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

[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.