Who’s the winner in the liquor vs non-alcoholic beverages health contest? Decide for yourself.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has calculated the nutritional content of beverages.
Liquor (distilled spirits) includes tequila, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, brandy, etc. Virtually all are 80 proof or 40% alcohol. They contain no carbs, fats, cholesterol, sugars, or sodium.
CALORIES
The USDA reports there are 97 calories in a serving of any 80 proof distilled spirits. It also lists the caloric contents of a serving of each of these non-alcoholic beverages.
| Beverage | Calories |
|---|---|
| Prune juice | 182 |
| Carbonated regular cola | 155 |
| Grape juice (unsweetened) | 155 |
| Apricot juice | 140 |
| Lemonade | 131 |
| Tangerine juice (unsweetened) | 125 |
| Milk (2% fat) | 122 |
| Apple juice (unsweetened) | 117 |
| Orange juice (unsweetened) | 112 |
| Grapefruit juice (unsweetened) | 94 |
| Tomato juice | 41 |
With 97 calories, liquor has fewer calories than all but two of these non-alcoholic beverages.
CARBS
Distilled spirits also have no carbs. What about the other beverages? There’s no contest with any of them. These are their carb contents in grams.
| Beverage | Carbs |
|---|---|
| Prune juice | 44.67 |
| Carbonated regular cola | 39.77 |
| Grape juice (unsweetened) | 37.84 |
| Apricot juice | 36.11 |
| Lemonade | 34.05 |
| Tangerine juice (unsweetened) | 29.88 |
| Apple juice (unsweetened) | 28.96 |
| Orange juice (unsweetened) | 26.84 |
| Grapefruit juice (unsweetened) | 22.13 |
| Milk (2% fat) | 11.41 |
| Tomato juice | 10.30 |
FATS
Distilled spirits have no fats. The other beverages? Here’s the listing of their fats in grams.
| Beverage | Fats |
|---|---|
| Milk (2% fat) | 4.807 |
| Apple juice (unsweetened) | .273 |
| Grapefruit juice (unsweetened) | .247 |
| Apricot juice | .226 |
| Grape juice (unsweetened) | .202 |
| Orange juice (unsweetened) | .149 |
| Lemonade | .149 |
| Tomato juice | .122 |
| Tangerine juice (unsweetened) | .098 |
| Prune juice | .077 |
| Carbonated regular cola | .000 |
Only cola competes with spirits in the category of fats. And with no fats, there is no cholesterol in either cola or spirits.
SUGARS
Distilled spirits have no sugars. Not so for the other beverages.
| Beverage | Sugars |
|---|---|
| Prune juice | 42.11 |
| Carbonated regular cola | 36.78 |
| Grape juice (unsweetened) | 35.93 |
| Apple juice (unsweetened) | 32.67 |
| Apricot juice | 30.15 |
| Lemonade | 24.65 |
| Orange juice (unsweetened) | 21.81 |
| Tangerine juice (unsweetened) | 21.17 |
| Grapefruit juice (unsweetened) | 17.78 |
| Milk (2% fat) | 12.35 |
| Tomato juice | 7.09 |
SODIUM
Distilled spirits have no sodium (salt). This is the listing for other beverages. The sodium content is in milligrams.
| Beverage | Sodium |
|---|---|
| Milk (2% fat) | 120.0 |
| Prune juice | 70.7 |
| Tomato juice | 24.3 |
| Grape juice (unsweetened) | 12.7 |
| Orange juice (unsweetened) | 10.0 |
| Apple juice (unsweetened) | 9.9 |
| Lemonade | 9.9 |
| Apricot juice | 5.0 |
| Tangerine juice (unsweetened) | 2.5 |
| Grapefruit juice (unsweetened) | 2.5 |
| Carbonated regular cola | 1.2 |
Liquor vs Non-Alcoholic Beverages: The Winner?
Most noteworthy, the US federal government has determined that the moderate consumption of alcohol is linked with better health and longer life than abstaining from it.
So consider the contents of the various beverages. Examine calories, carbs, fats, sugars and salt content. Then you decide the winner in the liquor vs non-alcoholic beverages health contest.
See Also
Beer vs Cola. Which Is Better for Health?
Beer is Better than Milk for Good Health & Weight.
Alcohol, Calories and Weight: Surprising Facts!
12 Surprising Facts about Alcohol, Drinking & Health.
Alcohol and Health: Medical Findings.
Drinking Alcohol and Weight, Obesity and BMI.
Alcohol, Calories and Weight: Surprising Facts Unknown to Most M.Ds.