Alcohol, Oranges and Chocolate-Coated Biscuits

Many of us enjoy the occasional (or not so occasional) alcoholic drink of beer, wine, spirits or cocktails.

For those of us trying to control our weight, there is another factor to consider besides the obvious reasons of cost, road safety and getting tipsy – the potential for weight gain from the calories in our favorite tipple.

Like all drinks apart from plain water, alcohol contains calories, and depending on the sugar level of the drink, these can be quite high.

Beer is usually recognised as not being too helpful for weight control, but a "beer gut" can also be helped along by other drinks, especially cocktails and wine.

Rather than just using raw numbers, it’s helpful to compare drinks with other foods, both the naughty and nice varieties.

Oranges and Biscuits

We have taken a medium-sized orange (usually considered healthy, although like all fruits, it does contain sugar) and a well-known chocolate-coated cream biscuit for our comparisons. Obviously all measurements are very approximate, as there is no "standard" chocolate biscuit and therefore the calories from each type can vary.

The quantities and equivalents may not seem like much on a per-glass basis (especially for the biscuits), but think how many glasses you would normally consume in a session or with a meal, and apply that multiplier -- you soon realise how those calories stack up!

Beer

A 285ml glass of standard-strength beer – the typical middy/pot (in South Australia, a schooner) is roughly equivalent in calories to 1.2 chocolate-coated cream biscuits, or 3.5 oranges.

However, beers range widely in both alcohol and calorie content, with light or mid-strength brews being generally lower in both than are full-strength beers.

Wine

If you are a wine lover, a 290-300ml glass of chardonnay roughly equates to 2.6 choc-coated creams, or seven oranges.

Cabernet sauvignon has marginally fewer calories, equivalent to 2.4 choc cream biscuits or six oranges.

Spirits

Depending on the proof level, whiskey drinkers consume the equivalent of 2.7 to 3.2 oranges per glass, or 1 to 1.2 chocolate biscuits.

Most other spirits are in the same range, but rum can be as high as the equivalent of 2 biscuits or 5.5 oranges.

Cocktails

As you might expect from the wide range of alcoholic combinations and additions such as milk and juices, the calories in cocktails can vary widely, from less than a biscuit’s worth for a mimosa, two chocolate cream biscuits or five oranges for a rum and coke, and the equivalent of four biscuits or 11 oranges for a chocolate martini.

At the extreme range of cocktails, a pina colada is roughly equivalent to 5.3 chocolate cream biscuits or 15 oranges, while those who enjoy a white russian are consuming the equivalent of 16 oranges or six chocolate cream bikkies!

So, while taking care of your portion sizes and the types of food you eat while managing your weight, remember that washing it down with two or three drinks is all adding calories!

For a comprehensive list of drinks and their equivalent calories in oranges and biscuits, here’s a table of equivalent calories.

Natalia Knezevic is a dietitian and NDIS Provider in Orange, NSW.