At about this time last year, we took a look at a couple of the most fattening cocktails out there. This list, which includes Pina Coladas and Long Island iced teas, still stands, but during the holiday season you're not going to be reaching for a fruity, ice blended concoction if it's snowing outside. Holiday drinks can be hot and steamy or rich and creamy, but it's a good idea to keep tabs on the calorie counts to avoid blowing your efforts to keep your diet under control during the holidays. Here are a couple of calorie counts for some common seasonal drinks:
- Hot spiced cider is usually only lightly sweetened, since apple juice is naturally sweet anyway. A half-cup serving has only about 80 calories.
- Hot buttered rum has about 200 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving, which involves a bit of buttery batter being stirred into a cup with a shot of rum and hot water.
- Eggnog, if you're opting for a tradition version, will have about 450 calories and 22 grams of fat per serving. Fortunately, there are some ways to lighten it up a bit, like using a milk-based recipe, rather than a cream-based one. A part-milk, part-cream recipe should give you a middle ground.
- Hot Cocoa could have up to 300 calories and 8.5 grams of fat per serving, excluding whipped cream or marshmallows, but can also be lightened by using a lower fat milk in the recipe.
- Champagne Punch is bubbly, refreshing and packed with fruity flavors that are more festive than summery. A half-cup serving will run about 105 calories.
- Chai Lattes can really warm you up with spices and are a nice change from sweet ciders and thick nogs. A one-cup serving will probably come out around 110 calories and 3 grams of fat, although this is also a recipe that could use lower fat milk.
There are many more drinks to choose from this season, and not all of them will be high in fat or calories, but keeping these drinks in your mind as treats will help you to keep your intake under control and to enjoy them more during the holidays.










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-09-2006 @ 8:45PM
bdw said...
I can easily go through a quart of egg nog in an evening--maybe in an hour--and frequently did when I was younger. Now I spend a little extra time, money, and effort on fresh roasted and ground coffee from a real coffee shop (not Starbucks). For about ten bucks a pound I have 30+ cups of an amazing hot drink (cold in the summer) that usually entices everyone who has ever even thought about drinking coffee into trying a mug, and the apple cider, plastic cocoa, and storebought refrigerator eggnog is left for the kiddies. And the coffee has zero calories, or maybe fifty if you have a heavy hand with the half and half.
I took two quarter pounds of different coffees to my hostess for Thanksgiving, and it was highly appreciated. There are several recovering alcoholics in their family, so no booze, and that's another way to keep the calories low. One of the nicest holidays ever.
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