Low Carbohydrate Net

“Here’s the problem with all alcoholic beverages, and the reason I recommend refraining from alcohol consumption on the diet. Alcohol, whenever taken in, is the first fuel to burn. While that’s going on, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop the weight loss, it simply postpones it, since the alcohol does not store as glycogen, you immediately go back into ketosis/lipolysis after the alcohol is used up.

If you must drink alcohol, wine is an acceptable addition to levels beyond the Induction diet. If wine does not suit your taste, straight liquor such as scotch, rye, vodka, and gin would be appropriate, as long as the mixer is sugarless; this means no juice, tonic water; or non-diet soda. Seltzer and diet soda are appropriate.” Robert C. Atkins

The controversial question of whether or not it is good to drink alcohol, such as beer, vodka, gin, and countless others, has been addressed by dozens of studies over the years. Another question has been posed: What is the carbohydrate content of alcohol? How many carbohydrates in vodka are going to affect you? One of the latest appeared in the September 19, 2000 edition of the Annuals of Internal Medicine. This study found that drinking small amounts of alcohol, including vodka, was beneficial and that wine had a beneficial effect on both heart disease and cancer not seen for beer or liquor. So don’t worry as much about the carbohydrates in vodka.

Over 24,000 men and women in Copenhagen, Denmark began participating in health studies from 1964 through 1976 and were followed until 1995 for this analysis. Almost 5,000 of these people died during that time. Light drinking (a vodka-type drink a day or less) was associated with a 10% reduction in mortality while heavy drinking (five or more vodka-type drinks daily) was associated with a 10% increase in death.

Not one of the participants was on a structured diet of any sort (let alone low-carb) and none had other habits taken into account (such as weight, smoking, etc.) So while we are likely to continue to see anecdotal evidence and small-study evidence of the benefits of drinking, their validity –– especially where low-carbers are concerned will stay up in the air for the time being.

The concern here, is to look at how drinking vodka will affect our diet regime –– our weight loss progress, our cravings, and our well-being. We want to look at the carbohydrates in vodka, and how they affect us.

In an effort to cash in on the popularity of trendy low-carb diets like Atkins, makers of vodka, whiskey, and other hard liquors are starting to pitch their products as low-carb and diet-friendly, following the success of a low-carbohydrate campaign this year by various beer and vodka producers. This shouldn’t be a costly campaign, as there are relatively no carbohydrates in vodka, whiskey, etc.

In fact, looks can be deceiving and there can be some surprisingly low-carb and low-calorie drinks behind the bar. None have as low a count as the carbohydrates in vodka do, but they are still quite low. Guinness, for instance, with its thick consistency and chocolate-cake color, is likely to be one of the first beers carb-conscious drinkers would cut out. In fact, it has only 10 grams of carbs and 125 calories per 12 ounces — fewer carbs than Budweiser, Coors and Corona. (The reason is, Guinness contains less alcohol.) Other products that look more virtuous, such as the clear-coloured malt beverage Smirnoff Ice, are fat-laden. A 12 oz. serving of the trendy brew has 32 grams of carbs and 228 calories, or about the same as a baked apple pie from McDonald’s. The same goes for drinkers of non-alcoholic beers, which can carry more than 14 grams of carbs per 12 ounces.

Rum, vodka, gin, whisky and tequila contain no carbs or fat at all, and never have. Still, the majority of consumers incorrectly believe wine and beer are lower in carbs than spirits. All of this has triggered a wave of new marketing campaigns, including the aforementioned “carbohydrates in vodka” campaign.

So, when choosing whether or not to drink that beer or vodka, keep this in mind: There are still alcohol calories in low-carb beer, and alcohol calories are stored as fat. It might be wiser to choose a vodka-based drink, like a screwdriver or a vodka martini. The carbohydrates in vodka are minimal. It’s tough to make an argument that a bar is a good place to maintain a diet. Consider the final pitfall: Mindlessly grazing the bar snacks. Three handfuls of mixed nuts can silently harbour a whopping 500 calories, or fully a quarter of the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for average daily requirement.

Other Related Low Carb Sites

• Atkins Life Robert
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• Can Christians Drink Alcohol? | The Kid In The Kitchen
• Sovio Crowdsources Wine Labels : Serious About Wine
• Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution by Robert C Atkins – Great Deal's On eBay Today!
• Carbohydrates In Vodka

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