Are there lots of carbs in non-alcoholic beer?
Are there lots of carbs in non-alcoholic beer?
Although a crisp, cold pint of refreshing lager can be a real treat, what impact is your drink choice having on your health and waistline?
Making the switch to a non-alcoholic beer can help stay in control of your calories and carbohydrates.
If you’ve been to your local bar recently, you’ve probably noticed more and more non-alcoholic beers available. These increasingly popular alcohol-free alternatives aren’t just an option for those looking to reduce their alcohol content. Did you also know that there are typically less calories and fewer carbs in non-alcoholic beers, too?
There’s often a whole range of different reasons for people to want to consider swapping their usual order at the bar for a non-alcoholic option. Drinking too much alcohol can increase someone’s risk of stroke and several different types of cancer, including of the liver. Even just giving up alcohol for a short time can help your liver begin to heal.
We’ve also looked before at how drinking alcohol can affect your day-to-day health and happiness. Cutting back could make a big difference to something as simple as getting a good night’s sleep and healthier, fresher skin.
One thing you might not have thought about, though, is the impact of your alcohol consumption on your waistline. Alcoholic drinks can contain plenty of calories and carbohydrates that can quickly add up over time.
Making the switch to a non-alcoholic beer with less carbs could make a big difference if you’re trying to stay on top of your health and nutrition. If you’re looking to shift a beer belly or maintain a healthier weight, then low- and no-alcoholic beers could help.
What is non-alcoholic beer?
A non-alcoholic beer is simply a beer that’s been brewed in a way to remove the alcohol content from the drink. There are a few different ways for brewers to achieve this, but at the end of the day what they’re trying to achieve is the same. They want to recreate the taste and look of a normal beer, but without the alcohol content which can be so harmful in excess.
A typical lager contains around 4-5% ABV, which is the ‘alcohol by volume’. This is the standard unit for measuring how much alcohol is contained in a drink. For perspective, an average wine will measure in at around 12-13% ABV, whilst tequila and other spirits will typically weigh in at around 40% ABV.
By contrast, a non-alcoholic beer must contain no more than 0.5% ABV. In fact, the drink can only legally be sold as non-alcoholic if this rule is followed. There are also low-alcohol beers, and these must have an ABV of no more than 2.5%.
What this means is that, strictly speaking, a non-alcoholic beer does not need to be completely alcohol free. Even though they will contain significantly less than your normal beer order, they can still have trace amounts of alcohol in them.
However, it’s not just the ABV figures that separate your regular beer of choice from a non-alcoholic alternative. The reduced alcoholic content of these drinks can also mean that they contain significantly fewer carbohydrates. Because of this, these drinks can also be lower in calories.
Let’s explore the science behind this.
Alcohol-free alternatives are becoming an increasingly popular choice among drinkers, too. This isn’t just a seasonal ‘New year, new you’ or ‘dry January’ increase, either. As brewing heavyweights such as Heineken continue to respond to their customers’ demands for healthier options, the market for non-alcoholic varieties of popular beverages is set to grow and grow.
Carbs and calories in your drinks order
The big reason that a non-alcoholic beer can be a healthier option for you than your normal beer order is mainly because of the lack of alcohol. Doctors, physicians, and experts are all in agreement that drinking too much alcohol can cause some pretty serious health problems down the line.
The other main difference that you’ll want to think about is the amount of carbohydrates and calories in your drink. If you’re looking to make healthier choices with your drink order, then you’ll likely be wanting to think about these nutritional details too.
What exactly are carbohydrates?
Carbs—or carbohydrates, to give them their full name—are, in effect, sugar molecules. Along with proteins and fats, carbs are one of the main nutrients found in foods and drinks and they are essential as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Your body breaks down carbs into glucose (or blood sugar). This is the main source of energy that fuels your body. They’re important because the carbs you get from your food and drink don’t only give you the energy on the outside, but also on the inside.
It’s these nutrients that fuel your cells and organs.
There are different types of carbohydrates, and they all function in slightly different ways:
Sugars. Aka simple carbohydrates. Often found in the things you should try to be sensible about eating too much of (candy, soda, and processed foods). However, they do also occur naturally in things like fruit.
Starches. These are also called complex carbohydrates. They are common in things like bread, cereals, and other grains.
Fibres. Another type of complex carbohydrate, fibre is found in plants, including fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts, seeds, and beans. Your body actually finds it difficult to break down fibres. This means that eating these can help you feel fuller for longer.
Because they tend not to encourage people to overeat, high fibre diets tend to be popular among people looking to keep on top of their diets.
What’s the relationship between calories and carbohydrates?
The energy that we get from food or drink is measured in calories (or kcal, as you may’ve seen on nutritional labels). An average adult male needs around 2,500 kcal per day to maintain a healthy weight, and it’s slightly less for adult women (around 2,000 kcal).
When it comes to our food and drink, different types will have different amounts of calories. Generally speaking, fats contain the highest amount of calories, while protein and carbs contain about the same.
Excess calories are stored as fat in our bodies. Over time, if we continue to consume more calories than we use, we’re liable to gain weight.
In other words, if we consume more carbohydrates than our body’s need on a consistent basis, then the excess energy (the calories not used) will be stored as fat.
How many calories are in alcohol?
Generally speaking, alcohol contains roughly seven calories per gram. This puts it somewhere in the middle of carbohydrates and fats, which measure in at around 4 calories and 9 calories per gram respectively.
Or, to put it another way, a unit of alcohol contains around 56 calories. In other words, a typical pint of lager has around the same number of calories as a packet of chips!
Because we know that excess calories are stored as fat, this means that if you are trying to lose weight, then you’ll definitely want to think about your drinks order the next time you’re at the bar: what you drink can be just as important as what you eat!
Comparing the carbs in beer and non-alcoholic beers
There’s almost always no fat in your beer, which means that almost all of the calories in your drink will be coming from the alcohol and the carbohydrates.
If you were to compare the nutritional information of an ordinary beer and that of its non-alcoholic alternative, you’d notice quite a few similarities. You’d also notice some important differences, mainly the amount of calories and the amount of carbohydrates.
Normally, a non-alcoholic beer has significantly fewer calories than the normal, alcoholic version.
This is because, as we’ve seen, alcohol is high in calories.
To give one example, a 330ml bottle of Carlsberg (with a 3.8% ABV) weighs in at 122 kcal compared to just 73 kcal in the non-alcohol equivalent, Carlsberg 0.0 (0.0% ABV).
Let’s compare some other examples comparing 100ml of some popular drinks, to look at both the calorie count and the amount of carbs:
Heineken (5.0% ABV)
Calories per 100ml: 42
Carbs in grams: 0
Heineken 0.0 (0.05 ABV)
Calories per 100ml: 21
Carbs in grams: 1.3
BrewDog Punk IPA (5.6% ABV)
Calories per 100ml: 52
Carbs in grams: 0
BrewDog Punk AF (0.5% ABV)
Calories per 100ml: 15
Carbs in grams: 1.8
Guinness Draught (4.1% ABV)
Calories per 100ml: 37
Carbs in grams: 0.2
Guinness 0.0 (0.05% ABV)
Calories per 100ml: 17
Carbs in grams: 0.7
What you’ll notice is that the alcoholic version of the drink usually contains a much higher amount of calories per 100ml than the non-alcoholic version. This is because the alcohol, which is high in calories, has been removed.
However, you’ll also notice that the carbohydrate content in the non-alcoholic version is higher than the alcoholic beer. The reason for this is quite simple.
Because alcohol is a type of sugar, a non-alcoholic beer can sometimes lose its taste when the alcohol is removed. To restore the taste back to drink, brewers will often add sugars (basically, carbohydrates) back into the drink to make it more palatable.
This added sugar is important in making sure the non-alcoholic drink tastes better, but it can also mean that these alcohol-free drinks can be much higher in carbs than you might expect.
If you are looking to limit your sugar intake or to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, then this means you might want to keep an eye on how much non-alcoholic beer you’re drinking.
Check your nutritional labels.
Added sugar is important in making sure the non-alcoholic drink tastes better, but it can also mean that these alcohol-free drinks can be much higher in carbs than you might expect.
Although non-alcoholic beers can be less fattening because they’re lower in calories than regular beers, if you are looking to make healthier choices you’ll want to be careful.
If you are looking to limit your sugar intake or to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, then this means you might want to keep an eye on how much non-alcoholic beer you’re drinking. You might be wondering: what is a drinker to do?
Fortunately, non-alcoholic beers are required to display their nutritional information on their labels. This means customers can see exactly what’s in the drink they’re choosing, and they can make the right choice for their particular health goals.
You might want to think about this when it comes to your other drink choices too. Although non-alcoholic beers can contain relatively high levels of carbohydrates, they are still lower in calories than other soft drinks.
These are often common alcohol-free alternatives at social events, but they can be strikingly high in calories. A cola drink usually has 42 kcal per 100ml, while an orange juice—thanks to the natural sugars—usually has even more, at about 46 calories per 100ml.
If you’re thinking of making the switch to alcohol-free beers to help you cut the calories, then remember to check those labels. The alternative drink you chose instead may pack a surprising punch in terms of calories and sugars.
Non-alcoholic beers: a healthier choice?
At the end of the day, it’s important that you’re aware of what exactly is in the drink you’re ordering. There’s no doubt about it: swapping your normal beer order for a non-alcoholic version can be a much healthier choice.
These alcohol-free versions contain significantly less alcohol (or absolutely zero alcohol) which can only be better for your body and mind. Because they’re alcohol-free, they’re also usually much lower in calories which can help if you’re trying to keep an eye on your weight.
But it’s important to think about what else is in these drinks and how this might affect your health and body. Extra carbohydrates can be added to non-alcoholic drinks during the brewing process. Although this is important for the taste, it can make these drinks high in sugar, which might mean that they’re not the best choice for you.
Non-alcoholic beers might not always be the best option—and there are some cases where it’s better to abstain completely—but they’re definitely a healthier option than regular beers.
If you’re interested in exploring some alcohol-free alternatives, you can read some non-alcoholic beer reviews or explore some of our refreshing alcohol-free recipes.
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