drink swapper

Most of us enjoy a drink, and the odd one isn´t bad for us. But we often forget that many of the drinks we have, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, contain calories that can really add up.
And it´s not just piling on the pounds that we need to worry about. If you´re a woman drinking 2 large glasses of wine or more most days, or a man drinking 2 pints of strong larger or more most days, you could be putting your health at risk.
Making some drinks swaps means we can cut down on some of the calories in drinks without having to say ´no´.

Soft drink swaps
Water swap
Keep a jug of water in the fridge for a refreshing, and cheap, drink. Make water more exciting by adding a slice of lemon, watermelon, lime or a splash of fruit juice.

Coffee swap
Swap high-calorie coffee drinks like whole-milk latte for drinks made with 1% or skimmed milk. Instead of syrups, try a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top to add flavour.

Smoothie swap
Smoothies can be healthy but they can also be high in calories.

Compare the labels and choose the smoothie with the fewest calories.
Choose smoothies that are made from fruit alone and don´t contain added yogurt or honey.
Pop swap
Swap sugary fizzy drinks for sparkling water with a slice of lemon or a dash of fruit juice, or even ´diet´ versions.

Energy drink aware
Energy and sports drinks can contain a lot of calories – check the label.


Instead of... Try...
Sugary fizzy drinks Water with ice and lemon
Energy drinks Tea or coffee (go easy on the sugar!)
Cordial Herbal tea
Flavoured water Hot water with ginger, lemon and honey
Fruit juice Milk – semi-skimmed. 1% or skimmed
Milk shakes 100% unsweetened fruit juice (it contains a lot of naturally occurring
sugars, so try diluting it with water)

Booze swaps
Slim Jims
We tend to pour a third more drink into shorter, wider glasses than tall thin because it looks like less in a fatter glass. Try and use slim glasses.

Spritz it
A good way to cut down on alcohol calories is to get a smaller glass of wine with a soda water top.

Mixer swap
Swap sugary mixers for reduced calorie versions.

Booze break
Try having a couple of consecutive days in the week when you stick to low calorie soft drinks.

Out of house, out of mind
If there´s alcohol in the house, then we´re likely to drink it. Simply stop stocking up on the alcohol at home.

Have a ´spacer´
Space your alcoholic drinks over the evening by having a glass of water or low calorie soft drink in between.

Pace yourself
Pace yourself to the slowest drinker and there´ll be fewer rounds in the pub.

Make mine a half
If it´s hard to say no when friends are getting a round in, just go for a half.

Make it Last
If you are drinking spirits, top a single shot of spirits right up with low calorie mixer.

Wait ´til later
Try starting later to help you drink less overall and don´t feel like you have to finish the bottle use a stopper.