A New Twist on the Battle of the Bulge

I was driving home from the airport the other morning when I noticed a billboard for an alcoholic beverage. Not unusual, for sure. One sees wine, beer, rum, and spirits billboards all the time (except in our nation's 'best' neighborhoods, of course). However, this one reminded me of an emerging trend in alcohol sales and the fight against the broadening of the American waistband. Kind of reminiscent of the battle against underage drinking...?

Anyway, this was a billboard for Guinness, a fine upstanding Irish stout that enjoys worldwide renown. In and of itself, not an oddity. What was strange was the copy for this beer -- the good folks at Guinness want us to know that their beverage only packs a hundred some-odd calories. A veritable weight-loss tool! From the bars to the gyms and slimming centers of America! Guinness sport bottles! Wait a minute, barkeep -- before you pull me that Guinness, I need to know how many "Points" it is!

Since when, I wonder, do we need to know how many calories there are - or aren't - in a glass of beer. Or a shot of rum, for that matter. Not to be outdone, our friends at Bacardi recently aired a TV spot that touted the fact that a mature beverage of Bacardi Light and diet cola pack absolutely no calories! Finally, guilt-free alcohol! A cocktail for the morbidly obese, and for those trying to fit into next season's swimwear!

I ask again -- why do we need to know how many calories there are in a serving of booze? I've never known ANYONE who counts their alcohol by the kilocal (for my British friends). Is counting by the shot or the glass or the keg passe? Or are we finally recognizing alcohol for what it REALLY is -- a food group. One can imagine that folks who are excited about low calorie alcohol beverages were also excited about the opportunities that 'light' cigarettes created for smokers.

In the end, does knowing the number of calories in my stout really matter? Am I not going to drink it if it has 200 calories? Not likely. Unless, of course, it's high in saturated fats...