How Many Syns Are In Wine?
Mar 04, 2022
Getting to grips with Slimming World can be difficult - especially when you realise how many syns are in your favourite alcoholic beverages, including wine.
However, understanding how many syns are in your favourite wines is key to keeping on track. Many people will choose to ignore the syns in alcohol and just track their food, but this won’t lead to the results you want. Instead of drinking the whole bottle, you may want to limit yourself to just two glasses.
If you want to learn more about drinking wine on Slimming World, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find out how many syns are in red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, and rosé.
What is Slimming World?
Slimming World is one of the most popular weight loss programmes, alongside Weight Watchers and My Fitness Pal. Slimming World has two main membership options - digital-only and group membership, meaning that you can either use the app alone or go to regular meetings and ‘weigh-ins’.
When you join the Slimming World program, you’ll have access to a long list of recipes. You can also track certain foods, allowing you to use up your syns or to fill up on ‘free’ foods. Unlike diets and other weight-loss or weight-control programs, Slimming World doesn’t give you rules regarding calories or food restrictions.
Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll be able to discuss your progress with a trained Slimming World consultant. This is somebody that you can ask for advice, support, and ask any questions about your Slimming World journey. This is a great way of overcoming the obstacles that may be in your way, and succeeding with your plan.
However, Slimming World does cost money. In 2022, it will cost you just £5.95 a week (plus the first payment of £5) for the group membership. For the digital-only service, you can pay either >£60 for a 3-month membership, which equates to just £5 a week.
The key to Slimming World is food optimising - choosing the right foods to fill up on while being able to enjoy treats or ‘syns’ in smaller amounts. On the Slimming World program, you can make the most of ‘free foods’ - foods and drinks that don’t have syns (syn-free), and that are deemed to have more nutritional value than others.
Free foods are generally healthy and satisfying - for example, fish, lean meats, eggs, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and whole-wheat pasta. Although these foods are ‘free’, it’s recommended that you eat them in moderation.
The program also allows you to add extras - these healthy extras are typically rich in fibre, calcium, and other nutritional extras. For example, seeds, nuts, dairy, and whole grains.
Other foods are classed as ‘syns’. Syns generally lack nutritional value, and are usually high in calories. Some examples of syns may include chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks, and alcoholic drinks.
Unfortunately, this means that wine counts as a syn - and should be tracked accordingly. This is because wine doesn’t have much nutritional value, meaning that there aren’t many health positives to drinking wine. Read on to learn more about drinking wine on Slimming World.
Can You Drink Wine on Slimming World?
Slimming World doesn’t necessarily restrict what you can and can’t eat. It isn’t a fad diet - instead, it’s a lifestyle change. This means that you can still enjoy wine while on the Slimming World scheme.
However, the key is knowing the amount of syns in wine - and moderating your wine consumption. After all, you don’t want to sacrifice your dinner so you can enjoy a bottle of high-syn wine, do you?
You may be surprised to hear that wine can have as many as 10 syns per 175ml serving. Although you can drink wine on Slimming World, it’s important that you drink wine in moderation, and try to save the high calorie, high sugar, and high syn wines for special occasions.
How Many Syns in Wine?
Just like most beverages, wine has syns, calories, and sugar. You may be thinking that because wine is made from grapes, it shouldn't have syns. After all, grapes are syn-free, so wine should be too, right?
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Wine has syns because it has little nutritional value, and drinking often does more harm than good unless you opt for a quality low-sugar, low-calorie, vegan wine like our very own ThinK Wine.
The fermentation process is the part where alcohol is created, as well as heat and bubbles. The yeast consumes the naturally occurring sugars of the grapes. Grapes have carbohydrates - one cup of grapes typically contains around 16 grams of carbs.
When it comes to wine, it’s generally the wine with the least alcohol that has fewer syns. If you’re trying to limit your syns, opt for a low-alcohol wine with low sugar and fewer calories. There are 7 calories per gram of alcohol, and wine usually contains between 11% and 14% alcohol. Fortified wines can contain up to 20% ABV, so be sure to avoid (or limit) fortified wines if you’re on a Slimming World plan.
Red Wine
Red wine generally contains between 6 and 9 syns per 175ml serving. When you’re looking for red wine in your local supermarket, be sure to choose lower-alcohol wines that contain between 10-12% ABV. Red wines with light levels of alcohol usually contain around 7 syns per medium-sized serving.
However, if you prefer red wines with over 14% ABV, then you may be using around 9 points per 175ml. The red wines with the lowest syns include Merlot, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Merlot contains just 6.5 syns depending on the brand. However, there are plenty of low-carb and low-cal red wines out there.
Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wines usually contain fewer syns. In fact, if you’re looking to reduce your carb intake or to lose weight and still drink wine, then a light sparkling wine is a great choice. If you’re wondering about calories in Prosecco, you’ll be glad to know that there’s only around 80 calories per glass. Why not check out our delicious low-calorie ThinK Prosecco?
On average, sparkling wines contain around 5 syns per small serving - with some Proseccos costing you 8 points for a medium serving (175ml).
Rosé Wine
Rosé is a favourite for many, so you’ll be glad to know that a medium serving of your favourite rosé will only set you back around 6 syns. However, a large glass of rosé with over 13% ABV can contain over 12 syns, so be sure to track your intake and drink in moderation.
White Wine
If you enjoy a light white wine, then you’ll be glad to learn that light, dry white wines can contain around 5 syns per medium-sized serving. A small glass of white wine with under 10% alcohol only contains 4 syns, which is perfect if you’re trying to stick to your Slimming World plan without going overboard on syns.
Pinot Grigio contains between 4 and 6 points per medium-sized serving (175ml). If you’re looking to still enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio without using up too many valuable syns, then opt for a dry, crisp Pinot Grigio.