signalsAlcohol and Your Diet
January 29th 2007 16:14
I'm sure I'm not the only person who wonders what effect drinking will have on their diet. Unfortunately there is no one "right" answer, so I'll attempt to go more in depth with this issue.
We all know that alcohol can be damaging to a good diet. Some fitness magazines talk about mixing low-calorie drinks, like vodka with diet soda, to save your diet. While many cocktails have hundreds of calories and more grams of sugar than you could possibly need, even a low-sugar drink still contains alcohol - which is seven calories per gram. Second in calorie density only to fat, drinking too much alcohol can blow your carefully-counted day.
One thing to remember about alcohol is that while your liver is busy processing it, it can't fat, so all your excess calories from drinks turn straight into fat. There have been some studies suggesting that the fat gets stored preferentially around your midsection. When in my first year of college, I was a heavy partier and my stomach showed it. It wasn't uncommon to see sorority girls at parties with telltale tummies.
Finally, alcohol causes a dip in blood sugar, which makes you hungry. Your inhibitions are down, so suddenly ordering a late-night pizza doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I still am a sucker for this every time. I usually have a few drinks on the weekends, which I'm trying to modify to one drink, and I always end up heading for the fridge if I drink too much.
So, in short, stick to one or no more than 2 drinks a day. Drinking in moderation, one drink a day, can help your health, but you can't just save up all those drinks and have them in one night.
Claire S.
We all know that alcohol can be damaging to a good diet. Some fitness magazines talk about mixing low-calorie drinks, like vodka with diet soda, to save your diet. While many cocktails have hundreds of calories and more grams of sugar than you could possibly need, even a low-sugar drink still contains alcohol - which is seven calories per gram. Second in calorie density only to fat, drinking too much alcohol can blow your carefully-counted day.
Finally, alcohol causes a dip in blood sugar, which makes you hungry. Your inhibitions are down, so suddenly ordering a late-night pizza doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I still am a sucker for this every time. I usually have a few drinks on the weekends, which I'm trying to modify to one drink, and I always end up heading for the fridge if I drink too much.
So, in short, stick to one or no more than 2 drinks a day. Drinking in moderation, one drink a day, can help your health, but you can't just save up all those drinks and have them in one night.
Claire S.
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by katyzzz
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You've got this one right, keep up the good work. I,too, am interested in health; at the moment I'm concentrating on brain health.
katyzzz
Comment by Claire S
Katy - Thanks, and I'll have to check out your blog too.