Some alcoholic drinks have been given a so-called health halo. Vodka sodas are low in calories, red wine has antioxidants, and straight-up tequila is many keto dieters’ shot of choice thanks to its low carb count. Now you can add spiked seltzers to this list.

You’ve certainly seen these around, because they’ve exploded in popularity this year. CNN reports that Nielsen data show hard seltzer sales exceeded $1 billion over the last year, ending in August 2019. That’s a 200 percent increase year over year. There’s no shortage of brands to choose from: White Claw, Bon & Viv, Truly, Nauti, Crook & Marker, Press, Arctic Summer — even some well-known alcohol brands such as Smirnoff and Natural Light have their own lines of hard seltzer.

What Is Spiked Seltzer Exactly?

Hard or spiked seltzer is a canned beverage that’s made with seltzer, alcohol, and no-sugar-added fruit flavoring, according to White Claw. White Claw, Bon & Viv, and Truly are three brands that are gluten-free, as they’re made without barley or wheat. Brands generally range from 4.5 percent to 5 percent alcohol per 12-ounce can. “The alcohol in the seltzer is not simply a mix of sparkling water and a hard liquor, but the ‘spiked’ aspect of the seltzer comes from fermentation of sugars,” says Mia Syn, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charleston, South Carolina.

Why Have White Claw and Other Hard Seltzers Become So Popular?

It all goes back to that health halo. It can often be tough to find nutrition info on your favorite alcoholic drinks, but spiked seltzer companies use nutrition stats to their advantage. For instance, one brand, Truly, says that their 12-ounce can contains 100 calories, 1 gram (g) of sugar, and 2 g of carbs. A 12-ounce White Claw also has 100 calories, 2 g of sugars, and 2 g of carbs.

“The calorie content — 100 calories per can — is a bit lower than what you’d get in a beer, for example, making it a more attractive alternative for some people,” says Kelly Pritchett, PhD, RD, an associate professor of nutrition at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. Plus, compared with an ultra-light beer (which is similar in calories), you might also think fizzy fruit water tastes better, she says. Then there’s the fact that these beverages are low in carbs. Two grams of carbs per can means that if you’re on a low-carb diet — even keto — a spiked seltzer might be a good option if you choose to drink.

Is White Claw Actually a Healthier Choice Than a Mixed Drink or Just Plain Beer?

Whether or not a certain alcoholic drink is healthy is a layered question. While they may be lower in calories and carbs compared with some mixed drinks and beers, says Syn, “it’s important to make sure that consumption is moderate, as consuming large quantities of alcohol is not a healthy choice regardless of the source of the alcohol.”

Also consider that hard seltzer is empty calories that don’t do anything for your health. “There are no real nutritional benefits from consumption of hard seltzer, as they are primarily just empty calories,” says Syn. A serving of these drinks fits into the category of “fun foods.” That’s totally fine, but “it’s important to keep empty calories to a minimum. They provide energy, but no other nutrition like vitamins and minerals,” she says.

Can Drinking Hard Seltzer Pose Any Health Risks?

If you look at hard seltzer only in terms of calories and carbs — or at its lower alcohol content — you may see it as a free pass. “Someone could view this drink as healthy and ‘diet-friendly,’ which could lead to someone consuming more, increasing both the number of calories and quantity of alcohol,” says Syn.

Moderation is key. In terms of what that means, there’s an official definition: “The CDC recommends that women consume no more than one drink per day, and men consume no more than two drinks per day,” says Pritchett.

According to the CDC, a standard drink is:

12 ounces (oz) of beer that is 5 percent alcohol
5 oz of wine that is 12 percent alcohol
1.5 oz of a shot of 80-proof liquor (40 percent alcohol) like rum or vodka
8 oz of malt liquor that is 7 percent alcohol

It may also help to think of this in weekly terms, says Pritchett, aiming for 7 or 14 drinks max (for women and men, respectively), per week. “If it’s football season, someone may wait until game day to have a couple of these. If that’s the case, make sure you’re not going over seven drinks per week,” says Pritchett. That doesn’t actually mean you can or should “save up” your drinks to consume all in one day. Two might be okay — but be aware that having four (for women) or five (for men) drinks in a two-hour period is considered binge drinking, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. And that applies even if you’re having a low-cal, low-carb drink like hard seltzer.

Dehydration is another concern. Even though this is alcohol and sparkling water, drinking a can does not mean you're hydrating. In other words, hard seltzer does not count as water. “Because it’s 5 percent ABV, you’ll have a diuretic effect similar to other alcoholic beverages,” says Pritchett. One can of seltzer may not make a marked difference in your body’s hydration levels, but if you’re having a few of these out in the hot sun, “you could develop mild dehydration if you’re not replacing these fluids with plain water,” she says.

Also, there may be fewer calories and sugar in these compared with, say, a rum and Coke (200 calories and 17 g of sugar, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture), a can of regular beer (153 calories, 0 g sugar, per the USDA), or a margarita (274 calories, 36 g sugar, per the USDA), but they add up if you drink more — and that can have ramifications for your weight.

What’s more, abiding by these recommendations to drink moderately does not seem to cause weight gain, and people who imbibe responsibly may also eat more moderately and exercise more (to make up for these extra calories), according to a review published in January 2015 in Current Obesity Reports.

The Bottom Line if You Enjoy Drinking Hard Seltzer

Cracking open a can of hard seltzer is certainly much better than downing a margarita or a Long Island iced tea in terms of calories and sugar, says Pritchett. But just because it has fewer calories doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you, and it shouldn’t be an excuse to drink more, she says.