Hot Topics: Powerball Winner?$590 Million Jackpot?Youngest Manson Follower
HomeU.S.WorldPoliticsVideoInvestigativeHealthEntertainmentMoneyTechTravelHealth HeadlinesFor a Healthier Diet, Go WildAlcohol Could Get Nutrition Labels Expert Advice on Preventing HeadachesNew Hope for Kids With Food AllergiesLawyers Push for Transplant Rule...WATCH VIDEO: Health »
Obese Woman Tattoos Weight Goal on...
H&M CEO: Our Models Are Too...More Health Headlines'Low-T' Testosterone Ads Leading to...Michael Douglas' Throat Cancer Tied to...The 'Prancercise' Craze and Other...Eye Lift Payments Raising EyebrowsSaudi Teen Contracts Deadly Virus Home> HealthWine, Beer and Spirits Could Get Nutrition LabelsBy SYDNEY LUPKIN (@slupkin) June 5, 2013 
ABCNEWS.comWine, beer and spirits manufacturers may soon have to disclose calorie content and other nutritional information on bottles and cans. But for now, such labeling remains optional.
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which is part of the Treasury Department, proposed a labeling rule in 2007 that would require alcoholic beverage manufacturers to include calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein content on their labels, but it has yet to make a decision on whether to implement the rule. It announced last week that manufacturers could add this information if they wanted to.
"What's interesting to me is that the reason why beverage companies want it and consumers want it is totally different," said Sara Bleich, a health policy professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "It's an example of two groups having different goals while having a sweet spot that seems to work for both."
Low-calorie beer manufacturers are hoping the labels will target people trying to lose weight, believing that's a way to boost sales, she said, adding that studies find that middle-income white women were most likely to pay attention to the labels.
And consumers want more information to make educated choices.
Even though many consumers don't understand food labels, the 15 percent or 20 percent of those who do can significantly lower their weight, Bleich said. This ultimately could lower obesity and have a positive impact on health care costs.
"I think more calories come from alcohol than people think," said dietitian Jessica Bennett, who works at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
On average, alcohol alone contains 7 calories per gram, which means it's almost as caloric as fat, Bennett said. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Protein, on the other hand, contains 4 calories per gram.
Still, Bennett said she wasn't sure how new labels would affect alcohol consumption.
Consumers are at the mercy of their bartenders and waiters when they drink at restaurants and bars, because the bartender or waiter can give them a larger serving size, she said. Mixers, such as soda and juices can add calories, too.
"I definitely think it's going to be interesting to see how it goes," Bennett said.
What might you find on alcohol nutrition labels? We used the National Institutes of Health's alcoholic beverage calculator and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food-A-Pedia to find out.
What You Could Find on Wine, Beer and Spirits Nutrition LabelsBeerAccording to the NIH, a 12-ounce serving of regular beer contains 149 calories. But a pint is 16 ounces, which means you're usually getting 198.67 calories when you order a draft at a bar.
That's a few calories short of a glazed cake doughnut with powdered sugar, according to the USDA's Food-A-Pedia.
What You Could Find on Wine, Beer and Spirits Nutrition LabelsRed WineWhether it's a merlot or a cabernet, 5 ounces of red wine contains 96 calories, according to the NIH's alcohol calorie calculator.
That's about the same as a tablespoon of margarine, which clocks in at 100 calories, according to Food-A-Pedia.
What You Could Find on Wine, Beer and Spirits Nutrition LabelsWhite WineFive ounces of white wine contains 90 calories, according to the alcohol calorie calculator on the NIH's website.
That's 15 calories more than a medium scoop of chocolate nonfat ice cream with no added sugar, according to Food-A-Pedia.
What You Could Find on Wine, Beer and Spirits Nutrition LabelsPina ColadaA pina colada tastes great, but those nine ounces of coconut milk, pineapple juice and rum contain 460 calories, according to the NIH alcohol calorie counter.
That's actually more than a Whopper Jr. from Burger King or a cheeseburger with mayonnaise and ketchup from Wendy's or Jack-in-the-Box, according to Food-A-Pedia. They clock in at 374 calories.
What You Could Find on Wine, Beer and Spirits Nutrition LabelsMargaritaA margarita may be only 4 ounces, but that sweet-and-sour tequila drink is 168 calories.
That means a margarita is more caloric than the average single 1-ounce serving of potato chips, which contains 152 calories, according to Food-A-Pedia.
More from ABC News Is Your Diet Soda Getting You Drunk?Drunkorexia: Alcohol Mixes With DisordersBooze Calories Nearly Equal to SodaNutrition Labels May Be Displayed on AlcoholIs Sugar as Bad as Alcohol?McDonald's Calorie Counts, NYC Big Soda Ban More Video ? You are using an outdated version of Internet Explorer. Please click here to upgrade your browser in order to comment. blog comments powered by Disqusabcnws_fw_params = {siteSectionId: 'nws_health', siteSectionIdType: 0, siteSectionNetworkId: 168234, siteSectionFallbackId: 109523, customVisitor:'', keyValues:'pageType=story'}; pc.fwSeg();pc.fwAppendKeyValues('show=');pc.getSWID();pc.subsectionOverride();function fw_config(){return abcnws_fw_params;}if (tq.videoOverrideContext != null) {jsvideoViewEventProp16Value = tq.videoOverrideContext;} else {jsvideoViewEventProp16Value = "videoadtree|BodyMind/";}if (jsvideoViewEventProp16Value == "none") { jsvideoViewEventProp16Value = ""; }jsvideoViewEventEvar20Value = jsvideoViewEventProp16Value;currentURL = window.location.href;closedCaptionActiveValue = true;hdPluginActive = (currentURL.search('hdplugin=true') != -1)?true:false;kdp_embed_default = {doKdpEmbed : function() {// Should only be changed if you are running Kaltura On Prem / Kaltura CE:var service_url = "http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/";// logic cascade for deciding which entry to loadvar entry_id = this.getEntryIdFromUrl() || this.getEntryIdFromDataAttr() || this.fallback_entry; var embedSrc = "http%3A%2F%2Fcdnapi.kaltura.com%2Findex.php%2Fextwidget%2FembedIframe%2Fentry_id%2F" + entry_id + "%2Fwidget_id%2F_" + kdp_embed_default.partner_id + "%2Fuiconf_id%2F" + kdp_embed_default.uiconf_id;flashembed(this.placeholder_id,{// attributes and params:id :"kaltura_player_default",src : service_url + "/index.php/kwidget/wid/_" + kdp_embed_default.partner_id + "/uiconf_id/" + kdp_embed_default.uiconf_id + "/entry_id/" + entry_id,height :221,width :392,bgcolor :"#eeeeee",allowNetworking : "all",version :[10,0],expressInstall :"http://cdn.kaltura.org/apis/seo/expressinstall.swf",wmode: "transparent"},{// flashvars (double-quote the values)externalInterfaceDisabled : "false",jsInterfaceReadyFunc :"jsInterfaceReady",contentType: "video","addThis.playerSize": "392x221",//"restrictUserAgent.restrictedUserAgents": "GoogleTV",referer : "http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/nutrition-labels-displayed-alcohol-19321576","omniture.videoViewEventEvar15Value" : "player|storypage","omniture.videoViewEventProp18Value" : "player|storypage","omniture.videoViewEventProp16Value" : jsvideoViewEventProp16Value,"omniture.videoViewEventEvar20Value" : jsvideoViewEventEvar20Value,"omniture.adStartEvar15Value" : "player|storypage","omniture.adStartEvar20Value" : jsvideoViewEventEvar20Value,"closedCaptionActive" : closedCaptionActiveValue,"closedCaptionsOverPlayer.fontsize":"12",noThumbnail: true,"abcnews.displayEndCard":false,"addThis.embedCodeLinks" : "%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Fus%2F%3Fcid%3D11_extvid1%22%3EUS%20News%3C%2Fa%3E%7C%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Fweird%3Fcid%3D11_extvid2%22%3EWeird%20News%3C%2Fa%3E%7C%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Fvideo%2F%3Fcid%3D11_extvid3%22%3EMore%20ABC%20News%20Videos%3C%2Fa%3E","addThis.embedFlashVars" : "referer=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/nutrition-labels-displayed-alcohol-19321576%26flashvars[autoPlay]=false%26addThis.playerSize=392x221%26freeWheel.siteSectionId=nws_offsite%26closedCaptionActive=false", "addThis.iframeTemplate" : "%3Ciframe%20id%3D%22%24playerId%24%22%20height%3D%22360%22%20width%3D%22640%22%20style%3D%22%24cssStyle%24%22%20src%3D%22"+embedSrc+"%22%3E%24noIFrameMessage%24%3C%2Fiframe%3E%20%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22text-align%3Aleft%3Bfont-size%3Ax-small%3Bmargin-top%3A0%3B%22%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Fus%2F%3Fcid%3D11_extvid1%22%3EUS%20News%3C%2Fa%3E%7C%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Fweird%3Fcid%3D11_extvid2%22%3EWeird%20News%3C%2Fa%3E%7C%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Fvideo%2F%3Fcid%3D11_extvid3%22%3EMore%20ABC%20News%20Videos%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E","shareBtnControllerScreen.enabled" : "true",//"video.stretchThumbnail":true,//"volumeBar.initialValue":0.75,//"volumeBar.forceInitialValue":true,debugMode: true})},onFail : function() {alert("FLASH EMBEDDING FAILED");},getEntryIdFromUrl : function() {if(location.hash.indexOf(kdp_embed_default.url_param_name) != -1) {// get the entry id from the url document fragment (aka hash):return location.hash.split("#")[1].substring((kdp_embed_default.url_param_name.length+1));}else if(location.search.indexOf(kdp_embed_default.url_param_name) != -1) {// get the entry id from the url parameters (aka querystring):return location.search.split("?")[1].substring((kdp_embed_default.url_param_name.length+1));}else {// use the default video defined in "fallback_entry" below://return kdp_embed_default.fallback_entry;return false;}},getEntryIdFromDataAttr : function() {var data_attr_val = document.getElementById(this.placeholder_id).getAttribute("data-entryid");if(data_attr_val && !(data_attr_val ? $(function() { $("#tabs").tabs(); $("#tabs").css("display", "block") }); Most Popular Most Recent
House Talks on Immigration Reform Near Collapse 
State Senator's Wife to Sex Solicitors: 'No More!' 
Kid's Hairdo Reveals Mom's Hang-ups 
13 Hurt in Philly Building Collapse 
First Lady Heckled, Threatens to Leave 
Heckler: Michelle Obama Was in My Face 
Paris Jackson 'Safe and Doing Fine,' Say Family Members 
Record Powerball Winner Is Woman, 84 
Transgender Navy SEAL 'Warrior Princess' Comes Out 
ESPN: A-Rod, Others May Face Suspensions 
Labrador Abandons House 'Gang of 8' Immigration Talks 4 minutes ago 
Midwest Braces for Flooding Along Miss. 31 minutes ago 
Lenovo Paves the Way for Made-in-America Computers 1 hour, 7 minutes ago 
102-Year-Old Woman Tandem BASE-Jumps for Birthday 1 hour, 18 minutes ago Teen Misses Roof-to-Pool Jump 1 hour, 24 minutes ago Federal Judge Rules for Dying Girl Needing Lung Transplant 1 hour, 50 minutes ago 
Instant Index: John Travolta, Wedding Crasher 1 hour, 51 minutes ago 
Immigration Overhaul Hits Bump as Conservatives Brainstorm... 2 hours, 6 minutes ago 
Michelle Williams, Daughter Spend Time With Artist Dustin... 2 hours, 24 minutes ago 
IRS Suspends Two After Probe 2 hours, 32 minutes ago You Might Also Like... Photo Galleries 
View: Building Collapses in Philadelphia US 
View: Remembering Tiananmen Square International 
View: 'Man of Steel': Behind the Scenes Entertainment 
View: Top Images from Around the Globe International 
View: Stefani Hits 'Bling Ring' Premiere Entertainment ABC News Full Episodes 
GMA | 06.05.2013 GMA 6/05: Alex Rodriguez Suspension... Watch More Full Episodes Connect with GMA
ABC News NewslettersMore Newsletters ? ? Today in ABC NewsABC News Home ?
External links are provided for reference purposes. ABC News is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. Copyright c 2013 ABC News Internet Ventures. Yahoo! - ABC News NetworkBack to topSections
U.S.WorldPoliticsWeird NewsInvestigativeHealthEntertainmentMoneyTechnologyTravelRecipesNews TopicsShows
NY MedGood Morning AmericaWorld News with Diane SawyerNightlineABC's The LookoutThis Week with George Stephanopoulos20/20PrimetimeWhat Would You Do?Live Streaming CoverageABC.comTools
iPad AppRegisterSign InFacebookTwitterBlogsEmails & News AlertsMessage BoardsRSS HeadlinesAbout
Contact UsFeedbackAdvertisingPrivacy PolicyInterest-Based AdsTerms of UseABC News StoreSite MapAuthors ListABC News | UnivisionGo.com function fbInit(){if(!window.fbLoaded || window.fbLoaded == undefined){FB.init({ appId : 'fa71b3ce3ced40d47a4850f185b245d9', channelUrl: 'http://a.abcnews.go.com/assets/static/perm_cache/channel.html', cookie: true, xfbml : true // parse XFBML});fbLoaded = true;}}
No comments:
Post a Comment