Holiday Drinking

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Whether you spend your holiday relaxing or use it as a time to let your hair down, alcoholic drinks are usually on the menu – and that can mean a lot of extra calories!

That’s not to say you can’t enjoy yourself and indulge -– just that you need to choose sensibly. Remember too, that just one or two drinks can weaken good intentions so before you know it, you’ve had four or five, plus a snack at the bar or a takeaway on the way home. Alcohol also has a dehydrating effect on the body, which makes you thirstier and can cause headaches.

Spending time in the sun or heat will make this worse, so quench thirst with non-alcoholic drinks and don’t go overboard with the booze – after all, who wants to have to spend all day in a darkened room while everyone else is having a great time by the pool!

1. When it’s hot, it might be tempting to cool down with litres of fruit juice and fizzy drinks, but these can pile on the pounds if you drink enough of them. Just one small glass of juice contains 50 calories, while a can of drink provides around 140 calories. Instead, you're best off quenching your thirst with water, so keep a good stock of bottled water to hand, particularly if it’s not safe to drink the tap water. Or if you want a soft drink, opt for a low-calorie or diet variety, if available.

2. If you're going to hire a car on holiday, get it registered in your name as well as your partners so that you can drive occasionally with the result that you have to stick to alcohol-free (and low-calorie) drinks.

3. Beware of ‘free pour’ measures! Many bars and restaurants abroad don’t have standard measures for spirits – they pour straight from the bottle. If this is the case, try asking for a small measure – at least you'll have tried!

4. If diet or slimline mixers aren’t available, bear in mind that your usual gin and tonic may have twice as many calories as it does at home.

5. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, but mixing white wine with soda or sparkling water and lots of ice will make it last twice as long.

6. Take care with local beers or lagers. They’re often stronger than standard beers at home and so have a lot more calories – and are far more likely to get you drunk.

7. It’s another common tip, but it really works. Alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water or low-calorie soft drink. As well as saving calories, it will also help to prevent dehydration and stop you from getting a hangover.

8. If you can’t resist a few cocktails, avoid those made with cream-based liqueurs, cream, coconut milk and syrupy fruit purees. Instead choose those made with lower-cal ingredients like fruit juices, fresh fruit and carbonated mixers. Check out the calorie content of some popular ones.