I'd Better Pick Up the Pace!

According to a recently published Italian study involving over a million people, drinking in moderation can extend your life, while over-imbibing may shorten it.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say "DUH!" to the second part, but the surprising part to me was that, in Italy, drinking in moderation means four(!) drinks(!) per day(!):

According to the data, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol — up to four drinks per day in men and two drinks per day in women — reduces the risk of death from any cause by roughly 18 percent, the team reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Can you imagine if during your next physical, when the Dr. asks you how much you drink, you thought about it for a sec, and said, "oh I drink in moderation, Doctor, never more than 28 drinks per week." They'd med-evac you straight to rehab, and probably start an IV with lactated ringers, like Rampart was always telling Roy & John to do on Emergency!

The bad news? Here you go. Check out the calorie counts on these drinks:
Long Island Iced Tea (780 calories)
Margarita (740 calories)
Big Mac (not an actual cocktail) (704 calories)
Pina Colada (644 calories)
White Russian (425 calories)
Mai Tai (350 calories)
Champagne Cocktail (250 calories)
Fog Cutter (225 calories)
Gin/Vodka & Tonic (200 calories)
Mojito (160 calories)
Cosmopolitan (150 calories)

The good news? A Makers Mark Manhattan has around 135 calories. And Makers on the rocks is just 69 calories per ounce.

So don't be afraid to enjoy Makers up to 4 times daily! doesn't that look good?