
Those whose lifestyles involve minimal activity, such as commuting to an office job by car, should look at nutrition facts to plan meals that have larger portions with fewer calories same goes for anyone following a weight loss diet. Very active individuals should use the nutrition database to locate foods with a lot of energy, as indicated in the calorie chart by a high number per serving. Then, how much you move and how vigorously determines if you have room in your healthy diet for more calories. That’s the starting point to calculate how many food and drink calories you can consume in a day. The number of calories your body needs for minimal functions – that is, simply lying in bed all day – is called basal metabolic rate (BMR). Before they get stored as fat, the calories in food are converted into fuel for everything from organ and brain functions to walking around and even just sitting upright. Therefore, to lose weight, it’s best to limit any calorie-dense foods – anything where you get a lot for a little – so you can eat enough food to really feel full.īut when restricting food intake, it’s important not to follow too extreme of an eating plan. But one hundred calories of vegetables can equal several cups! Calories are a unit of measurement to show how much energy you will get from a serving of food. One hundred calories of peanut butter, for example, is only a spoonful or two. It’s common to think of calories in food as a way to measure amounts, but that’s not quite accurate. Those extra calories, after all, are converted to excess body fat. Especially for anyone concerned about maintaining or losing weight, it’s a good idea to regularly review a calorie database and nutrition labels to see how much fuel you’re getting to feed your daily activity – and if it’s too much. If you're drinking white wine, why not add a splash of soda water to help the same number of units last longer?įor more help on reducing your alcohol intake, read Tips on cutting down.While quality of food is important for a healthy diet, quantity is also a major factor of good nutrition.Avoid "binge drinking" – it is not advisable to "save up" your units to splurge at the weekend.Order or cook before you start drinking so you're not tempted to go for the less healthy options. Eat a healthier dinner before you start drinking.Try cutting down with a friend, as you'll be more likely to stick to it with moral support.Drinking in rounds can mean you end up drinking more than you intended.If you do reach for snacks while drinking, opt for a healthier option. Alternate an alcoholic drink with a glass of water – this will help to prevent you becoming dehydrated.Men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week, which is equivalent to six pints of average strength beer or 10 small glasses of low strength wine.And, of course, additional calories can be present in added mixer drinks. This helps explain why alcohol contains lots of calories – seven calories a gram in fact, almost as many as a gram of fat.

Fermentation, and distillation for certain drinks, is used to produce the alcohol content. Wine, beer, cider, spirits and all our favourite drinks are made from natural starch and sugar. Liquid caloriesĭrink Calories (kcal) Food equivalent A standard glass (175ml) of 12% wine 126kcal 1 Chocolate Mini Roll A pint of 5% strength beer 215kcal 1 packet of salted crisps A glass (50ml) of (17%) cream liqueur 118kcal 1 Milky Way bar A standard bottle (330ml) of 5% alcopop 237kcal 3 teacakes A double measure (50ml) of 17.5% fortified wine 65kcal 1 bourbon biscuitYou can find out the calories in many more drinks using the Drinkaware unit and calorie calculator. 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?ĭrinking five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200kcal over a year, equivalent to eating 221 doughnuts.
