No nutrition facts on alcohol... wtf?

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

But when you're boozing are you looking at how many calories, etc. you're consuming and do you really care? Personally I don't.

Well, I really noticed this a couple of months ago when I started trying to get into shape a couple of months ago (down from 224 to 191 so far.... woo hoo!). Anyway, I enjoy vodka quite a bit... straight, mixed with various fruit juices, whatever.... I had heard it had a lot of calories so I looked at the bottle when I went to have a drink and was a bit pissed the information wasn't on there. I'm sure it doesn't matter to most people, but since I was trying to watch my calorie intake I really wanted to know.

If you're so worried about calories/etc. in alcoholic beverages then you really don't need to be drinking them anyway. The alcohol itself is a lot worse than the caloric content.

I'm really only drink 1 -2 times per week, but when you are monitoring calories day to day it would useful information to know.

You can always look online.

1.5oz of 80 proof alcohol contains 97 calories.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

But when you're boozing are you looking at how many calories, etc. you're consuming and do you really care? Personally I don't.

Well, I really noticed this a couple of months ago when I started trying to get into shape a couple of months ago (down from 224 to 191 so far.... woo hoo!). Anyway, I enjoy vodka quite a bit... straight, mixed with various fruit juices, whatever.... I had heard it had a lot of calories so I looked at the bottle when I went to have a drink and was a bit pissed the information wasn't on there. I'm sure it doesn't matter to most people, but since I was trying to watch my calorie intake I really wanted to know.

If you're so worried about calories/etc. in alcoholic beverages then you really don't need to be drinking them anyway. The alcohol itself is a lot worse than the caloric content.

I'm really only drink 1 -2 times per week, but when you are monitoring calories day to day it would useful information to know.

But that's just the thing. It's not the calories from the alcohol that are the killer. Granted, if you drink a 12 pack of light beer you're consuming around 1200 calories.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Because the FDA only covers food and not alcohol, so their nutrition label is not applicable to alcohol. The BATF handles alcohol. And the nutrition label only applies to prepared foods and not natural foods, ie, in their raw form.

I just wonder how they (the industry) has avoided being forced to have these labels for all these years. Also, alcohol goes through a lot of processing (filtering and such), I hardly consider it to be in it's natural form. No more so than something like sugar or salt, both of which have labels. [edit] Oh yeah, and my original example: water. How is water not in its natural form? Yet it has labels. I personally think alcohol should as well.

Water label requirements

Regarding why there is no nutrition label on alcoholic beverages - mostly because the BATF is lobbied by manufacturers of spirits. Do you know the hurdles the BATF faced when putting on that ridiculous "Surgeon's General Warning: women pregnant should not consume alcoholic beverages blah blah" warning you see? Took years to finally get that on the label.

 

[Beattie]

Originally posted by: Thraxen
I've wondered about this too. Most alcohol drinks have quite a few calories. How are they not required to label this information like most other foods? If bottled water is required to have nutrition labeling, WTF isn't alcohol?

Alcohol isnt a food, it's a drug. You dont see nutrition info on your tylenol bottles either, do you? Nutrition info is only required to be on food products.

 

[Thraxen]

But that's just the thing. It's not the calories from the alcohol that are the killer.

Honestly, with the amount I drink neither the alcohol or the calories are going to be "killer" by any mean. But neither would a single cookie, scoop of ice cream, etc... But the calories contribute to an overall total that adds up. I didn't manage to lose the weight I have by ignoring any contributions to the total.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269

Originally posted by: Thraxen

But when you're boozing are you looking at how many calories, etc. you're consuming and do you really care? Personally I don't.

Well, I really noticed this a couple of months ago when I started trying to get into shape a couple of months ago (down from 224 to 191 so far.... woo hoo!). Anyway, I enjoy vodka quite a bit... straight, mixed with various fruit juices, whatever.... I had heard it had a lot of calories so I looked at the bottle when I went to have a drink and was a bit pissed the information wasn't on there. I'm sure it doesn't matter to most people, but since I was trying to watch my calorie intake I really wanted to know.

If you're so worried about calories/etc. in alcoholic beverages then you really don't need to be drinking them anyway. The alcohol itself is a lot worse than the caloric content.

I'm really only drink 1 -2 times per week, but when you are monitoring calories day to day it would useful information to know.

But that's just the thing. It's not the calories from the alcohol that are the killer. Granted, if you drink a 12 pack of light beer you're consuming around 1200 calories.

You'd be surprised. Yeah, beer is a double-whammy because it also contains genuine carbs, but remember.. alcohol is metabolized into sugars, so... it's the same thing, really.

 

[Syringer]

To anyone making the argument that it's not "needed" and that you shouldn't care, then the same goes for any sort of junk food. If your going to start gorging on chips all day, then why should it matter how many calories you've consumed?

 

[Spooner]

Everytime I ask this I get lauged at as well..... something i'm just curious about

 

[azazyel]

carb counter

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
You are drinking alcohol for nutrition??? You must consider that it might be time to seek help for yourself.

Haha, I hope this is a joke. Junk food and sodas have nutrition facts labeled on them, yet I don't think anyone is consuming these products for nutrition either.