The Best—and Worst—Drinks

With wedding season, summer Fridays, and BBQ parties just around the corner, your typical week is about to get a bit more booze-soaked. But watch out: Women tend to consume 300 more calories than normal on nights when they drink, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted between 2003 and 2008. Each participant completed two in-person interviews–one where they recounted everything they ate on a day when they had two or three drinks, and one where they explained what they consumed on a day when they didn’t drink. On the non-drinking days, the average woman consumed 1,700 calories—but after imbibing, that number rose to 2,000 calories.

Not a huge surprise, but the majority of those extra calories came from the ethanol in alcohol. “For women, alcohol made up 69 percent of the extra calories that they consumed on drinking days,” says lead study author Rosalind Breslow, PhD, program director at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. That said, women who drank also happened to make less healthy food choices than women who stayed dry. “Alcohol affects hormones in the brain regarding appetite, but we don’t know exactly why people consume more,” Breslow added.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends women only drink one alcoholic beverage per day—but let’s be honest: Sometimes that limit is hard to stick to. So if you’re worried about the calories adding up, but still want to knock back a few adult beverages after hours, just make sure to avoid these calorific choices. (Side note: These recommendations are based on calories—not taste.)

The worst light beer:
Samuel Adams Light
Calories: 119
Carbs: 9.7g
Alcohol: 4.05%

The best light beer:
Miller Lite
Calories: 96
Carbs: 3.2g
Alcohol: 4.2%

You’ll cut way back on calories—without going any lower on alcohol content—if you switch to the Miller Lite.

The worst imported beer:
Heineken
Calories: 166
Carbs: 10g
Alcohol: 5.4%

The best imported beer:
Guinness Draught
Calories: 125
Carbs: 10g
Alcohol: 4%

You won’t find a darker beer with fewer calories than this kind of Guinness.

The worst domestic beer:
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Calories: 144
Carbs: 12.8g
Alcohol: 5%

The best domestic beer:
Rolling Rock Extra Pale
Calories: 132
Carbs: 10g
Alcohol: 4.5%

Sure, there’s not a huge difference in calories between these two options—but every bit counts, and if you knock back more than one (or two), it all adds up in the end.

The worst drink mixer:
7Up
Calories: 100
Fat: 0g
Sugars: 25g