Booze is a common form of enjoyment around the end-of-year festivities.

 

It is easy to blame the festive foods and desserts for getting your focus off your healthy eating resolutions. However, very often than not it is the booze to blame for unhealthy lifestyle. In fact, alcohol is one of the biggest culprits of belly fat.

No need to be disheartened though, we are here to help you enjoy your drinks mindfully to do the least amount of damage.

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Just so you know, here’s what the typical calorie count of some well-known drinks looks like:

BEVERAGE	ALCOHOL PERCENTAGE	SERVING SIZE	CALORIES
Beer
Beer (light)	4	1 pint (355 ml)	103
Beer (regular)	5-6	1 pint (355 ml)	153
Beer (higher alcohol/craft beers)	8-12	1 pint (355 ml)	170 to 350
Distilled Alcohol
Gin/Rum/Vodka/Whiskey (80 proof)	40	45 ml	97
Gin/Rum/Vodka/Whiskey (94 proof)	47	45 ml	116
Cocktails
Breezer (any flavour)	5	335 ml	250-270
Bloody Mary	10	136 ml	120
Chocolate martini	24	74 ml	418
Cosmopolitan	20-27	81 ml	146
Mojito	13	177 ml	143
Pina colada	13	200 ml	526
Rum and Coke	12	235 ml	185
Rum and Diet Coke	12	235 ml	100
Tequila sunrise	11	200 ml	232
Vodka and tonic	10	200 ml	189
Whiskey sour	40	90 ml	125
Wine
White table wine	10-14	145 ml	128
Dry dessert wine	12.5-22	90 ml	157
Red table wine	12-15	145 ml	125
Red dessert wine	12.5-22	90 ml	165

 

Whoa! Those are a lot of calories, (worse still, largely empty calories) that one consumes when boozing.

 

 

Here are some tips to maximize your enjoyment while minimizing damage:

 

1. Choose to drink responsibly
2. Limit yourself to two alcoholic drinks
3. Replace sugar in your cocktails with fresh fruit juice, (if you must have a sweet one)
4. Do not drink on an empty stomach
5. “Hold your drink” for long. This gives sufficient time for your body to metabolise the alcohol
6. Keep your snacks full of healthy fats, that helps reduce the hangovers: olive oil, nuts and peanuts
7. Drink enough water to stay hydrated, something that we forget when partying hard
8. Get enough sleep after the party
9. Choose less salty snacks to go with the drinks
10. Avoid deep fried snacks with the drinks, go for roast or grilled ones
11. Avoid heavy snacks full of cheese along with your drinks. These will take the calorie count for a ride
12. Eat small portions (bite -size) of snacks at a time. Avoid ordering 2-3 types of snacks at a time. Go slow. Place an order one after the other, which will help you with maintaining small portion sizes

 

Health conditions and alcohol consumption:

 

1. If you are on any medication such as antiepileptics or antidepressants, it is best to avoid alcohol altogether unless you have discussed in detail with your doctor how much alcohol is okay to consume
2. If you are obese or overweight and strictly watching your calorie count, you may want to refrain from drinking alcohol or choose the lower calorie one.
3. Diabetics should avoid heavy drinking at all costs as it may precipitate a fatal condition called ‘diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)’.
4. Diabetics should strictly follow the one drink/day for women and two drinks/day for men norm. While one or two drinks a day are acceptable, they should be reserved for special days or occasions only. Daily consumption may make diabetes management
5. Calorie count is important for diabetics, and a light beer may be their best bet. Regular beer has about 15 grams of carbs, as compared to 3-6 grams in light or the ‘low carb’ beer. Avoid craft beers, as most of these have twice the alcohol and calories as regular beer.
6. Hypertensives and those with heart conditions should be mindful about the salt intake coming from the snacks
7. It is best to avoid alcohol if you are pregnant or think you could be pregnant. Women who breastfeed should allow a gap of 2-6 hours after their last drink before nursing the infant.
8. Those with gallbladder stones, stomach or intestinal ulcers, poor liver function (for example from a recent infection) should avoid alcoholic beverages.

 

Dance when you party:

 

Party time is also a great time to dance with friends. Shake a leg when you booze, even if you have got two left feet. Dancing when you booze has immense benefits: calorie burning, stress busting, metabolizing alcohol faster so that you get sober faster. Dance is a great way to put the extra carbs from the party to good use.

 

Hope this helps you enjoy the festivities mindfully. Cheers!

 

Source:

Dr. Mamta Lele- Pawara

(MD Ayurveda-Internal Medicine, CRAV-Kayachikitsa, MA Sanskrit)