Is Alcohol a Macronutrient? How Do You Track It?

You’re watching an episode of your favorite TV show, Friends, where the gang is gathered at Central Perk. Monica is introducing her latest health-conscious recipe while Joey is just trying to figure out if beer counts as a carb. It’s a humorous moment, but it gets you thinking — how does alcohol fit into your diet?

Alcohol is considered a macronutrient, but it doesn’t fall into the category of carbohydrate, protein, or fat. So, how do we track when we’re counting our “macros” to reach our nutrition goals? Let’s dive into the science behind alcohol and its place in nutrition. Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or trying to understand more about the effects of alcohol on your health, we’ll help you make sense of it all. 

Understanding Macronutrients

Macronutrients, also commonly referred to as macros, are the building blocks of our nutrition. They are the primary source of energy that we get from food, which includes three main categories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The other main component of our nutrition is micronutrients. Micronutrients are smaller nutritional categories that include vitamins and minerals. Think of the zinc, magnesium, and potassium in a steak rather than the protein, which is the macronutrient. Micronutrients are no less important, but just needed in smaller amounts. 

The three main macronutrients are essential to our nutrition, as they have different functions. A balanced diet consists of all three:

• Carbohydrates are our main source of energy. 
• Protein helps build strong bones and muscles.
• Fats are essential to cell function and protection of our organs. 

A general breakdown of macronutrients in a balanced diet consists of around 20%-35% of calories from fat, 10-35% from protein, and 45%-65% from carbohydrates. Keep in mind, individual dietary requirements may differ, but this is just a general guideline. We can also adjust our macronutrients based on our goals. For example, if we want to build more muscle, we can increase our protein intake. If our goal is weight loss, we can focus on lowering our carbohydrate intake. Keeping track of our macros helps us reach various health goals. But where does alcohol fit in?

Is Alcohol a Macronutrient?

Alcohol is considered the fourth macronutrient since it’s not a protein, carbohydrate, or fat, but still contains calories that the body burns off. But just because macronutrients are the building blocks of our nutrition, doesn’t mean alcohol should be part of our diet. Unlike the other macronutrients, alcohol has no nutritional value and is not essential to our survival. In fact, alcohol is harmful to our health and is associated with long-term conditions that can even be life-threatening.

So, despite the misleading label of alcohol as a nutrient, specifically a macronutrient, alcohol and nutrition don’t go hand in hand. In fact, research shows that high alcohol intake is associated with poor eating habits and differences in body composition. 

Understanding how to properly track alcohol intake is beneficial to our health. But sometimes when we buy alcohol, nutrition labels aren’t on it, and even if they are, they can be misleading. Let’s learn how to properly track our macros when drinking. 

How Do You Track the Macros of Alcohol?

While alcohol is its own macronutrient, it can be counted as a carbohydrate, fat, or a combination of both depending on the type. This is because carbs provide around 4 calories per gram, and fat provides around 9. From an energy lens, alcohol has 7 calories per gram, which sits in between a gram of carbohydrate and fat. While protein also contains 4 calories per gram, nutritionally, alcohol is closer to carbohydrates or fats. 

Determining the carbohydrates or fats in an alcoholic drink is simple when we know the calories. To track alcohol as a carbohydrate, divide the total calories by 4 (since there’s 4 cal/g of carbs). To track it as a fat, divide the calories by 9. To track alcohol as both a carb and fat, split the calories in half and divide one half by 4 and the other by 9.

When we don’t know the calories, that’s when it gets (just slightly) more complicated. Since alcohol is regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) rather than the FDA (like other food and drinks), nutritional labeling isn’t required. Luckily, we can use the alcohol by volume — ABV — to calculate the macros. Let’s walk through the steps and look at an example:

There are 28.409 grams in 1 ounce. We can take 28.409 grams and multiply it by the number of ounces of alcohol in our drink to get the number of grams of alcohol. The recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. We then multiply that by 7 calories in a gram (which is how much alcohol has). Multiply that by the alcohol by volume to get total calories, then split it in half and divide one half by 9 and the other by 4 like we mentioned earlier. Here’s the equation for reference:


• 28.409 g/oz x ___ oz = ___ g
• ___ g x 0.8g = ___
• ___ x 7 cal/g = ____ total cal
• ___ %ABV x ___ total cal = ___ cal per ___ oz
• Convert calories into macros

To get a better idea of how it works, let’s use 1.5 oz of 40%-ABV vodka as an example:

• 28.409 g/oz x 1.5 oz = 42.61 g
• 42.61 g x 0.8g = 34.09 g
• 34.09 x 7 cal/g = 238.62 total cal
• 0.04ABV x 238.62 total cal = 96 cal per 1.5 oz
• 96/4 = 24g of carbs; 96/9 = 10.6g of fat


It may not be practical to whip out an equation each time we drink, but there are plenty of online calculator tools to help us determine the macros in our drink. If you’re in a pinch or there’s no nutrition label, check out our cheat sheet for a guesstimate.

Now, why bother doing all this, you may ask? Well, there are benefits to tracking the macronutrients and calories we get from alcohol. Let’s take a look at what those are.

Benefits of Tracking Alcohol and Calories

The fitness industry commonly uses the term “calories in, calories out.” When it comes to weight loss, tracking calories can be effective. But there’s more to the story. Tracking macros helps us reach other health goals and has additional benefits: 

• Quality over quantity. Not all calories are created equally. When we focus on the macronutrient breakdown, we take into account the quality of our nutrition rather than just the calories. For example, a cup of plain Greek yogurt with granola may have the same number of calories as a Pop-Tart, but the former has a much more balanced breakdown of macros (protein, complex carbs, healthy fats), whereas the Pop-Tart is not a balanced meal and is mostly fat and carbohydrates (not to mention sugar). Tracking the macros and calories in alcohol helps us gain insight into not only how many calories we’re actually consuming, but also where those calories are coming from.


  
  ‍Tip: Check out Reframe’s handy alcohol calorie calculator to easily track how many calories you’re getting from alcohol.
• A tool for different health goals. Whether we’re looking to build muscle, improve our metabolism, lose weight, or ensure we’re eating a balanced diet, counting macros can help us reach certain health goals. 
• Less restriction. Tracking macros can be less restrictive for some of us. It doesn’t restrict certain food groups like some diets and helps promote the message that all foods can fit into a healthy diet. Since alcohol has calories, it’s important to account for it when tracking macros and calories. 
• Greater insight. Tracking our macros, like tracking our alcohol intake, gives us greater insight into how our diet affects us. This helps us adjust our nutrition and use it to boost our overall well-being.

Understanding the benefits of tracking macros can influence our choices. Let’s dive into some drink options that may be more aligned with our goals. 

Macro-Friendly Drink Options

At the end of the day, all alcohol is empty calories, but if we do decide to have a drink, we can be mindful of our nutrition by going for more macro-friendly options. Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re choosing a drink:

• Opt for lower alcohol content. The higher the alcohol content, the more calories a drink has. Go for lower alcohol options such as beer or hard seltzers rather than liquor.
• Use no/low cal mixers. Mixers such as artificial fruit juices, soda, and syrups can add to the calories in alcohol. Opt for no or low-calorie options such as sparkling water or tomato juice.
• Go for light beers. Light beers often use fewer grains and additives such as corn or rice to lower the alcohol content and calories.
• Ask for “skinny” versions of cocktails. A “skinny” version of a cocktail is a lower-sugar or lower-calorie version. The sugar can be replaced with Stevia, sugary mixers may be replaced with soda water, or the alcohol can be replaced with lower-alcohol spirits.
• Try low-calorie wines. Like light beers, low-calorie wines are made using modifications of the ingredients and fermentation process. The lower sugar and alcohol levels leads to a more macro-friendly wine.

Now that we’re equipped with macro-friendly drink options, let’s explore some practical tips to further manage our alcohol intake and nutrition. 

Tips for Managing Alcohol and Nutrition

Our health consists of many aspects, and what we consume is among the most important. Managing our nutrition and alcohol intake using these tips helps us work towards a healthier lifestyle:

• Keep track. Tracking, whether it’s our macros for nutrition or our alcohol intake, helps us get a clearer picture of our habits. By gathering this important information, we can develop goals to improve our overall health and well-being.
• Be intentional. Choose more nutrient-dense dietary options such as whole foods and lots of veggies (with an occasional treat here and there for balance!). When it comes to drinking, set limits, choose low-alcohol options, or better yet, opt for alcohol-free alternatives. 
• Avoid empty calories. Empty calories have no nutritional value and increase the chances of weight gain. Quitting or cutting back on alcohol reduces intake of these empty calories. 
• Stay active. Participating in daily movement has benefits to our physical health, such as improving cardiovascular health and preventing excess fat. It also has positive effects on our mental health such as increasing our confidence and boosting our mood.
• Develop a support system. Having others we can rely on is important for our mental and social health. Especially during challenging times such as developing a healthier relationship with alcohol or managing our nutrition, social support can serve as motivation and encourage us to continue striving for better. 

Managing our nutrition through tracking alcohol intake is the first step to a healthier lifestyle. We can continue to set ourselves up for success by developing positive skills such as mindfulness, coping mechanisms, and gratitude.

Sipping Wisely

As we can see, understanding where alcohol fits into our nutrition goals isn’t just for fitness enthusiasts. It’s valuable for any one of us looking to make more informed choices. Whether we’re looking to quit or cut back on alcohol or simply aiming to have a more balanced diet, knowing how to track alcohol as part of our macros is a game-changer. So, the next time we’re enjoying a drink, we’ll know exactly how it fits into our plan, making our journey to a healthier, happier lifestyle more manageable. Cheers to more informed choices!