Thin & Beer It: 7 Best Brews for the Dieter

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When you start a diet, it's always a good idea to cut out the extra calories you soak up from nonfood sources like coffee drinks, soda and beer.

But, if you can't bear the thought of giving up your beloved beer, we've got great news for you – you can enjoy a good light brew or two every now and then without blowing your weight loss goals.

According to some researchers, you can even drink to your health because beer might have more health benefits than red wine!

But before you raise your mug and toast your best-ever beer diet, know that even light beers can add up to heavy trouble when you overdo it too often. And excess alcohol is never good for anyone at any time.

So be a glass act and drink responsibly – or not at all.

Why would Mr. Bad Food mix beer and weight loss? Well, for starters, the average American drinks 4.4 bottles of beer a week. When you take into account that there 307,000,000 of us, that equates to more than 1.3 BILLION bottles of beer consumed weekly.

Kind of explains all those weekend beer commercials, huh?

Secondly, thanks to brewing breakthroughs, some light beers now pack a mere 55 calories per 12 ounces! That's about one-third the calories of a regular beer.

Let's lighten up about beer drinking and choose brews that fit our healthier lifestyle.

Mr. Bad Food's three favorite light beers are Labatt Blue Light, Bud Light Lime and Coors Light. Yes, I confess to a love of beer. It's a great side for a backyard barbecue and it really goes down great after a hot day working on the lawn or on the softball fields down at the complex.

But why should you trust my choices and plunk down your cold, hard cash on a frosty six-pack of Labatt or Coors? Well, you don't have to. I did a little research and found a round-up of light beers on WomensHealthmag.com.

Here are their super seven sippers:  

AMSTEL LIGHT 95 Cals/5 G Carbs
"Thicker, smoother, and not as wimpy as most light beers, but a little tangy."

BECK'S PREMIER LIGHT 64 Cals/3.9 G Carbs
"One of the tastier of the bunch!"

BUDWEISER SELECT 99 Cals/3.1 G Carbs
"Well-balanced flavor, but a little watered down."

COORS LIGHT 102 Cals/5 G Carbs
"Tastes like flat Bud Light."

CORONA LIGHT 99 Cals/5 G Carbs
"Not bad for a light beer, but very carbonated, with a persistent aftertaste."

MILLER CHILL 110 Cals/6.5 G Carbs
"A happy, zippy, beach beer--citrusy and refreshing."

SAM ADAMS LIGHT 119 Cals/9.6 G Carbs
"Hearty, but a little bitter."

Okay, so the reviews are not all that rave. So let's have another round and sample this top five light beer picks from Bullz-eye.com.

Sam Adams Light
“Hands down, this is the best light available. It's almost good enough to consider it a real beer.”

Yuengling Light
“Not bad, and if you prefer hops over malt, this is probably your light.”

Shiner Light
“Of the lights, this one is the least suitable for 'lawnmower work,' but one of the better ones to linger over.”

Slim Chance
“A toned-down and muted version of a real beer, but it goes down well on a hot summer day.”

Pabst Blue Ribbon Light
“There's a hint of apple cider that makes it almost palatable.”

Finally, here are the Top 10 light beers as chosen at the 2010 U.S. Open Beer Championship:
 
Game Day Light, City Brewing, Minnesota

Grain Belt Light, August Schell Brewing, Minnesota

Schell’s Light, August Schell Brewing, Minnesota

Coors Light, Coors Brewing, Colorado

Amstel Light, Amstel Brouwerij, Netherlands

Shiner Light, Spoetzl Brewery, Texas

Abita Light, Abita Brewing, Louisiana

Point Honey Light, Stevens Point Brewery, Wisconsin

Pabst Blue Ribbon Light, Pabst Brewing, Wisconsin

Edison Light Beer, New Century Brewing, Massachusetts

John McGran has been a writer/editor for about as long as he's been battling his weight. During his 25-year career, John has written for several newspapers, tabloids and Web sites. You may recognize his name and style from the seven years he spent writing a Worst of the Worst Foods column as Mr. Bad Food. If you have any topics you'd like John to tackle, feel free to write him at jmcgran@diettogo.com  

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