Your summer’s hot and sunny days call for backyard parties, barbecues, bonfires, and really, just any reason to have a social function. This also means it’s an occasion for alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.
Which is totally understandable! When the vibe is right, it calls for beers at a backyard barbecue or sitting on a patio drinking cocktails. But all of the time dedicated to summer social events can also take away time from your usual physical activity or exercise. Less physical activity combined with more alcohol can lead to excess weight gain, backtracking on your fitness goals, an increase of inflammation in the body, and an impact on your physical and mental functionality.
Let’s be real. You know what that groggy and tired mental state feels like on a Tuesday, going back to work the day after a long weekend Monday. It also isn’t the best feeling to make an effort all winter and spring to eat healthy and exercise more, only to undo the hard work with too many beers and cocktails that leave us with a bloated belly and a few pounds of fat heavier by mid-summer.
But this doesn’t need to be the case. With a few smart and conscious decisions, you can still enjoy your summer cocktails without the negative side effects of alcohol. We’ll give you five steps to follow and some healthy drink recipes to inspire your creativity for a healthier cocktail.
The recommended safe alcohol intake guidelines are up to 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. Even though this is the recommendation for drinking in moderation, the question is, will alcohol affect your weight goals, fitness goals, and dietary health goals? The short answer is YES.
Drinking everyday
versus
drinking once per week
versus
drinking occasionally
makes a big difference to your weight, dietary health, and fitness
Why? Because alcohol is calories and these are excess calories that most of us tend don’t account for when we eat each day, and because alcohol also affects our body’s natural functions and internal systems.
When it comes to weight management and/or fitness goals, alcohol is metabolized differently than food. Fat has nine calories per gram, and protein and carbohydrate each have four calories per gram. Food is digested and broken down to be utilized as energy. Alcohol has approximately seven calories per gram but alcohol is a toxin to the body, meaning it’s quickly absorbed through the stomach into the bloodstream and the remaining alcohol goes to the liver, which has to work hard to remove the toxin from the body. The liver’s priority is to eliminate the alcohol before food or anything else, meaning it slows down the fat burning process, which can slow down your metabolism of food and in return, can lead to weight gain.
Not only that but how many of us are drinking liquor by itself without dilution? Therein lies a major culprit that affects weight and fitness management, which is sugar. Cocktails are filled with sugar, whether in the form is pure sugar, simple syrup, juices, or soda. Yes, pina coladas, margaritas, sangria, and rum and Coke all sound great but they’re sugar bombs. The amount of sugar in these beverages is huge and should be avoided entirely if your objective is to lessen the impact of your summer cocktails on your mid-section and those lean legs you’ve been working so hard on all year. (Disclaimer - you can make these same great drinks at home, using natural sweetener alternatives and having more control over the amount of sugar used. I’ll bet you’re less likely to put five teaspoons of sugar in your drink because you’re seeing it and realizing it’s a lot as opposed to not seeing it when you’re at a bar.)
When it comes to dietary and overall health, here’s how alcohol impacts you internally:
Organ inflammation and liver damage. Alcohol is a toxin that the liver has to work harder to expel it from the body.
Dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic and the increase of frequent urination contributes to its dehydrating effect.
Blood sugar management. People with diabetes or difficulties with blood sugar management should be wary of excess alcohol consumption because it can affect how the organs balance blood sugar.
Malnutrition. Alcohol can reduce the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
Stomach issues. Too much alcohol can cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, and ulcers.
Fatigue. It is a stimulant that can cause drowsiness.
Immune system. Heavy alcohol consumption can impact your gut bacteria and weaken your immune system from protecting itself against germs and viruses.
Believe me, it’s not exciting news because I love red wine but I have created an allowance for myself to stay in alignment with my lifestyle goals.
To have an amazing drinking experience without the side effects of excess bloating, weight gain, and hangover, follow these five steps:
1. Limit or choose your days of alcohol consumption. If you know you’re going to an event or have a time when you enjoy drinking the most, then limit it to that day of your week, with the mindset that this is “a treat” for you. If it’s occasional or once per week, this is better than every day or multiple days every week.
For myself, I’ve made a conscious decision to only drink on Saturday evenings, limiting my alcohol consumption to the weekend.
2. Know your limit. Just because you choose to only drink once per week doesn’t mean throwing the whole week out the window and going overboard on three glasses of wine, two beers, a mojito, sangria, and a bag of chips.
3. Drink one glass of water after every alcoholic drink. This will help to counteract the dehydration and hangover effects to your mental and physical performance. Believe me, this step is huge because it works wonders!
4. Skip the sugary cocktails and ask for your drink to be served neat or on the rocks. Try adding natural sweetness from fresh fruits and herbs like watermelon with vodka, carbonated water, and ice. You can use lemons, limes, oranges, cucumbers, mint, and berries. If you drink wine, choose a dry wine that contains less sugar (under 10g/L). You’ll see this indicator on the shelf label at the liquor store, which represents grams of sugar per litre.
5. Eat a healthy meal well before drinking. You’ve heard it before – don’t drink on an empty stomach. Alcohol is quickly absorbed through your stomach, and if you haven’t eaten yet, the intoxication on an empty stomach can cause mindless eating of unhealthy snacks and eating more than you need to. Eat at least one hour before your first drink, and aim to have a complete meal of healthy protein, fibre, and fat.
Going to a party or having a barbecue? Here’s your best options for healthy summer sippers:
Vodka – approximately 65 calories in 1 oz, you can have this with carbonated water and lime, or blended with fresh fruit and ice.
Gin and tonic – tonic water contains sugar so instead use 1 oz of gin with fresh cucumber, a sprinkle of coconut sugar or honey, lemon or lime juice, and ice.
Mojito – mojitos contain sugar but you can make your own version with 1 oz rum, fresh mint, 1/2 tsp of coconut sugar or honey, lots of lime juice, and carbonated water.
Whisky – 1 oz of whisky, scotch, or brandy with ice or sparkling mineral water and lemon.
Margarita – use 2 oz tequila, fresh lime juice, freshly squeezed orange juice, a sprinkle of coconut sugar or honey, and sea salt.
Red wine – at approximately 130 calories per 6 oz glass, choose a dry red wine.
There’s lots of ways to turn your favourite summer cocktails into healthier and less calorically dense drinks. Happy sipping this summer!