By Rennie Aranda, Skinny Gene Nutritionist

Happy hour can get less happy when you realize all your healthy eating throughout the week is sabotaged by your cocktail choices at the bar and your favorite jeans are feeling more snug than usual. A night on the town doesn’t have to mean wrecking your diet. The key is to choose your cocktails carefully and consume them in moderation. The first step is to familiarize yourself with what constitutes as one serving of alcohol and the estimated calories and carbohydrates in common alcoholic beverages.

Use the following “Happy Hour Cheat Sheet” to help serve as a guide in navigating through happy hour without wrecking your diet.

(Please click on the image below to enlarge it.)  

Mixed drinks can get a little tricky in determining healthy choices at the bar to choose from. Use the following “Cocktail Cheat Sheet” to get a sense of higher calorie versus lower calorie drinks among these popular cocktails.

  Try to mix cocktails with water, club soda (not tonic), low calorie juices, or sugar-free syrups/mixers for calorie savings. Before you head out to the next cocktail party or happy hour, make sure to plan ahead. Decide in advance the number of cocktails you are planning to drink and try to cut back on some calories during the day in anticipation. Try to eat a light snack before you go out so you won’t get tipsy with the first drink or be more tempted to dive into food. As a rule of thumb, you should do 30 minutes of moderate-paced walking per 100 calories to burn off your happy hour cocktails. More importantly, always be aware of your own personal limits.

Want to learn more about Skinny Libations?  First, check out the first article in our series and learn how to avoid alcohol-related weight gain. Then, sign up for our free Skinny Libations Series so you can have your cocktail, and drink it too! 

Cheers to happy hour and healthy drinking!

Please always remember to drink responsibly!