davidstuff.com
Wine Stuff Menu Calories and Wine |
| How
many
calories are in a
full serving 5 oz glass of wine? What does a glass of wine
cost you in terms of your diet? Below is a quick and easy
chart to illustrate your dietary cost if you are counting for low
calories, low fat or low carbohydrates. Both wine and beer contain
trace elements of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium,
phosphorous, ash, etc., but not in sufficient amounts to
consider them into your dietary intake. Distilled spirits are
devoid of
everything other than the food value of the alcohol itself.
Alcohol provides no nutritional vitamins or minerals therefore all
alcohol calories are "empty calories." Generally, a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce glass of beer, and a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor all contain approximately 14 grams of alcohol equal to ½ ounce of pure alcohol and are considered one drink. One gram of sugar, and other carbohydrates, contain 4 calories while one gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. (A gram of fat contains 9 calories) |
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Data in the below chart were taken from the USDA website: https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400535/Data/SR/SR28/reports/sr28fg14.pdf
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| Wine varies
greatly
in alcoholic
content
usually from 10% to 14%. Obviously, the higher the alcohol content the higher the calories. The wine calories listed above represent wine of approximately 13% alcohol. Water contains no calories - Varietals will vary slightly in carbohydrate content A bottle of wine contains 750 Ml or 25.42 Oz of liquid or approximately four 6 Oz servings, five 5 Oz or six 4 Oz servings. At 20 calories per ounce a full bottle of wine would contain approximately 525 calories. Craft beers typically contain more alcohol and carbohydrates and therefore, more calories. Easy to Remember "Rule of Thumb:" Every standard serving of alcohol will cost you "approximately" 100 +/- calories. |
| Wine
is nothing
more than a mixture of water, alcohol and grape flavors. The
winemaker begins by crushing the grapes and then adding yeast to
activate the fermentation process that converts the sugar and oxygen in
the grape juice into ethyl alcohol. Water contains no calories, fat
or
carbohydrates and the grape flavor represents a very small percentage
of the total wine. The sugars in the grapes are basically
gone
(being converted into alcohol) so essentially all of the food values
you are consuming come from the alcohol and the alcohol alone. There is a correlation between residual wine grape sugar in wine and the alcohol level. Sweeter wines will hold more residual sugars resulting in lower alcohol content, while the dryer wines will have less residual sugars and higher alcohol. One gram of sugar, and other carbohydrates, contain 4 calories while one gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. (A gram of fat contains 9 calories) The four sources of energy for your body are fat, protein, carbohydrates and alcohol. Unlike the other energy sources, alcohol is processed by the liver. Obviously, this is the reason many alcoholics and heavy drinkers experience liver damage. A bottle of distilled spirits per day would provide your body with 1,875 calories. If you add a little food to that number, you very quickly rise to a caloric intake where you will start adding pounds. How your body metabolizes the alcohol is another matter. Discuss that with your physician. So, if you are on a diet, refrain from alcohol. If you must drink, avoid the high alcohol distilled spirits and the high carbohydrate beers and make it a delicious glass of low carb, low alcohol wine.  A
personal note: Always be
cautious how you conduct a discussion with your physician
regarding your alcohol intake. All information you provide to
your
doctor
is also freely available to Obamacare, Medicare, your private health
insurance, life insurance and automobile insurance companies, your
employer, your local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and
even Homeland Security. Should your doctor record that you
are a heavy
drinker or you have alcoholic
tendencies, either comment could potentially cost you your
insurance policies, your drivers license, your job and even your right
to own or possess guns.
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