December is the ‘Grog Slog’, so for many of us the sensible answer is to go alcohol free.
But while ditching booze undoubtedly benefits your health the alternatives may not all be as healthy as you think.
Bini Suresh, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association and head of dietetics at Cleveland Clinic London, explains that ‘alcohol-free drinks remove the health risks associated with alcohol itself, such as cancer, liver disease and hypertension, so they are generally a safer alternative. However, they are not automatically “healthy”.’
Almost all alcohol-free wines start life as normal wine. The alcohol is removed, which also strips aroma and softens the flavour. The only realistic way to rebalance the sharp acidity is to add sugar, usually in the form of ‘grape must concentrate’, which is juice from crushed grapes. It’s a similar story for beer, where sugars such as lactose, fructose or glucose are added, boosting both carbs and calories.
Here Suresh gives her verdict on some popular no-booze alternatives…
While ditching booze undoubtedly benefits your health the alternatives may not all be as healthy as you think. File image
Zeno Alcohol-Liberated Red Wine
Calorie count: A smallglass – 125ml – contains 13 calories and 2.6g sugar.
Ingredients: De-alcoholised red wine with grape must concentrate, gum arabic, potassium polyaspartate, glycerine, tartaric acid, dimethyl dicarbonate, sulphites, natural aromas. This wine contains multiple additives and stabilisers.
Nutritionist’s rating: ‘While this is a reasonable alcohol-free option, it’s not the simplest nutritionally,’ says Suresh. ‘While these additives are permitted and unlikely to cause health problems at the levels used, this is a highly processed wine-style drink.’
Zeno Alcohol-Liberated Red Wine: While this is a reasonable alcohol-free option, it’s not the simplest nutritionally
Nozeco Sparkling Wine
Calorie count: A 125ml glass has 30 calories and 9g sugar.
Ingredients: De-alcoholised wine, added sugar, citric acid, natural flavourings, potassium sorbate, potassium bisulphite (sulphites).
Nutritionist’s rating: This sits ‘closer to a lightly sweetened soft drink than to a dry sparkling wine’, says Suresh. ‘Just a couple of flutes could provide around a quarter of your daily sugar limit. Sulphites are safe for most people, but can aggravate asthma or trigger hives.’
Nozeco Sparkling Wine: This sits ‘closer to a lightly sweetened soft drink than to a dry sparkling wine
Nøgne Ø Svart/Hvit Milk Stout (0.0%)
Calorie count: A half pint has 79 calories and 20g sugar.
Ingredients: Water, malted barley, lactose, hops, yeast.
Nutritionist’s rating: The lactose that gives this stout its creamy sweetness also hikes its sugar content. One 330ml bottle contains about 23g – similar to a small chocolate bar and almost 80 per cent of the recommended daily added sugar limit. Suresh says this makes it an ‘occasional treat rather than a midweek staple’.
Nøgne Ø Svart/Hvit Milk Stout: ‘occasional treat rather than a midweek staple’
Erdinger Alkoholfrei
Calorie count: A half pint has 72 calories and 10g sugar.
Ingredients: Water, wheat malt, barley malt, hops, yeast, carbon dioxide.
Nutritionist’s rating: Marketed as an isotonic recovery beer, this contains significantly more sugar than the brand’s alcoholic Weissbier. A full 500ml bottle provides over a third of an adult’s recommended added-sugar limit. Suresh says it ‘can still be a sensible alternative to alcohol but it’s not a sugar-free choice’, so should be limited to one and ideally alternated with water.
Lyre’s Italian Spritz
Calorie count: A 25ml measure has 20 calories, 6g sugar.
Ingredients: Water, sugar, natural flavours, phosphoric acid, potassium sorbate, and artificial colours (Allura Red, Sunset Yellow).
Nutritionist’s rating: This is one of the biggest sugar bombs on this list. A standard drink using 50ml of Italian Spritz provides around 10g to 12g of added sugar before you’ve even added any mixer. Suresh notes: ‘It’s fine for an occasional aperitif, but not something to drink several glasses of.’
Lyre’s Italian Spritz: It’s fine for an occasional aperitif, but not something to drink several glasses of
Botivo Botanical Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo
Calorie count: A 25ml measure has 5.5 calories, 1.25g sugar.
Ingredients: Apple cider vinegar, wildflower honey, fructose, water, rosemary, thyme, gentian root, wormwood leaf, orange zest.
Nutritionist’s rating: Botivo stands out for its short, natural ingredient list and lack of artificial colours or preservatives. It still contributes added sugars from honey and added fructose but at levels similar to many alcohol-free wines and with fewer additives. Suresh describes it as a more ‘whole-food style’ option: better from an ingredients perspective, but ‘still not a sugar-free drink’, so portion control still matters.
Botivo Botanical Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo: Better from an ingredients perspective, but ‘still not a sugar-free drink’,