Compare Beverages
How to choose between beverages, plus 5 side-by-side comparisons.
Beverages comparisons (5)
How to choose
Calories per serving: the only number that compounds
Water, plain coffee, plain tea: 0-5 cal. Light beer: ~100 cal/12oz. Wine: ~120 cal/5oz. Regular soda: ~150 cal/12oz. Craft IPA: 200-250 cal/12oz. Frappuccino-class coffee drinks: 300-500+ cal. Pick a daily ceiling and stay under it.
Sugar content: most damage hides here
Soda: 39g sugar per 12oz. Juice: 25-30g per cup. Sweet tea, lemonade, sports drinks: 25g+. Plain coffee, tea, water: 0g. Diet versions are reasonable swaps if straight-up zero isn't sticking.
Caffeine content: total dose, plus timing
Espresso shot: 60mg. Brewed coffee: 95-200mg per cup. Black tea: 50mg. Green tea: 30mg. Most adults handle 200-400mg/day. The bigger lever is timing. Caffeine after 2pm wrecks sleep regardless of total dose.
Annual cost: small daily habits compound brutally
Daily $6 latte: $2,100/year. Daily 12oz regular soda: ~55,000 calories/year (15+ pounds of weight gain if not offset). Daily IPA: ~100,000 calories/year. The damage isn't the drink. It's the streak.
About comparing beverages
Liquid calories don't trigger the satiety response that solid food does. Drink an extra 300 calories at lunch and you don't eat 300 fewer at dinner. The math just adds.
Water, black coffee, plain tea, and sparkling water cover 95% of any beverage need at near-zero calories. The 5% that doesn't. Your latte, your weekend wine. Is where these comparisons matter.
Common mistakes
Calling juice a 'fruit serving'
Juicing strips the fiber and leaves concentrated fructose with no satiety brake. A glass of orange juice hits blood sugar like a soda. Whole fruit and juice are not the same food.
Underestimating coffee-drink calories
A grande Frappuccino is 400+ calories. A grande iced coffee with a splash of milk is 30. The coffee was never the problem. The syrup, cream, and 16oz size were.
Not counting alcohol in your daily calories
Alcohol is 7 cal/g. Between carbs (4) and fat (9). A daily IPA is ~100,000 calories per year. Two glasses of wine a night runs ~85,000. Drinking calories don't get a free pass just because they're liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: Apr 24, 2026