9 Most Unhealthy Beers You Should Never Drink Again

Originally published on: Oct 7, 2016

Drinking beer has become extremely popular (especially at social events), and while many brews may taste great, there’s an abundance of health concerns that come with the consumption of this alcoholic beverage. Beer often contains a ton of empty calories that can negate your weight loss and fat loss goals.

At 7 calories per gram plus the added carbs from the hops and simple sugar maltose, many beers can pack up a huge number of calories. Furthermore, some popular beers have unhealthy additives that could be placing you at an increased risk of various health problems. Here are the five worst beers you should avoid.

1. Lagunitas IPA

Although craft beers may have delicious tastes, they are also jam-packed with calories. Lagunitas IPA is no different, and the calorie count primarily comes from the carbs in the grains that the brewers add to give the beer its flavor.

Unfortunately, these carbs, combined with the higher alcohol content of Lagunitas IPA, will provide approximately 500+ extra calories with every beer. What can take a few minutes to enjoy could potentially take hours to burn off at the gym.

2. Newcastle Brown Ale

Newcastle Brown Ale is one of the ales imported from England and is characterized by its rich caramel color and flavor. However, the way in which the color is established is a product of a potentially harmful ingredient.

This beer has been found to have class 3 and 4 caramel coloring in it, which is made from ammonia, a known carcinogen. This means that continual exposure could increase your risk of cancer or foster cancerous cells. Additionally, because alcohol is a carcinogen in and of itself, adding another mix could be a recipe for disaster.

3. Miller Lite

Miller Lite is an extremely popular North American beer and is known for being light, refreshing, and low-calorie. However, the calorie count is not the only factor taken into consideration – this beer is brewed with both GMO corn and corn syrup—additives that could potentially cause health concerns, and given the surprising amount of GMOs in many North Americans’ daily foods and drinks, adding more of these questionable ingredients to your diet might be a mistake.

4. Guinness Extra Stout

Guinness tends to call their stout “a meal in a glass,” but their point is that it has only 125 calories. However, the Extra Stout definitely shouldn’t be added to the list of light beers. The “extra” probably stems from the increased alcohol content, which makes this beer less healthy. Namely, their regular stouts have 4.2% alcohol, while the Extra Stout has 5.6%. It may not seem much, but it has, of course, an impact on your body.

5. Corona Extra

This may be your choice of beach beer for those warm summer days, but Corona is actually one of the worst beers as it contains GMO corn syrup and propylene glycol, which is a food additive that can have potential health risks when consumed in large quantities.

On top of that, every bottle of Corona Extra contains 148 calories and 14 grams of carbs. So, even if it may seem like a lighter beer when it comes to the taste and alcohol content, it is not actually light or healthy, so watch out for it next summer!

6. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Many people love drinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for its great taste, but it is important to take into account that it isn’t light and healthy at all. In fact, you gain 175 calories and 16.9 grams of carbs with every bottle.

However, it may not be the worst beer in the world – if you drink Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in moderation, it doesn’t put you at a very high risk but keep in mind that it would be a great idea to do some exercise afterward.

7. Sam Adams Light

The name of the Sam Adams Light beer can be deceptive – it may not be so good for your health and so light with its 120 calories per 12-ounce bottle. A beer that’s called a light version should be noticeably less heavy than the original version, but in this case, there is only 50 calories difference between this variant and a regular Sam Adams Boston Lager. If you’re looking for a healthier beer, this one shouldn’t be your first choice.

8. Cave Creek Chili Beer

The story of beer is related to the famous Mexican mescal – an alcoholic beverage brewed from agave with a worm inserted in every bottle. A guy called Crazy Ed Chilleen was so inspired by it that in the late 80s he came up with an idea to put a chili pepper inside every bottle of his beer.

As it isn’t either tasty or healthy, it goes in and out of production, but its badness has become its marketing advantage, in a way. Namely, many people search for this brew just to test it out – they often do it on camera, which tends to be followed by spitting, moaning, or even vomiting.

9. Blue Moon Belgian White

Inspired by a popular European beer, Blue Moon Belgian White works well when you want to relax with your friends or relatives just sitting and drinking fresh, light beer outside, often paired with an orange slice. But is it really that light? Unfortunately, it isn’t – you gain 168 calories and 16.3 grams of carbs after drinking this brew.

What Can I Do to Improve My Health Without Having to Stop Drinking Beer?

If you want to protect your health more effectively but still drink your favorite alcoholic beverage, you should start drinking beer that doesn’t contain harmful ingredients and is not so rich in calories. Some of the suggestions for healthier beers can be, for example:

• Yuengling Light Lager
• Guinness Draught
• Abita Purple Haze
• Rolling Rock
• Left Hand Good Juju

However, no matter what kind of beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverage you drink, the key is to bear in mind that having too much alcohol is never good for either your health or appearance – you should always do it in moderation. What you eat and drink has a huge impact on how you feel and look, and how often you need to see the doctor.

Apart from not drinking too much alcohol and keeping a healthy diet, it’s essential to exercise properly. With Lucas James as your personal trainer, you will get professionally tailored training that will help you to stay fit, healthy, and attractive. Check out our training programs and nutrition plans!