It’s football season so this week I’m giving you my tip for staying firefighter fit without giving up beer:)
First of all, you don’t have to be an extreme health nut to be a healthy person. You can enjoy beer, burgers and lots of other non “health” foods and still live a long, healthy life. Everything in moderation.
Also, there are definitely some health benefits to moderate beer drinking! Including stress reduction, and improved risk factors for heart disease. However, this is only true for people who have a healthy weight. (Of course, drinking in excess causes other health problems, and studies typically equate “moderate” drinking to an average of one drink per day. ) But beer can have a lot of calories in it, so it can be difficult to maintain a healthy weight while maintaining your drinking habit. To help out with that, here is the run-down on the lowest and highest calorie beers out there.
All the lowest calorie beers ranging from 95-124 calories typically say “light” in the title. Rolling Rock (120) and Michelob Ultra (95) are also low in calories. The next lightest is Guinness Draught with 126 calories (not Guinness Extra Stout which is 153 calories).
Budweiser (145), Coors (149) and Corona (148) are next highest and comparable in calories. Sam Adams and Fat Tire both come in at 160. Red beers typically aren’t the lowest in calories, but they’re not the highest either. George Killian’s Irish Red has 162 calories and Gennesse Red has 148.
Wheat beers like Michelob Honey Wheat (175) and Blue Moon (180) may set you back a few more calories. You may have thought that the dark beers are always the highest in calories. While that may be a good general rule to follow, some don’t fit that bill. Henry Weinhard Classic Dark Lager has 166 calories and Yuengling Porter has 150 calories which is even comparable to a Coors.
It’s good practice to check the calorie count on the nutrition facts label, especially for darker beers since they can vary. Budweiser American Ale is pretty high in calories at 182 and a Miller Classic Chocolate Lager is 195 calories. Watch out: a few examples of beers super high in calories are Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (330), McEwan’s Scotch Ale (295) and Sierra Nevada Stout (225). These are comparable to eating an ice cream sundae (so if you have 4 of them, you had 4 ice cream sundaes!)
Now I want to hear from you. Is beer your vice when it comes to trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight? If not, what is it?
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Budweiser has a low calorie beer called “Select”. It is. 55 calories.
Awesome, thanks Scott!
Although the only beer I drink, is root beer. I did hear an interesting fact; Did you know that drinking beer makes you smarter ? Yes, it’s true – it made Bud-Wiser !
Sorry, I couldn’t refuse. ( LOL )
Stay Safe !
Don
Great post! I work as a brewer at my part-time job and have been brewing for 15 years. It is a common misconception that darker beers are “heavier” or have more calories. The Guinness Dry Stout you mentioned is a lot lower in calories than most people would think and is closer to a “light beer” than people realize. In a typical batch of grain for dark beers, less than 5% of the total grain is the dark grains that are used to give color and some flavor to the beer. They’re made by roasting the grain at high temperatures for longer times, much like how toast turns darker the longer it’s in the toaster. Beer yeast can only ferment so much sugar without the help of additional enzymes (or bacteria, as with some types of sour beers). Typically, the higher the alcohol and the less “dry” a beer is, the higher the calories.
That’s really interesting, thanks Keith!
I would have to say that beer is not the one vice that works against me maintaining a health weight.
My vice is sugar, mostly in the form of cake, candy or drinks. We are about to enter a season that is full of such indulgences. Sadly, the Fire House is not the most health eating place either. My biggest obstacle is ME! Can’t seen to control myself when I’m around it!