I’ve always been a little holier-than-thou when it comes to soda consumption. I don’t drink it. Why would I want all of those empty, sugary calories? Well, it seems I am getting them anyway. The two glass of wine a day habit that I have is making me chunky.
Well, it’s not making me chunky right now. Right now it’s the Kit Kats that the parasite precious being growing inside of me demands daily. But when I am not knocked up, I am a lover of wine. According to a story in The Huffington Post this week, “It turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from alcohol as from soft drinks.” I am definitely one of those adults.
Soda and other sweetened drinks – the focus of obesity-fighting public health campaigns – are the source of about 6 percent of the calories adults consume, on average. Alcoholic beverages account for about 5 percent, the new study found.
For reference, a 12-ounce can of regular Coca-Cola has 140 calories, slightly less than a same-sized can of regular Bud. A 5-ounce glass of wine is around 100 calories.
I live in a city where everything has a calorie count next to it. If you frequent any major chain, they are required to post calories. It’s why I never opt for the blueberry muffin I used to love at Starbucks. Or the giant chocolate chip cookie that always seemed pretty benign. When a sign that reads “450 calories” is staring you in the face, you tend to reconsider. I wonder if I would do the same if bars and restaurants were required to post the calorie counts of alcoholic beverages? Thank God there are no plans for that anytime soon. The Obama administration is planning to exempt alcoholic beverages from proposed federal regulations requiring calorie labeling on restaurant menus.
I guess since I won’t be allowing sodas in the house, I should also set a good example by not consuming 10% of my calories for the day out of a wine glass. We’ll see what happens after the baby is born. I’ll have to set up an entirely different support system – since I usually rely on my coffee maker to get me through the day, and a glass of wine to wrap it up.
(photo: Sergio Stakhnyk/ Shutterstock.com)
