Counting the Calories in Three Glasses of Holiday Sangria

Last night my mom and I indulged in a pitcher of spiced apple cider sangria at Onesto in South City. It was so tasty that we each drank several glasses, and before we knew it, we’d polished off the whole thing. About three glasses each.

After the very pleasant buzz wore off, I started wondering if we’d overdone it. Not in terms of alcohol – it wasn’t that strong, and we left the alcohol-infused apples in the pitcher! – but in terms of calories. Would I have to short myself on cookies for a day or two to make up for all the sangria?

I’m not usually a calorie counter, especially when it comes to cocktails, wine and beer, but recently a longtime friend showed up at a holiday party looking stunningly svelte. Her fitness secret? Quit cold turkey on the booze. In four months she lost more weight than she had during the previous couple of years by religiously going to the gym after work.

It’s not that she drank a lot, but her beverages of choice – margaritas, wine – are higher in calories than say, ultra-light beer. In fact, an 8-ounce margarita averages 280 calories, depending on the ingredients. (And really, who can stop at just one?)  A 12-ounce ultra-light beer, by contrast, would have between 65 and 90, on average.

It turns out that sangria is not the worst thing we could have been drinking in terms of calories. Most have between 100 and 200 calories per glass. Better yet, sangria is low in carbs and fat but high in vitamins. So perhaps we could have made a healthy argument for eating those high-potency apple slices after all!

There are many online sources of cocktail calories, but the one I’ve found most comprehensive is Good Housekeeping’s. (Who’d have thought?)  I also have a handy phone app that asks me what I drank and then converts that into minutes of exercise I’ll have to do to burn it off.

It turns out the half hour I spent on the elliptical machine at the gym this morning cancels out the sangria indulgence, leaving plenty of room for sugar cookies (starting at around 190 calories each). Bring on the dessert tray! 

Thanks for reading SmartParenting in 2010, and come back for some great new content in 2011. Here’s a Champagne toast (88 calories!) to another successful year.

By Amy De La Hunt, Health Blogger for SmartParenting