Alcohol is a no-no when dieting, but if you make the right choices, it doesn't have to be.

Nobody wants to be the bearer of an unsightly beer gut, and beer makers are working hard to prove to consumers that they're belly-friendly. If the 100-calories in your average bottle of light beer is just too much for you, some of the big breweries are introducing ultra-low calorie beers. MillerCoors' Miller Genuine Draft 64 and Anheuser-Busch InBev's Select 55 have -- you guessed it -- a mere 64 and 55 calories in a bottle, respectively, meaning they have almost 100 fewer calories than a regular bottle of beer. There's a trade-off though: the alcohol is about as low as the calorie count -- less than 3 percent in both, making it little more than water with a beer flavor.

So is it a good idea? Beer manufacturers seem to think so, so when you consider that Miller Genuine Draft 64 sold twice as much in a year as its predecessor, Miller Genuine Draft Light, it seems they're onto something. And for those looking to have one or two brews and still stick to their diet, this ultra-low beer seems like the perfect solution-- if they can handle the watered-down taste. However, those who are drinking to get drunk will likely end up drinking more bottles -- the only thing that will shrink in size is their wallet.

Think you know your nutritional values? Find out for sure -- Test your calorie knowledge.

Plan to throw back a few beers this festive time of year? It's OK if you do -- just be clear on what you're getting when you pop those tops.

FitSugar has the scoop on the top 10 highest-calorie beers. Check 'em out here. And plan accordingly. Hint: Heineken is on the list.

Rather focus on the low-calorie stuff? FitSugar names Beck's Premier Light (64 calories) and nine others that will keep you slim this season.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Scottish actor Kevin McKidd, known best as Dr. Owen Hunt on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, has had his health and fitness habits completely uprooted as a result of his career. Besides starring on a hit prime time TV show, Kevin starred in Rome and has an athletic role in the upcoming action movie Bunraku. He used to be a carb addict and now he's passionate about the fighting arts and fitness. Pay close attention to the lessons he's learned to stay hot in Hollywood and see if they can change your life as well.

Fitz: The characters you play are usually pretty fit. What type of training do you do?

Kevin: Fitness has always been a part of my life, but it's become a much bigger part because of my job. I just finished an action movie called Bunraku (with Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson), which I did a lot of martial arts training for.

Fitz: My sport is kickboxing; it's the best exercise ever! How did you like it?

Kevin: It was great fun. I had a boxing trainer, and I did a lot of rounds hitting the bag and his mitts. During the week, I trained with the stunt team.

Fitz: What's your favorite strike?

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The demise of a marriage is difficult enough to deal with -- imagine how much more trying it would be if every explosively-bitter detail were splashed across the media. How do celebs deal with that kind of public anguish? If you're soon to be ex-Mr. Madonna, you drown your sorrows ... in beer and cheeseburgers.

Guy Ritchie, the British director who made international headlines when he married the first lady of pop, is apparently finding comfort in McDonald's take-out and late nights at the pub. But who can blame him after years of following a macrobiotic diet under Madge's reign? Still, if you're going through a public divorce, you don't want to be the one who gains weight -- especially when your ex is the uber-fit Madonna.

(via Calorie Lab)

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Jacki recently told us why we should all be picking pumpkin. They're rich in beta-carotene and many other vitamins and minerals. They're also a great source of fiber. The seeds, a tasty snack, are rich in manganese and magnesium.

But Great Lakes Brewery has come out with a new way to enjoy the seasonal treat -- pumpkin-flavored beer. Beer connoisseurs report that you can taste the nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves that are in the brew along with the pureed pumpkin.

Flavored beer isn't the healthiest way to enjoy pumpkin (though it would be a tasty treat at an Oktoberfest celebration). But there are plenty of healthy pumpkin recipes to try.

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Reality TV star and socialite Kelly Osbourne hasn't been in the spotlight much these days, but she's recently been spotted looking slim and trim at various star-studded events. According to Life and Style Magazine, here's how she lost weight and improved her health all at once:

• She munches on Organic fruits and veggies throughout the day
• She cut out her main vice food -- cookies
  
• She quit eating late at night
• She cut out beer
• She kept her caloric intake between 1,200 and 1,500 a day.
  

I'm not a fan of calorie counting, but her other diet tips sound healthy and effective. What do you think?

(via Celebrity Diet Doctor)

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Feel free to borrow these tips, ladies, but men -- these are mostly for you. Well, those of you who just can't part with goodies like cookies, beer, bacon, and chips. This list offers you options for satisfying your cravings but without the ill-effects. Don't delay -- click on the thumbnails to read on!

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Jessica Simpson says she works out and takes good care of herself. But that doesn't mean the girl doesn't like a cold beer once in a while. Makes sense, then, that the singer, actress, and designer has signed on as spokeswoman for a new beer that apparently contains not only alcohol, but vitamins.

Stampede Light Plus, made by the Dallas's Stampede Brewing Co., is the product Simpson will endorse. Why exactly this beer? Because she is always interested in diversifying her portfolio, she says. And she likes good ideas and good people. Oh, and a little money too -- Simpson will take a 15-percent stake in the brewer.

Want to know more about this vitamin thing? Check out the Stampede Plus website here.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

If you've been in tune with national sporting news this week, you're probably aware of the big hub-bub created by Mike Nadel, a cranky reporter of the Peoria Journal Star, who wrote a venomous article about the both young and beautiful sideline reporter for ESPN, Erin Andrews. The "big news" and "big deal" was that Erin wore a dress that hit right above her knee (the outrage!), and her dress was not a turtleneck (hussy)! Nadel even noted that Erin went so far as to grope Alfonso Soriano's bicep at a gathering (she was just looking at his scar from a recent surgery).

Here is the truth about Erin. She's a college educated, ambitious, down-to-earth woman who started on a small network and proved her reporting worthy of a high profile on-air position at ESPN. She loves sports and is great at delivering the news we want to know about our favorite athletes, coaches and teams. Erin and I relaxed on a sunny afternoon in both of our alma mater's football stadium, the University of Florida's SWAMP, to chat. She's funny, sarcastic, and truly grateful to have the job she's dreamed of. She often travels with a band of brothers, the mostly male ESPN GameDay crew, and has had to learn the hard way that she really isn't a guy. Some fans with cell phone cameras taught her that.

Fitz: You are pretty great shape! What do you do?

Erin: Traveling for my job makes staying in shape really hard. We're on the road so much, and for me ... it's tough cause I'm one of the only girls on site. I'm really close with the other talent and the broadcasters, so we go out to eat all the time. Today we had hamburgers! Eating on the road is the worst way to eat. Not only that, but I'm surrounded by guys! When you're surrounded by men, you eat and drink like a guy.

Fitz: Not good news for a slender woman like you!

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If you're heading out to dinner with friends, stopping at a bar, or even just sitting on your own patio on a hot summer night, a cold beer just hits the spot. It's important not to overindulge, of course. After all, that golden glass can come with a lot a calories. But, if you enjoy a cold one now and then, there's no need to abstain entirely. In fact, beer offers some health benefits, such as protecting bone density.

To keep the calories down, you might opt for a light beer. But if you're going to indulge in a beer, you might as well make sure it tastes great, right? Women's Health counts down the best choices for light beer.

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Beer packs plenty of carbohydrates, so if you like the hops but not the belly flab, the bars you frequent may make a difference.

A new study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found patrons at bars with loud music drank beer more quickly and in fewer gulps. This study observed the golden target group of beer marketers -- males aged 18-25. When bar music went up, the average time it took to down a beer dropped from 14:51 minutes to 11:45 minutes. Patrons also ordered more drinks in a jammin' joint -- 3.4 versus 2.6.

Who knows why, researchers speculate less conversation may trigger more swigs. Choosing a quieter establishment may help you lose that beer belly and save your hearing.

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Ahhh ... now this is a study I would have paid for myself. Research out of the University of Alcala in Madrid, Spain found that drinking beer may protect against the harmful effects of aluminum on the brain.

In a report published in the January, 2008 issue of Food and Chemical Toxicology, Spanish researchers posited that aluminum is neurotoxic, and overexposure to this metal has been implicated for its suspected connection with Alzheimer's disease. Beer, on the other hand, contains silicon, a substance that reduces the buildup up aluminum in the digestive system and the brain.

The study found that consuming silicon in moderately high levels – which can be obtained from drinking about two beers per day - limited aluminum's debilitating effect on the brain.

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One of my favourite summer indulgences is a pint of cold beer on the patio on a hot summer's day. See, it's so refreshing, and when enjoyed with friends, it's a fun way to get together. Problem is, when you're having so much fun, one pint can turn into two, three or even more (provided you're not driving, of course!)

Calorie-wise, I know that beer is a better choice than, say, a margarita. And I know that a bottle of beer usually isn't too high in calories, depending on the beer you choose. But what about pints? Are they a good drink choice or a calorie disaster? What do you think?

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It's all about the beer. So say that ads, anyway. And, there's no harm in cracking open a cold one once and a while, so long as you're not drinking them with near abandon.

This also applies for those so-called "healthy" beers. You know, the Michelob Ultras and other brands that feature very fit people exercising in their ads, as if the beer was a sports drink. While it is true that these beers tend to have less calories (thereby making them the better choice in that department), drink a six pack a night and you're guaranteed to look nothing at all like the men and women pictured in the ads.

Simply put, one Michelob Ultra = 95 calories. A six-pack of Michelob Ultra = 570 calories. Considering that the FDA recommends a daily caloric intake of around 2,000, you will have less than 1,500 to spare after your "healthy" beer binge.