Alchohol packs a lot of calories
Santa Claus will drink over one million litres (equal to nearly 24 million units of alcohol) and gain over 263 tonnes in weight, equivalent to almost 22 double decker buses, if he drinks a glass of sherry or port in every house in the UK this Christmas. Santa will need to run for 146,666 days to burn this off - the equivalent of 782,218 marathons.
Alcohol education charity Drinkaware is reminding those drinking over Christmas to enjoy the holidays but to avoid using it as an excuse to drink to excess, as the impact on their health and waistline cannot be undone by a simple trip to the gym in January.
Drinkaware research, conducted by ICM, highlights the temptations and pressures to drink even more at Christmas. Over half of Brits say they plan to drink more in December than any other time of the year and of those people, over a quarter admit it’s a time when they think they can drink as much alcohol as they like without feeling guilty.
While many are aware that alcohol contains calories, few people realise it contains as many calories as pure fat. A glass of mulled wine contains as many calories as three pieces of chocolate orange, which would take 17 minutes of swimming to burn off.
Professor Paul Wallace, Chief Medical Adviser, Drinkaware says: “While no one is going to drink as much as Santa this Christmas, these findings highlight how overindulgence adds up quickly. The best option may seem like the most obvious one - drink responsibly and stick to the lower-risk guidelines so you won't risk damaging your health - and you won't have to work as hard to burn off the calories in the gym the next day.”
“Alcohol negatively affects your metabolism so the body burns calories at a slower rate compared to when no alcohol is present. When drinking, the body prioritises the breakdown of alcohol over the absorption and release of essential nutrients, so a heavy drinking session will slow down the amount of calories you’re able to burn off at the gym the next day.”
A guide to popular Christmas drinks, their alcohol unit equivalents and calorie information is given below:
|
Drink |
Units |
Approximate calories |
Approximate calorie equivalent |
Approximate exercise needed to burn off |
|
Irish cream liqueur |
0.9 per 50ml measure |
175 |
2 mini mince pies |
18 minutes’ running |
|
Mulled wine |
2.3 per 175ml glass |
134 |
3 pieces of chocolate orange |
17 minutes’ swimming |
|
Champagne |
1.5 per 125ml glass |
89 |
2 pigs in blankets |
11 minutes’ cycling |
|
Sherry |
0.9 per 50ml measure |
77 |
1 small slice of chocolate log |
8 minutes’ running |
|
Brandy |
1 per 25ml measure |
61 |
3 cocktail sausages |
8 minutes’ swimming |
Try to avoid overindulgence this Christmas and those resolutions to get fit and healthy will be much easier and more achievable.