Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Anna Gillian heads for Fatso’s on Friday night. She steps up to the bar with her visiting cousins and orders a bottle of Bud Light.
110 calories.
Gillian, Chicago senior, downs a shot of Rumplemintz.
100 more calories.
Throughout the weekend Gillian would go on to consume nearly 1,700 calories from alcoholic drinks, more than normal for her. Gillian is one of many college students who drink during the weekend and consume extra calories.
Photo Illustration by Jon Goering/KANSAN
According to a 2005 U.S. Department of Education survey, 73 percent of college students drink an average of six or fewer alcoholic drinks each week. Some students, such as Gillian, have found ways to compensate for the extra calories from alcohol consumption.
Calories by the drink:
12 oz. beer — 150 calories
12 oz. light beer — 110 calories
12 oz. dark beer — 168 calories
12 oz. rum and Coke — 361 calories
1.5 oz. shot of liquor — 100 calories
4.6 oz. Bloody Mary — 120 calories
7 oz. Gin and Tonic — 189 calories
6.3 oz. Margarita — 327 calories
8 oz. Pina Colada — 312 calories
7 oz. screwdriver — 208 calories
3 oz. Kamikaze — 180 calories
Source: drinksmixer.com, calorieking.com, webtender.com, 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
“I’d rather eat healthy all day than count calories while I’m drinking,” Gillian said. “I’m not that girl.”
Ann Chapman, dietitian for Student Health Services, said female college students should be consuming an average of 2,400 calories daily while college males needed an average of 2,800 calories each day. She said the differences in required caloric intake varied depending on height, weight and level of physical activity.
By drinking 1,700 calories last weekend, Gillian’s alcohol consumption accounted for about 70 percent of an average daily caloric requirement for a female.
Chapman said alcoholic beverages add extra calories while contributing little nutritional value.
Jenny McKee, health educator and coordinator for Student Health Services, said students might often have a difficult time keeping track of how much they had consumed. She attributed the confusion to the different sizes of drinks many bars offered guests.
McKee said bars had drinks, such as the 32-ounce Schooner at Louise’s, that were larger and contained more calories than an average drink.
Zach Sumada, Kansas City, Kan., senior, said he drank between eight and 10 beers in an average night out. He consumes between 800 and 1,100 calories each night, even though he drinks light beer almost exclusively unless there is a special. He said he didn’t think about calories when he was planning on a night of drinking.
“I eat more so I can drink more when I go out,” Sumada said. “Plus then I don’t get as drunk.”
Chapman said consuming too many calories could lead to weight gain. She said the extra weight could lead to more serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and hypertension.
Gillian said she drank light beer to combat the calorie intake. According to the Washington Post, the difference in calories for light beer as opposed to regular or dark beer varied by 40 to 60 calories.
McKee said people who abused alcohol over long periods of time could also suffer from the overconsumption of the “empty calories” alcohol contained. She said that alcohol impaired the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients, which was why malnutrition could be such a problem among some adults.
“We usually don’t see it in college students,” McKee said. “But it’s important.”
— — Edited by Jennifer Torline
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