Captain Morgan Nutritional Facts

Are you wondering — for a friend, obviously — whether spiced rum is compatible with a diet? Here's what you need to know about the number of carbs in Captain Morgan rum and the calories in your Captain Morgan and Coke drink.

Rum is a type of alcohol that originated in the Caribbean. According to Captain Morgan, its rum is made from molasses, a byproduct of sugarcane juice. The molasses is fermented with water and yeast to make it alcoholic and then distilled and matured in charred oak barrels for color and flavor. Lastly, spices and natural flavors are blended into the alcohol.

Read more: Malibu Rum Nutrition Information

The carbohydrate content in Captain Morgan's rum varies on the type of rum you choose. While some varieties have no carbs, others have a significant amount.

According to Diageo, the parent company of the Captain Morgan brand, there are 0 grams of carbs in Captain Morgan's three main varieties: the Original Rum, the White Rum and the Spiced Gold Rum.

One of the varieties of Captain Morgan's rum that have a low carbohydrate content is the Lime Bite rum. Diageo notes that there are 1.6 grams of carbs in a 40-milliliter serving of 70 proof Lime Bite rum, of which 1.3 grams of carbs are from sugar. The Parrot Bay Coconut Rum is one of the varieties with a high carbohydrate content. A 40-milliliter serving of 90 proof Parrot Bay Coconut Rum has 9.2 grams of carbs, per Diageo.

If you do prefer the occasional Captain Morgan rum drink, you're probably better off opting for a no-carb or low-carb variety, especially if you're trying to be mindful of your carb intake.

If you add mixers like Coke to your drink, those could add carbs to your drink as well. According to Coca-Cola, a 330-milliliter serving of regular Coke has 35 grams of sugar. Diet Coke has no carbs, because it is sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Coke Zero also has no carbs.

Read more: How Many Teaspoons of Sugar Are There in a Can of Coke?

According to the USDA, 1 gram of pure alcohol has 7 calories. So even if you opt for the varieties of Captain Morgan's rum that have no carbs, you're still consuming calories from alcohol. Captain Morgan's Original Rum, White Rum and Spiced Gold Rum all have around 89 calories per 40-milliliter serving of 80 proof alcohol, according to Diageo.

The varieties of Captain Morgan's rum that have a higher carb content also have a higher calorie content. For example, a 40-milliliter serving of 90 proof Parrot Bay Coconut Rum has 137 calories, per Diageo. The additional calories in this product are from carbs as well as from alcohol, because 90 proof rum also has more pure alcohol than 80 proof alcohol.

If you drink your rum with Coke, the number of calories in your Captain Morgan rum and Coke depends on the type of Coke you choose. According to Coca-Cola, a 330-milliliter serving of regular Coke has 594 calories. A 330-milliliter serving of either Diet Coke and Coke Zero has 1 calorie or 0 calories respectively.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, most alcoholic beverages don't have any nutritional value. Like other distilled spirits, none of the varieties of Captain Morgan have any nutrition; apart from calories and carbs, they don't offer any vitamins, minerals or protein, per Diageo. None of the flavored or fruity varieties of Captain Morgan have any nutrition either. Coke also doesn't contain any nutrients.

The calories in alcoholic drinks are therefore empty calories, because they deliver no nutrients, notes a research study published in the American Journal of Public Health in April 2014. The U.S. National Library of Medicine cautions that the calories in alcohol can add up pretty quickly, so you should be mindful of how much you're drinking. Drinking a couple of drinks on a night out can set you back more than 500 calories.

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The USDA recommends a limit of one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. Fourteen grams of pure alcohol or 44.3 milligrams of 80 proof distilled alcohol is considered one drink.