Which drinks have the least calories

If you want a little flavor in the mix, she recommends adding a twist of lemon to infuse a citrusy taste or making your drink dirty with a splash of olive juice—it only adds about five calories. A glass of chilled white wine can be totally refreshing during this hectic time of year, but pick the type you sip on carefully.

Dry white wines, such as a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, tend to have lower sugar content, which translates to fewer calories, Suss says. Sweeter varieties like Riesling could have closer to calories per serving.

And, again, serving size matters. You want to strive for five ounces which, Gans points out, is "a smaller pour than most of us do. Beer's often thought of as the ultimate bloat-bringer, but it may not be all that bad.

In one study of over 70, women, researchers found that those who drank moderate amounts of beer had lower blood pressure than those who drank wine or spirits. Many beers don't list calories on their labels, so Brissette recommends trying this hack: "Look for a beer that has an alcohol by volume of four and you'll be getting about calories for a 12 ounce" serving.

Sure, it's a little basic, but a vodka soda may be your healthiest choice if you're in the mood for hard alcohol. When you combine a shot of vodka with seltzer, you skirt excess calories—and a nasty hangover. Plus, the bubbles may slow you down so you don't slam the drink.

The rules of picking out a lower-calorie Champagne are the same as they are for wine. You can also look for "brut" on the label, which is French for unsweetened or dry. A mojito is a combo of muddled mint leaves, rum, and soda water, with sugar.

You want to strive for a six-ounce serving with this one. Just know this, per Gans: If you get your mojito from a restaurant or bar, it may be a bit bigger than that. Also, scaling back on how much sugar you use, or swapping in a sweetener like stevia for regular sugar, can help cut back on calories. Think of a Paloma as the grapefruit lover's alternative to a margarita.

It features tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and soda water for a margarita-style taste. Use fresh grapefruit juice instead of the bottled stuff to save on calories. People don't always consume just one, and therefore two glasses of wine or beer can increase your total energy intake by up to calories.

It's not just the calorie count that makes alcohol fattening — the way your body processes those calories plays a part, too.

Unlike the proteins, fats and carbohydrates found in food and drinks, 'alcohol can't be stored,' Wright continues, 'and takes priority to be metabolised, leading to an increased tendency to store these nutrients.

When your body is burning alcohol as its main source of energy, it stores other nutrients — glucose from carbohydrates or lipids from fats — as adipose tissue, a. Add an end-of-night kebab into the mix, and it's easy to see how a night on the sauce can derail your weight loss efforts. If you're knocking back a cheeky few pints and a kebab every weekend, Wright says, you could end up consuming a couple of thousand calories extra habitually week after week.

Before you start pouring low-calorie alcoholic drinks, be sure to line your stomach — and if you're the type of person that can't resist the lure of fried food after a few drinks, anticipate any cravings by preparing a low-calorie, high-protein, high-fibre snack. If you enjoy making cocktails but want to keep calories to a minimum, opt for recipes that aren't heavy on liqueurs and other high-calorie ingredients.

A single glass of wine can contain up to 8g of sugar, depending on the wine varietal. Unfortunately, you can't make wine without the naturally-occurring sugars in grapes — it's integral to the fermentation process — so you'll have to be picky with your choices.

Skip the dessert wines, as they can contain up to 16 times more sugar than your typical glass or red or wine. There are plenty of low-calorie beers and ciders on the market, although it's worth mentioning that many are also lower in alcohol as a result. To retain maximum flavour, look for bottles that sit somewhere between four and five per cent ABV.

Anything weaker, and it may taste a little watery compared to your usual brew. If you want to keep calories to a minimum without sabotaging your healthy eating plan, you aren't limited to one option. There are plenty of great-tasting serves to choose from, depending on your personal preferences. Whet your whistle with our pick of the best low-calorie alcoholic drinks:. Thanks to the zero-calorie sparkling mixer, you're only consuming calories from the vodka — around 61 in total.

Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime rather than syrupy cordial, and garnish with a sprig of mint or rosemary to add a burst of aroma. Smell plays a dominant role in our perception of food and drink. Made with vodka, ginger beer and lime juice — garnished with a wedge of lime — the Moscow Mule can be made diet-friendly by swapping the regular ginger beer for a slimline version.

Total calories? At 86 calories per ml glass, Champagne is certainly a low-calorie celebratory tipple. If your pockets don't stretch quite deep enough to keep your fridge stocked, Prosecco is a far more reasonably-priced option, containing 87 calories for the same size serve. Try adding flavored seltzer instead. Keep it fresh. Freshly squeezed citrus like lime juice is great, and cocktail-friendly fruits like pomegranate seeds get in more antioxidants and flavor, making it a win all around.

Ask the bartender if a fruit or spice flavor in your drink is fresh or from a syrup. You can always ask for "less" or "a drop of" instead of going all-in on a sugary syrup, or see if you can order that drink with an alternative, like herbs or fresh ginger.

DIY your favorites. A vodka soda plus strawberries is a delicious summery alternative. Stay hydrated. The choice is here is clear: A vodka soda has only about 65 calories per ounce of vodka and the soda is calorie-free!

If you're picking between a marg and a mojito, go with the latter. Mojitos run about calories a pop — or less if you make your own without the simple syrup. A frozen margarita can pack upwards of calories, and it's more likely to leave you with an epic hangover thanks to the combo of tequila and 60 grams of sugar.

Compare that to another pink drink: One Tequila Sunrise, with its various juices plus tequila, can set you back up to calories. Red wine has about calories for a 5-ounce glass. And if you haven't tried the canned version yet, now's the time.