So how can I still drink alcohol but keep within my healthy limits? 

Part two of our alcohol section. Check out part one here to find out how our drinking impacts our sleep, liver health and digestion.

It's a question we’ve all had at some point in our wellness journey: Can I still drink alcohol and reach my goals? Will that Friday night out set back all of the progress I’ve been making at the gym and with my nutrition?

There is a multitude of factors that’ll help you reach your health goals and for the most part, enjoying the occasional alcoholic drinks is not going to derail you. Understanding how your body processes alcohol, along with the calorie and sugar content, will help you make the right decision. Let's take a closer look at our common alcoholic drinks and see how they stack up nutritionally.

Calories in alcohol:

Alcohol is a source of energy (calories) that can be adding a lot more calories to our day than we realise. In general, the higher the percentage of alcohol the more calories there are in your drink, for example, a serving size of gin is 44ml and is 115 calories, which matches a serving size of wine at 120 calories, however, a serving size is considerably larger at 150ml!

We don’t want to get all ‘diet’ chatty but when talking about alcohol, however comparing calories is a good reference to use. We can understand the amount of energy alcohol contains and compare/ add this to our daily food intake. Another point to be aware of- not all calories are created equal.

Calories are the amount of energy released when your body breaks down (digests and absorbs) food or drink. When you eat more calories than your body needs at that time, your body stores the extra calories as body fat. So what does this mean when you are also ‘drinking’ your calories?

So how does alcohol affect my weight?

Your liver is responsible for storing and processing all of the carbohydrates, fat and protein that you consume, breaking them down and metabolising them into energy. Your liver must prioritise alcohol ahead of everything, meaning it is burned first as a fuel source before any other calories that we have consumed.

So, when you have half a bottle of Rose with your dinner the Rose will be processed first and we need to remember that alcohol is energy and calories. So what happens if our body has already consumed a fair few calories? Keep in mind that a half bottle of wine is about 300 calories, and your body has a limit as to how much energy it actually needs before it starts storing it away for ‘a rainy day’.

So what happens to the energy (calories) from your dinner? If your body does not need the ‘excess’ energy from your dinner it will be stored as fat.

Let’s take a closer look at our common alcoholic drinks and compare the calorie content:

Just like food, alcoholic drinks are not created equal!

• Wine ranges from 103-122 calories per 150ml glass, with sauvignon blanc containing the most and low alcohol prosecco containing the least.

• Beer ranges from 69-147 calories per 330ml bottle, with 0% Heineken containing the least and Macs Pilsner containing the most.

• Spirits range from 95-115 calories per 44ml shot, with Whiskey containing the least calories and Gin containing the most calories.

Let's compare a few more calories in alcoholic drinks:

• Red wine: 120 calories

• Macs pilsner: 147 calories

• Pals (Whiskey Soda): 132 calories

Quite similar right? But what happens if we add other things to our drinks of choice?

Is my favourite alcoholic drink making me put on weight?!

Just looking at the sugar content in many of our favourite drinks alone there is a vast difference between choices!

• 250 ml Rum and Coke = 27.5 grams of sugar or 7 teaspoons = 2 scoops of icecream*

• 250ml Gin and Tonic using Schweppes = 18 grams of sugar or 4.5 tsp sugar which is the equivalent of two Krispy Kreme Donuts*

 So what’s my best option when picking a drink? 

With about 0.5 grams of sugar per serve (from lemon juice) your best low sugar option is a spirit paired with soda water and fresh lemon juice.

If you’re wanting to be mindful of your overall daily calorie consumption and minimise sugar intake, then choose a spirit paired with sparkling or soda water and lemon or lime. When making a drink with tonic, be aware of how much hidden sugars you are drinking. The usual ratio of gin to tonic is 200ml of tonic to a shot of gin. 200ml of tonic water contains 18g of added sugar which means you are drinking 4.5 tsp of sugar. Eeek. Diet tonic does not contain sugar. 

 Tip: To make your classic vodka, soda and lemon more interesting, add fresh mint leaves, and even some frozen berries.

A few ideas for your alcohol-free days:

There is no reason your non-alcoholic drinks have to be boring. Dress it up and have fun with it! Here are a few of our favourite non-alcoholic drinks:

• REDEEM Kefir. REDEEM is packed full of gut-loving probiotic kefir, natural ingredients and fermented for natural fizz. It’s organic certified, vegan, gluten-free, and has less than 1.5% sugar.

• GoodBuzz Kombucha.

• Almighty sodas. A great taste plus, no sugar, zero plastic packaging, supports little gardeners and is vegan.

• Red Seal Hot or cold brew herbal teas.

• Seedlip. Non-alcoholic distilled spirits from the United Kingdom

• Arepa. Nootropic Drink. Delicious and contains L-theanine, Enzogenol® New Zealand Pine Bark Extract and Neuroberry®, a unique New Zealand variety of blackcurrant which helps mental performance.

Here are a few tips on how to ‘drink smart’.

Alcohol is a diuretic, which increases urination and is dehydrating and acidifying. Keeping hydrated while drinking alcohol can help counteract these negative effects! This is another reason why sparkling water + spirit is a great option.

Have a glass of water or a non-alcoholic beverage between your drinks.

*Please note: Different brands contain different calories per serve. The comparisons we are making between food and alcohol are based on sugar content and do not also include fat, protein and calories.

Where to get help

If you or someone you know needs support and treatment to reduce their alcohol intake, call the Alcohol Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797, visit their website, or free txt 8681 for confidential advice.

The Helpline telephone (0800 787 797) and free txt service (txt 8681) is available 24 hours a day, any day.

 Trained brief intervention counsellors will answer your call or txt. Māori and Pacific people can choose to talk with Māori or Pacific counsellors by calling the service’s:

• Māori line – 0800 787 798

• Pasifika line – 0800 787 999

Visit the Alcohol Drug Helpline's website  to chat online, find a treatment service near you or find useful information about alcohol and drugs.

You can also talk to your doctor about your drinking, especially if you are pregnant and finding it difficult to stop drinking.  Your doctor or midwife can refer you to a service that can help.

Ask your family and friends to support you too. Some people also find the support from online communities helpful.  

livingsober.org.nz is a useful website to go to for online community support to help you cut down or stop drinking.