What do the calories consist of in zero carb alcohol?

[deevee]

I was under the impression that calories were either fat, protein, or carbohydrates. So what are they in zero carb alcohol?

[Exapno_Mapcase]

From Ask the Dietitian:

The calories in alcoholic beverages come from alcohol, which contributes 7 calories per gram as opposed to 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrate and 9 calories per gram for fat. So if you take 7 calories per gram times approximately 14 grams of alcohol per jigger (1 1/2 ounces), this equals 98 calories. If the alcoholic beverage such as a liqueur also contains carbohydrate, then the calories for this beverage will be even higher and you can multiply the grams of carbohydrate times 4 to get the carbohydrate calories.

[deevee]

I had no idea there were calories other than carb/prot/fat. I googled but couldn’t find anything. Thanks for the link.

[groman]

@deevee

I had no idea there were calories other than carb/prot/fat. I googled but couldn’t find anything. Thanks for the link.

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are not calories. They can be broken down chemically to produce energy in the form our bodies can use it. A calorie is just a unit of measurement of energy. Alcohol can also be broken down for energy. You can technically calculate the caloric content of things you cannot digest and get energy from, like wood or gasoline, by simply burning them and seeing how much energy you get.

Simple calculated caloric content of food does not imply that the numbers represent the amount of energy your body will receive. If it’s calculated through burning the food, it will be pretty much the upper bound for what your body can get out of it. You may get none, some or all of it though depending on a lot of factors.

[asterion]

And, of course, there may be more caloric content in the food than you will normally get from metabolism. Try bombing a potato chip sometime and calculate the energy given off. You’ll get a higher energy from the combustion.