Secret Dieting Tips: Low Calorie Wines?

Alcohol, especially wine, is often considered to be one of a dieter’s worst enemies because many standard glasses (125-175ml) of wine contain as many calories as a handful of sweets or a couple of biscuits. That said, a little treat every now and then when you’re watching your weight can help to keep you on the right track. Besides, many studies agree that the antioxidants in one glass of wine per day has beneficial effects to both your health and wellbeing.

Moderation
Unfortunately, this does not, give you a green light to over-indulge, because as the same studies point out, too much alcohol, especially when consumed in one sitting, had very detrimental effects on your health, your body and your weight.

Tips for Enjoying Wine While on a Diet:

1. Avoid sweet, desert or fortified wines – they tend to have the highest calorie counts. White, red, sparkling, low-alcohol and low-calorie wines are the better option.
2. Keep your serving size to a standard 125ml glass or less. It is very easy to underestimate the amount of wine you pour, especially when you are drinking at home. A good tip is to buy a measure for any alcohol you consume.
3. Ask for the smallest glass when you’re out, as many pubs and restaurants will give you a large 250ml or 175ml glass by default. If sharing a bottle with friends, ask the waiter for a champagne flute rather than a traditional wine glass as they are tall, narrow and are usually much smaller than wine glasses. Aim to have no more than one or two glasses of wine per day.
4. Try mixing low-calorie, regular or low-alcohol wine with soda water or sparkling water (which contain no calories) or low-calorie lemonade if you prefer a sweeter taste. Not only is it refreshing on a hot summer day, but the drink will go further and have half the alcohol content. Add ice cubes to keep it extra chilled.
5. Try a drier white wine or a low-calorie wine with a spoonful of fruit puree to give you that sweet taste you are craving. The fruit puree will add around 10 calories per spoonful so will not throw your dieting attempts off track.
6. Look for wines with less than 5% alcohol. The higher the alcohol content, the more sugar a wine contains so these are the ones to avoid. For example, port and fortified wines may be over 20% proof, whereas regular white wine comes in at around 12.5% on average, with low-alcohol and low-calorie wines less than 5% proof. With the availability of low calorie wines, the weight watcher now has more options than ever and the quality of these wines is better than ever.

[Tweet “6 tips for enjoying wine on a diet via @fitcheerldr”]

Remember to follow a healthy, well-balanced diet plan and enjoy your chosen tipple in moderation. Try other non-alcoholic beverages, such as freshly squeezed fruit juices and smoothies or sparkling water, in between your alcoholic drinks.

For more wine information, click here.