Did you know a standard glass of wine can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate, and a pint of lager

has about the same calorie count as a packet of crisps? The average wine drinker in England takes in around 2,000kcal from alcohol every month. Drinking five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200kcal over a year, equivalent to eating 22 doughnuts. !any drinkers add to their calorie count "y having snacks, such as crisps, nuts or pork scratchings, to accompany their tipple. # heavy drinking session is often followed "y an unhealthy "reakfast to help cope with a hangover, which again helps to pile on the pounds. $oing for a fry%up instead of your usual "owl of cereal can add an e&tra 4'0kcal to the calorie count from the night "efore. The findings are "ased on an online survey of nearly 2,000 adults in England in !arch 200( "y )ou$ov for the Department of *ealth.
Work out how many calories are in your favourite tipple with ouralcohol calorie table

+egularly drinking more than the ,*- recommends can have a noticea"le impact on your waistline as well as cause less o"vious "ut more serious health pro"lems. !any women don.t realise that two large glasses of white wine not only puts them over the recommended daily limit for regular alcohol consumption, "ut also provides them with nearly 20/ of their recommended daily calorie intake, at appro&imately 010kcal in total. !ost people would "aulk at consuming a full glass of single cream, "ut wouldn.t think twice a"out the calorie content of a couple of pints. 2ut the calorie content is similar and, over time, e&cess alcohol intake can easily contri"ute to gaining weight. 3ine, "eer, cider, spirits and all our favourite drinks are made from natural starch and sugar. 4ermentation, and distillation for certain drinks, is used to produce the alcohol content. This helps e&plain why alcohol contains lots of calories 5 seven calories a gram in fact, almost as many as a gram of fat. #nd, of course, additional calories can "e present in added mi&er drinks.

The NHS recommends

!en should not regularly drink more than 0%4 units of alcohol a day. 3omen should not regularly drink more than 2%0 units a day. 6f you7ve had a heavy drinking session, avoid alcohol for 48 hours.

'Regularly' means drinking this amount every day or most days of the week.

Tips to avoid weight gain

To reduce the chances of gaining weight from drinking alcohol, follow these tips from the 2ritish ,utrition 4oundation9 -tick to your daily recommended units 5 men should not regularly drink more than 0%4 units of alcohol a day: women should not regularly drink more than 2%0 units a day. #s an indication, a pint of lager ;#2< '.2/= and a 2'0ml glass of wine ;#2< 2/= "oth contain 0 units of alcohol. #lternate an alcoholic drink with a glass of water 5 this will help to prevent you "ecoming dehydrated. Don.t drink on an empty stomach. 6f you do reach for snacks while drinking, opt for a healthier option 5 choose a sandwich instead of crisps or chips, or choose a chicken "urger without mayonnaise instead of a ke"a" with garlic sauce. Drinking in rounds can mean you end up drinking more than you intended. >pt out and drink at your own pace. Try cutting down with a friend, as you.ll "e more likely to stick to it with moral support. Eat a healthier dinner "efore you start drinking. >rder or cook "efore you start drinking so you.re not tempted to go for the less healthy options. ?ace yourself "y taking small sips. #void @"inge drinking. 5 some people are under the misapprehension that they can @save up. their units to splurge at the weekend. 6f you.re drinking white wine, why not add a splash of soda water to help the same num"er of units last longerA 4or more help on reducing your alcohol intake, read Tips on cutting down.

How many calories are in your drink?

3ith a pint of "eer the same as a packet of crisps, and a standard "ottle of alcopop, the same as a three teacakes, the calories from alcohol soon add up.

Calories in Alcohol Drink Calories (kcal) Food equivalent 1 Cadbury Heroes miniature bar 1 ac"et of #cCoys salted cris s 1 #il"y &ay bar

A standard glass (175ml) of 126 12% wine A int of 5% strength beer A glass (5!ml) of (17%) cream li$ueur 17! 11%

A standard bottle (''!ml) of 5% alco o

2'7

' (ees teaca"es

A double measure (5!ml) of 65 17)5% fortified wine

1 Asda bourbon biscuit