I'm just a little unwell.

[cyrano]

Feeling seriously crapulous. Tired. Head throbbing. Throat raw and not at all happy. I am in a world of mucous. Not doing anything except enjoying the lovely dinner my wonderful housemate made me. But then this advert came on and I just have to ask.

A Bacardi ad claims that Bacardi and Diet Coke, as a mixed drink, has no carbs and no sugar (by neccessity, since sugar is a simple carbohydrate) and only has 66 calories.
Um. So with no carbohydrates, does that mean the 66 calories are all fat and protein? Or is this one of those weird definitions of 'carbohydrates' that I was previously unaware of?

Comments

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Last I checked, alcohol was considered a carbohydrate. So if this is an alcohol-free Bacardi rum...

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

Dietitian.com [sic] says "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."

[esmerel.livejournal.com]

NO BEING SICK

[tyee.livejournal.com]

In chemistry, alcohols are compounds with a certain type of reactive -OH (oxygen bonded to hydrogen) group. Carbohydrates are compounds composed only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Since an alcohol has hydrogen and oxygen, alcohols chemically derived from/related to other carbohydrates can be carbohydrates themselves. So technically I believe the ethyl alcohol in Bacardi is a carbohydrate. However for the purposes of advertising in this day of low carb dieting, I think they can do some kind of net carbs magic to say that it has no carbs because the alcohol is processed differently in your body than simple sugars and has a different effects on blood sugar and related responses.

I'm with Es

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

At least I can take comfort in the fact that I didn't spread these particular germs, what with being quarantined and all. Feel better!!!

[sararainmaker.livejournal.com]

well... as far as net carbs go, alcohol doesn't fit under the definition of carbs, hence why all those tasty bars have the sugar alcohol in them. :)

At least thats how I understood it when I was on that atkins thing. Though they did recommend staying away from the alcoholic beverages for the most part anyway.

as for your being sick, I'm sorry... I have the same thing... I have had it for the past week and a half... I hope you get better soon!

On the nature of carbohydrates...

[motleypolitico.livejournal.com]

Okay, so this is a chemical rather than a food definition, but here it goes:

Carbohydrate = Carbon + Hydrate = C + H₂O

So, strictly speaking, ethanol, which is C₂H₆O does not meet the theoretical definition of carbohydrate. Are there plenty of things out there that have calories, which we tend to food-wise call carbohydrates? Absolutely. Are there molecules which are broken down at least by some of the same chemical pathways? Again, absolutely.

But alcohol gets broken down into acetaldehyde (I'm going back years, and have no reference in front of me, so bear with) which is more sugar-like and more carbohydrate-like in composition, hence alcohol (ethyl alcohol to be more precise here) tends to get treated like a carbohydrate.

Starches are definitely carbohydrates, sugars are definitely carbohydrates, alcohols act in some ways like carbohydrates, but stricly speaking, they aren't carbohydrates.

That would be your chemistry lesson for today.

[wilson-lizard.livejournal.com]

*sends healing energy and hugs*