Good Day Alabama for December 31, 2012 - WBRC FOX6 News - Birmingham, AL

Good Day Alabama for December 31, 2012

Here's what you saw on Good Day Alabama for December 31, 2012:

SHELBY ON FISCAL CLIFF - Janice talked with Senator Richard Shelby about the Fiscal Cliff debate on Capitol Hill. Today is the last day for lawmakers to make a decision. The deadline is tonight at midnight. Many U.S. residents worry about the increase in taxes if lawmakers do not come to a compromise.

BETH K - Celebrate! Don't Inebriate! There's nothing like a cup of good cheer for getting into that holiday mood. For many of us, enjoying the holidays also means enjoying the foods and drinks that embody the spirit of celebration.

But here's the bummer: those drinks often pack a lot of calories and alcohol that can get us into trouble and take the fun out of the holidays. The trick is to enjoy your holiday beverages without suffering the ill effects. Let's start with some sobering facts about the calories that some of these drinks pack:

Eggnog with Rum (8 ounces): 370 calories
Chocolate Liqueur (3 ounces): 380 calories
Mulled Wine (5 ounces): 200 calories
Spiced Cider with Rum (8 ounces): 150 calories
Champagne (5 ounces): 150 calories
Gin and Tonic (7 ounces): 190 calories

Where are all these calories coming from? Yes, some of it is the alcohol. But for many holiday drinks, the mixers are adding sugar and fat that jack up the calories. Here are some tips for keeping your beverage calories at bay and lowering your chances of having a hangover the next day:

-Go for No Calorie Mixers: If you like the taste of diet drinks, ask for diet mixers like diet coke and diet tonic water. You'll cut the sugar and the calories but still get the same great taste. Carbonated water makes a good no cal mixer too.

-Make the No Cal Switch: Alternate every alcoholic drink with a no-cal, non-alcoholic drink. You'll profit in several ways. You'll lower your changes of alcohol intoxication. You'll lower calories. And, you'll stay hydrated, which is good for general health and warding off cold-weather illnesses.

-Some is good, too much is bad! Don't let the health benefits of alcohol lead you to drink too much. Remember, moderation is the key. One for women, two for men is the average. And while you can safely practice some alcohol budgeting day-to-day, binge drinking is not a good idea. Binge drinking means five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for woman on one occasion (usually within two hours).

ASK THE GARDENER - Our expert, Sallie Lee, joined us today with Ask the Gardener. Sallie is an Extention Agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extention System.

Tomorrow on Good Day Alabama, we start off the new year with you! We look at the latest on the fiscal cliff - will lawmakers make a decision before midnight? Either way, we turn to the expert to break it down and explain what it means for your wallet! We check out your entertainment news and look at how people around the globe rang in the new year! And Mickey joins us with all the details on our weather to start off 2013! That and much more tomorrow on Good Day Alabama!