Wednesday, June 20, 2007

With summer upon us, the sun is warming the air, and thoughts are turning to ways of beating the heat. For many, the thought of and ice cold, refreshing Coca Cola Classic seems like a great way to cool down on a hot summer day. It is true that I have often used Coke myself in the summer. That was before I realized how crazy it was.

Consider this: there is another dark brown beverage whose carbon-dioxide bubbles froth up pleasantly as it is poured into a glass. It hails from Ireland, and is sold commercially as Guinness at many of this world’s finest pubs.

That can of Coke you have been craving will add 155 calories to your daily caloric intake, while an equivalent serving of Guinness weighs in at a paltry 133 calories, a net saving of 22 calories for each Coke you forego in favor of Guinness. Let’s say, for arguments sake, you would normally drink 2 Cokes per day to cool down. With summer being about 90 days long, you will save enough calories by drinking Guinness instead to account for a whole pound of body mass!

Don’t like Guinness? Other beer will work too. Corona and Keith’s each come in at 10 calories less per equivalent serving than Coke. You won’t quite lose a pound over the summer, but you will still be doing your body a favor.

Don’t like beer at all? Try cooling down with a refreshing chilled chardonnay then. While per equivalent volume, you are worse off, a 4-ounce glass of chardonnay has only about 90 calories. The choice should be obvious.

In addition to the caloric savings, you must also take into consideration the health benefits of drinking beer vs. drinking Coca Cola. While the medical community has acknowledged that beer and wine both have long-term benefits, I have yet to see any research indicating Coke is good for you in any way.

So, this summer don’t buy into the hype that the pride of Atlanta shoves in your face everywhere, instead reach for a Guinness, relax, and enjoy the sun.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Sharon B said...

And here's something even more amazing with just about zero calories, and essential to life itself - water!!! Not only that, if you put ice cubes (zero calories) in it, it will cool you off even more! Don't forget that alcohol acts as a diuretic, so on hot summer days, make sure you balance the booze with H2O, and then just plan to spend your time in the bathroom :)

8:54 PM, June 21, 2007  
Anonymous Miriam said...

Well said.

9:31 AM, October 27, 2008  

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