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When people embark on Plan Z we tell them that while they are in the ZReduction phase of Plan Z that it’s a good idea to not drink alcohol.  We learned from those who experimented with wine, beer or cocktails that they lost about 60% less weight when they drank. Most people would say that’s just not worth it. When you commit to a diet you want to lose as much as you can as quickly as you can.

So invariably I get this question. It comes up about once a week. “But What About My Beer?” This is often said with a bit of a whine. “But What About My Beeeeeeer?”

I tell my dieters when they are finished losing the weight and are solidly into the maintenance phase of Plan Z they can get their beer back, but they might want to get picky about which ones they choose to drink. Then I give them some hints.

I’m not a beer drinker so I have to look to the experts and those who have done Plan Z and are willing to share their stories for input.

This article appeared recently in the Chicago Tribune. If you are a craft beer fan and really love to read reviews, you’re going to love this article.

Read the full review HERE

A bunch of craft beer experts (brewers) got together and did a blind taste test. They tested 15 beers and discussed each of them in succession. The group of beers included some Big Beer offerings and some craft beer offerings. It’s interesting to read and see how serious they are about their beer and how they can be just as nuanced as any wine snob.

The idea was to taste “light” or “lite” beers and pick the best ones. Then, with each beer, they listed the winners, the alcohol content (percentage) and the calories. You can see who came out on top, middle and the bottom toward the end of the article.

I’m going to save you taking the time to read the whole thing if you just want the finalists.

But, I am going to give you the top 5 winners and their carb counts. I’m not so interested in the calories. They are all low calorie, but they are considerably different in carb count.

Here goes:

Number 1 was a big surprise. It’s Coors Light. Maybe it should not be a big surprise. It just came in number 1 across the nation as the most popular light beer and it’s from the Big Beer industry so it’s widely available. Coors light has 5 grams of carbs. Although you can find beers with 2.4 grams of carbs or less (I’ll give you some of those too a bit later), 5 grams is a pretty good number for a beer.

Coming in at #2 was a craft beer called Founders brewery Solid Gold. The guys really raved about this one. Unfortunately, even though it’s categorized as a light beer it has 12 grams of carbs in a 12 oz glass.

That’s more than twice Coors Light. So do you want two beers? Or one with twice the carbs?

#3 was a beer called Totally Naked. It’s from a Wisconsin brewery located in New Glarus. I’m not sure if you can even get it outside the state of Wisconsin. That comes in at 11 grams per 12 oz glass.

Spiteful Lager (made in Chicago) came in at #4. I couldn’t find the carb count for this beer anywhere. I even went to DRAFT Magazine’s exhaustive list of beers and their carb levels and it’s not listed.

#5 is another surprise – Corona Light. They loved it. And it’s only 5 grams of carbs.

There are tons of lists of low calorie or low carb beers. This article from Shape Magazine lists the most popular national brands and how many carbs they have. This article has drinking opinions included too.

https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/15-bikini-friendly-beers

Oh yeah, I promised the ones with the lowest carb levels that were rated by the Chicago brewer group from the article. They include:

Beer                                                    Carbs per 12 oz glass

Greens Trailblazer                           .5  (This is the first I have seen a beer this low)

Bud Select 55                                    1.9 (I had a dieter who thought he’d hate this and decided it was pretty good)

Miller 64                                            2.4

Rolling Rock Green Light               2.4

I have no idea if these taste like sewer water or maybe worse, taste like nothing. You’ll have to do your own ratings.

Next time you’re in a pub and they have one of those big lists of craft beers and you’re trying to decide which one you want to try, know you can Google it and find out. With rare exception the carb count information is available.

Cheers!

Mushroom Bacon Soup

I had a hankering for bacon. My husband wanted mushroom soup. And thus, this recipe was born.