As health conscious as the majority of the public has become in the past few years, surprisingly, that same cautious concern isn’t always applied to the beverages we drink. With the exception of the age-old rules regarding drinking too much caffeine and alcohol, a good number of us continue to think that we know all there is when it comes to our drinks. But is that really true?

One of the most interesting reports in recent years has been the discovery of how good wine - namely red wine - is for a healthy heart. Since those findings, wine drinkers everywhere have found even more reason to drink and be merry, while those who never thought about adding wine to their list of beverages are starting to do so. However, a common myth many believe is that drinking wine over beer will prevent them from getting a “beer belly” because wine has fewer calories. Wrong! In reality, wine contains more calories per-ounce than beer (a 5 ounce glass of wine contains 130 kilocalories, compared to the 150 kilocalories found in a 12 ounce bottle of beer). So what does that mean for wine drinkers? Simply drink in moderation. Don’t believe that drinking wine on a regular basis is any healthier for your body than drinking beer. In this sense, alcohol is alcohol and those calories often get stored as fat in the abdomen. So you can, in fact, get a “wine belly.” A good rule of thumb is to remember that the sweeter the wine is, the more sugar and calories it has, just as hard liquor with a higher proof contains higher calories.

Some people believe that it is less fattening to drink juice than milk. Yet another misconception. As in the case of wine versus beer, a glass of juice contains more calories than a glass of one percent milk. Still not convinced? How about this: a glass of two percent milk contains 10 kilocalories more than a glass of fruit juice - which contains 120 kilocalories. How can this be? You have to remember that while fruit juice does contain ingredients as well as nutrients that are good for you, many fruit juices also contain a lot of sugar and artificial flavors. Milk on the other hand has more nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, potassium and protein.

Many skeptics believe that when it comes to different types of bottled water - mineral, tonic, flavored, sparkling - it’s all the same. Not really. Each type of bottled water contains its own types of ingredients that make some more or less in calories than the other. For example, not all flavored waters are made with just water and real juice. Many add artificial sweeteners. This can boost the amount of calories it has. Tonic water surprisingly contains 125 kilocalories per serving. Luckily, plain bottled water is calorie-free but for avid calorie counters, be sure to always read the label and make sure you know how many calories you’re really consuming.

When it comes to diet soda, many falsely believe that it is better than regular soda. Unlike the previous beverages mentioned above, diet soda does actually have fewer calories - even zero calories - compared to regular soda (regular soda contains 135 kilocalories, compared to less than 10 kilocalories in a can of diet). But that alone doesn’t mean that diet soda is better for you. Both regular and diet sodas contain artificially flavored coloring and ingredients so think twice before making diet soda a regular beverage in your daily diet.

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