depending on the mixers and size of the glass--I drink those sparingly and make sure I work out ahead of time so I have some calories "to spare."

    Margaritas are the worst--about 800 calories each!!! I don't plan to drink those anymore--of course, there are "skinny" versions you can make at home.
  • dhammond5
    dhammond5 Posts: 34 Member
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    I get a diet and Malibu, but other then that I am not sure. Since I started dieting I quit drinking. I am waiting till I get to my goal weight. Since I am not a huge drinker not such a big deal. But they do have quite a few 64 calorie beers out now.
  • aisling86
    aisling86 Posts: 1 Member
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    My personal favourite is a "vodka water". Vodka on ice in a short or tall class with a squeeze of lemon.
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
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    i have a great idea. alcohol is awful for your kidneys and liver. it kills brain cells and if you are drinking with friends my guess is you are getting drunk. there are a million and one things that can happen when you are drunk. my advice is to drink some yummy diet ginger ale in an emptyed out and washed out beer bottle.
    Moderation is key. I doubt she meant she wants healthy drinks so she can plow into a bus full of nuns.
  • JatieKo621
    JatieKo621 Posts: 425 Member
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    umm...OK alcohol isn't good for you but I don't think when someone posts a question wanting to know some healthier low cal drinks that they need a lecture about how bad it is to drink and that they shouldn't drink.

    We are all adults here and people can make their own choices so maybe responding with an answer that would actually answer their question would be more helpful.


    -To the POST- I stick with ketel one and soda! It is the lowest cal option for me and I have had to cut way back on alcohol since I started being healthier because I tend to over do it on the calories.

    THe skinny margarita uses a low cal tequila (partida is a good one) and instead of sugar filled mixers, it uses pure agave nectar and fresh squeezed limes. Delish!

    I also order a lot more water now when I go out so that I keep myself from over ordering! :) Every trick helps.
  • c4vicious
    c4vicious Posts: 8
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    Alcohol does offer some health benefits when used in moderation. Stick to straight liquor for the lowest calorie count. You can also mix it with diet soda if you prefer.

    The think about alcohol is that it isn't converted to body fat with any great efficacy. It does, however, blunt the body's fat burning mechanisms for a period of time. Therefore, it isn't alcohol that makes people gain weight per se. It's all the stuff people eat around the time they are drinking. To minimize fat gain during alcohol consumption, reduce carbohydrates and dietary fats to a minimum leading up to and after the event. Stick to lean meats and fibrous veggies for the entire day. Doing this will keep insulin low so fewer calories will be stored as fat and there will be very little dietary fat to be converted to bodyfat. Also, don't sweat it. What's the point of living a healthy lifestyle if you can't enjoy your life occasionally?
  • DustinReiner
    DustinReiner Posts: 157 Member
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    Ok, “Healthy” and alcoholic drink don’t always mix to well. All things are good in moderation though. It all depends what you’re looking for. Your average margarita is about 300 calories, a glass of white wine is around 96 to 120 calories a glass depending on the type of wine. A Bud light is 110.

    Red wine is good for the heart if drank in moderation? Wine in general is good for you if drank in moderation. Again it all depends what you are looking for and willing to sacrifice. Calories?

    Plug what drink you are wondering about into the database here to see it’s calorie, or whatever your concerned about. It has a lot of drinks in the database.

    Here is a link to a “Skinny margarita” recipe. http://www.ehow.com/how_2275222_skinnygirl-margarita.html.
    I drink them on occasion.

    My personal choice is Absolute vodka and cranberry juice. If I’m out watching football, I’ll have a beer or two. It’s football for god’s sake, a man gets thirsty! Ha!

    Good luck to all in the quest and for god’s sake quit preaching on here. We’re adults, and we can do what we want. Self righteous people have more problems than just eating healthy and being fit, try working on your mind and personality to they need more help!
  • maremare312
    maremare312 Posts: 1,143 Member
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    I get a diet and Malibu,

    Me too! Diet and malibu, nice and sweet and tropical but won't break the calorie bank! I'm going to Cabo in 4 weeks and am trying to come up with a few other drinks that won't be too terrible as well.

    Anybody have some tasty light beer suggestions? I'm a microbrew fan so most light beers taste like crap to me.
  • mike20603
    mike20603 Posts: 32 Member
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    On beer...

    For me, the least-painful deviation from the calorie plan is a Corona Light or an Amstel Light. Both have some flavor and taste like beer enough to make it feel like the treat it is.
  • Cartel
    Cartel Posts: 40
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    Im no help as this is my downfall right now....Im really good during the week but then friday and saturday night comes around and I go out with friends. The kicker is at 3 am when everyone is pretty much drunk with the munchies and Taco Bell is one street over with a line out to the street from everyone leaving the bars with our same mindset! So this weekend I was able to force myself to not drunk eat! We'll see tomorrow if it payed off and helped any.

    I am glad that I am still loosing roughly 2lbs a week overall though. The only reason I am not so hard on myself about it is because I only have about 5lbs to my "goal" otherwise I would def buckle up and get it done much faster then I am right now.
  • Yooperm35
    Yooperm35 Posts: 787 Member
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    I am crazy, I'm sure, but I do like the bud select 55 (only 55 calories). I find the flavor much better than the MGD 64 that seems to have a 'skunky' flavor to me.

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