Here Are The Surprising Effects Alcohol Can Have On Your Weight
Thinking of giving up drinking? Health benefits aside, forgoing your favourite cocktail might be better for your weight.
With more people than ever reducing their alcohol intake (or giving it up entirely), the "sober curious" movement is here to stay. With the year coming to an end, the jolly festive season is just around the corner (time flies!). So, now may just be the perfect time to take the plunge and kick the cuppa habit before things go downhill.
While ditching the drink has an endless array of benefits (including better skin and a reduced risk of some diseases) there may be another added plus. Because alcohol is basically empty calories, banning the booze could also help if you're trying to shed kilos.
Nutritionist Simon Hill reveals how alcohol affects your body:
The compound ethyl alcohol, or "ethanol", contains seven calories per gram, so even a shot of vodka contains around 100 calories. The higher a drink's alcohol percentage, the more calories it contains from ethanol. This is why most dry red wines tend to be slightly higher in calories than dry white wines, despite containing less sugar.
Upon consumption, alcohol gets prioritised above all other nutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates) for metabolism, because it's a toxin and the body wants to remove it. The extra calories from alcohol are therefore utilised before calories from food.
Research shows when people drink they usually eat more calories and move less – the former attributed to alcohol's tendency to stimulate appetite, while inhibiting those mechanisms that would allow you to control food intake if you weren't intoxicated. This results in three factors working together against weight loss: more calories from alcohol, more calories from food and less energy expended through movement, making it more likely you'll fall into a calorie surplus. If there are any days to be extra focused on the food you eat and how much you move, it's the days you drink alcohol and the few days after.
If you want to be more in control of your weight for any health-related reasons, alcohol intake is one of the biggest factors to be mindful of.
Text: Bauer Syndication