Guinness -- maybe not good for you, but not a bad choice either

Sure, it's dark, sure, it may seem filling, but as beer choices go -- caloric and otherwise -- you can do much worse than Guinness (expected to be a popular choice in bars and pubs around the country today).

A 12-ounce bottle of Guinness Draught will provide 126 calories. The same amount of Guinness Extra Stout offers 153. And Harp (note to beer-drinking neophytes: it's a lager from Ireland, so you can choose it if you're no fan of stouts but still want to be in the spirit of things) comes in at 142.

All this according to beer100.com, which offers some fascinating reading -- providing both calories of imports and domestic brews.

Twelve ounces of Budweiser, inevitably used as a comparison for such things, offers 145 calories. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale comes in at 175. That latter company's stout packs a 225-calorie punch, and its Bigfoot, I'd like to point out, comes in at 330. Seriously. 330. 

A fine drink, to be sure, but 330 calories?

If you're drinking by the pint -- and today, you probably will be -- that'll be 210 calories for 16 ounces of Guiness, says Calorie Count.

Here's some similar information on soda bread (it's best not to drink on an empty stomach, after all):

-- 267 calories per serving in this L.A. Times recipe.

-- 192 calories in this AllRecipes.com version.

So soda bread isn't a nutritional powerhouse -- it's a fine accompaniment to many things nonetheless.

And because we've your best interests at heart, we'll remind you of Jeannine Stein's blog post earlier in the day: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a drink or three? Read this first. (It's about what alcohol does to the body -- not the calories, just the alcohol).

-- Tami Dennis

Photo credit: Leon Neal  AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[James Steele]

I find it appalling that Ms. Dennis so offhandedly labels Guinness beer as being bad for you, but a better choice amongst beers. Apparently she did no other research on Guinness other than it's caloric content.

Example; Did she research or report that drinking a pint of Guinness each day can reduce the risk of blood clots that cause heart attacks? How about other possible health benefits of drinking beer in moderation, including protecting against type 2 diabetes, increasing good cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of developing dementia and improving cognitive function.

http://www.drcutler.com/blood-clots/guinness-is-good-for-you-19675297/

Perhaps some better research in the future would result in a more informative and educational article without all the bias.

[Artist]

Time to switch to Guiness for breakfast over cerel which has twice the calories.