{"id":605628891442,"title":"Is White Claw Unhealthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers","created_at":"2023-06-13T22:41:16-04:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"Is White Claw Unhealthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers\",\n \"keywords\": \"white claw, is white claw unhealthy, is white claw healthy, is white claw bad for you, is white claw good for you, white claw ingredients\",\n \"description\": \"Our research team analyzes the ingredients in White Claw to give our take on whether the popular hard seltzer drinks are healthy or not. We highlight three questionable added ingredients and feature a White Claw taste test video.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-white-claw-unhealthy\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"editor\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"DJ Mazzoni\",\n \"honorificSuffix\": [\n \"M.S.\",\n \"R.D.\",\n \"C.D.N.\",\n \"C.S.C.S.\"\n ],\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/dj-mazzoni\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dj-mazzoni-rd-cdn-cscs-00a33038\/\",\n \"http:\/\/djmazzoni.com\/\"\n ],\n \"jobTitle\": \"Medical Reviewer\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"exercise, drugs, pharmaceutical, health, workout, strength and conditioning, nutrition, dietetics, medicine, medical research, scientific research, scientific method, healthcare, patient care, wellness\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": [\n \"State University of New York College Oswego\",\n \"D’Youville College\"\n ]\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"image\": {\n\"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Is_White_Claw_Unhealthy_Thumbnail.png?v=1686710597\",\n\"width\": \"3072\",\n\"height\": \"3072\"\n},\n\"citation\": [\n\"https:\/\/fdc.nal.usda.gov\/fdc-app.html#\/food-details\/168746\/nutrients\", \n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31155809\/\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7469035\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-vitamin-water-good-for-you\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3620743\/\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ojp.gov\/ncjrs\/virtual-library\/abstracts\/008-bac-illegal-se-level\",\n\"https:\/\/www.spindriftspiked.com\/\"\n],\n\"mentions\": [{\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"calories\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"USDA\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"antioxidants\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"sugar\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"citric acid\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"natural flavors\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Loryn Powell\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"REACT\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Spindrift\"\n }\n],\n\"datePublished\": \"2023-06-13\",\n\"copyrightHolder\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n},\n\"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/\",\n \"description\": \"Illuminate Labs is the most transparent supplement company in the U.S., and is a leading publisher of research-based health information.\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"supplements, science, nutrition, exercise, health, medication, pharmaceutical, wellness, diet, weight loss, medical research\",\n \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/editorial-guidelines\",\n \"memberOf\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"U.S. Chamber of Commerce\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Certified B Corp\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/en-us\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Natural Products Association\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.npanational.org\/\"\n }\n ],\n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Illuminate_Labs_Favicon_48x48_7595c3cc-e27b-47b8-a4fe-edcc7ed9b29a.png?v=1666502785\", \n \"width\": 48,\n \"height\": 48\n},\n \"foundingDate\": \"2019-01-30\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/illuminate-labs-supplements\",\n \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpgSJAsIPb-fZ25djtTxBEA\"\n ]\n }\n}\n\/\/ ]]\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Is_White_Claw_Unhealthy_Article_Header_Image_Optimized.png?v=1686710328\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dc\"\u003eW\u003c\/span\u003ehite Claw is one of the most popular spiked seltzer brands, and its “light” taste, along with the fact that real fruits are used, lends many consumers to believe it’s a healthy alcoholic drink option.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBut what’s actually in White Claw and are there other ingredients than alcohol, carbonated water and fruit? Are there any ingredients that are questionable from a health perspective? Which White Claw drink is the healthiest? And how does White Claw stack up to other spiked seltzer brands when it comes to its ingredients?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in White Claw based on medical studies to give our take on whether the drinks are healthy or unhealthy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe’ll compare White Claw to other spiked seltzer brands to give our pick for the healthiest option in the category, as well as highlight some ingredients in White Claw that may be questionable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIngredient Analysis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/White_Claw_Black_Cherry_Ingredients_Optimized.png?v=1686710346\" alt=\"White Claw Black Cherry flavor ingredients\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe ingredients in White Claw Black Cherry flavor are shown above.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe’ll start with the good news first:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis drink is relatively low in calories (only 100 calories per can – \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e33% less than one standard beer\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fdc.nal.usda.gov\/fdc-app.html#\/food-details\/168746\/nutrients\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eaccording to\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e the USDA). This suggests that White Claw may be a good option for those trying to lose weight.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eContains real fruit juice which is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31155809\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eclinically shown\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to be rich in antioxidants.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e5% alcohol by volume is similar to other alcoholic drinks of the same size, and is unlikely to cause accidental intoxication.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHere are the potential downsides:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eRefined sugar\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e intake may promote obesity according to a 2020 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7469035\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eclinical trial\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. The sugar dose (2 grams) in White Claw is low, but we would much prefer a drink sweetened with fruit juice only\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCitric acid\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e has been clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals, as documented in our review of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-vitamin-water-good-for-you\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eVitamin Water\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e ingredients.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNatural flavors\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a healthier alternative to artificial flavors, but still may pose some health concerns according to a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3620743\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEnvironmental Health Perspectives\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e journal.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOverall, we consider White Claw to be healthier than some flavored alcoholic drinks like Mike’s Hard Lemonade which provide high doses of refined sugar, but we don’t consider White Claw healthy given the questionable additive ingredients highlighted above.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBut does White Claw get you drunk faster than standard alcoholic drinks? And what’s our pick for the healthiest spiked seltzer drink? We’ll discuss in the next sections.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow Fast Does White Claw Cause Intoxication?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA YouTube creator named Loryn Powell did an at-home test with a breathalyzer to see how many White Claws it took her to reach a 0.08 blood alcohol level (BAC), which is the legal limit used to determine intoxication for driving \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ojp.gov\/ncjrs\/virtual-library\/abstracts\/008-bac-illegal-se-level\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eaccording to\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e the Department of Justice.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe do not recommend using this video for legal guidance, it’s purely for entertainment value:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LMFuAO-RkKQ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA video from the “REACT” YouTube channel features older adults trying White Claw for the first time and sharing their thoughts:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xajPX2_bfQY\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOur Healthy Spiked Seltzer Pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Cocktail_Image.png?v=1686710387\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSpindrift Spiked is our top hard seltzer pick.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAll flavors of this seltzer brand contain less than 100 calories per can, and are free of refined sugar and flavoring additives.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe brand does use citric acid, but we can’t find any spiked seltzer products free of sugar, flavoring additives and citric acid at the time of publishing this article. If we do find one, we’ll update this article and recommend it in this section.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eInterested consumers can check out Spindrift Spiked at this non-affiliate \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.spindriftspiked.com\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003elink\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to the product page on the brand’s website.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhite Claw is lower-calorie than most of its competitors and uses real fruit juice, however we don’t consider the brand to be healthy overall.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhite Claw drinks contain refined sugar, flavoring ingredients and citric acid, all of which may have questionable health effects according to medical research cited in this article. We do not consider White Claw to be super unhealthy or dangerous in any way; we just believe it’s a mediocre option from an ingredient formulation perspective.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe recommend that health-conscious consumers choosing a spiked seltzer brand look for one that’s free of refined sugar and is sweetened and flavored entirely with fruit juice. If you come across a brand that’s also free of citric acid, please let us know and we’ll consider updating this article’s recommended product.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2023-06-13T22:46:17-04:00","updated_at":"2023-06-23T23:47:42-04:00","summary_html":"We analyze the ingredients in White Claw to give our take on whether the popular hard seltzer drinks are healthy or not. We highlight three questionable added ingredients and feature a White Claw taste test video.","template_suffix":"","handle":"is-white-claw-unhealthy","tags":"_related:alcohol, _related:nutrition"}

Is White Claw Unhealthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers

Is White Claw Unhealthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers


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Read our Editorial Guidelines to learn more about what makes our site the premier resource for online health information.

White Claw is one of the most popular spiked seltzer brands, and its “light” taste, along with the fact that real fruits are used, lends many consumers to believe it’s a healthy alcoholic drink option.

But what’s actually in White Claw and are there other ingredients than alcohol, carbonated water and fruit? Are there any ingredients that are questionable from a health perspective? Which White Claw drink is the healthiest? And how does White Claw stack up to other spiked seltzer brands when it comes to its ingredients?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in White Claw based on medical studies to give our take on whether the drinks are healthy or unhealthy.

We’ll compare White Claw to other spiked seltzer brands to give our pick for the healthiest option in the category, as well as highlight some ingredients in White Claw that may be questionable.

Ingredient Analysis

White Claw Black Cherry flavor ingredients

The ingredients in White Claw Black Cherry flavor are shown above.

We’ll start with the good news first:

  • This drink is relatively low in calories (only 100 calories per can – 33% less than one standard beer according to the USDA). This suggests that White Claw may be a good option for those trying to lose weight.
  • Contains real fruit juice which is clinically shown to be rich in antioxidants.
  • 5% alcohol by volume is similar to other alcoholic drinks of the same size, and is unlikely to cause accidental intoxication.

Here are the potential downsides:

  • Refined sugar intake may promote obesity according to a 2020 clinical trial. The sugar dose (2 grams) in White Claw is low, but we would much prefer a drink sweetened with fruit juice only
  • Citric acid has been clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals, as documented in our review of Vitamin Water ingredients.
  • Natural flavors is a healthier alternative to artificial flavors, but still may pose some health concerns according to a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal.

Overall, we consider White Claw to be healthier than some flavored alcoholic drinks like Mike’s Hard Lemonade which provide high doses of refined sugar, but we don’t consider White Claw healthy given the questionable additive ingredients highlighted above.

But does White Claw get you drunk faster than standard alcoholic drinks? And what’s our pick for the healthiest spiked seltzer drink? We’ll discuss in the next sections.

How Fast Does White Claw Cause Intoxication?

A YouTube creator named Loryn Powell did an at-home test with a breathalyzer to see how many White Claws it took her to reach a 0.08 blood alcohol level (BAC), which is the legal limit used to determine intoxication for driving according to the Department of Justice.

We do not recommend using this video for legal guidance, it’s purely for entertainment value:

A video from the “REACT” YouTube channel features older adults trying White Claw for the first time and sharing their thoughts:

Our Healthy Spiked Seltzer Pick

Spindrift Spiked is our top hard seltzer pick.

All flavors of this seltzer brand contain less than 100 calories per can, and are free of refined sugar and flavoring additives.

The brand does use citric acid, but we can’t find any spiked seltzer products free of sugar, flavoring additives and citric acid at the time of publishing this article. If we do find one, we’ll update this article and recommend it in this section.

Interested consumers can check out Spindrift Spiked at this non-affiliate link to the product page on the brand’s website.

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Conclusion

White Claw is lower-calorie than most of its competitors and uses real fruit juice, however we don’t consider the brand to be healthy overall.

White Claw drinks contain refined sugar, flavoring ingredients and citric acid, all of which may have questionable health effects according to medical research cited in this article. We do not consider White Claw to be super unhealthy or dangerous in any way; we just believe it’s a mediocre option from an ingredient formulation perspective.

We recommend that health-conscious consumers choosing a spiked seltzer brand look for one that’s free of refined sugar and is sweetened and flavored entirely with fruit juice. If you come across a brand that’s also free of citric acid, please let us know and we’ll consider updating this article’s recommended product.




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