Are there any alcoholic drinks that are ‘healthier’ than others?
This is a question I got asked recently.
Excessive drinking (more than 1 drink per day for women and more than 2 drinks per day for men) takes a toll on your liver and increases the risk for many health issues, such as liver disease, heart failure, stomach ulcers, brain damage, stroke, even cancer.
Enter COVID19!
Sales of beer, wine and spirits have skyrocketed. And according to a Nanos poll since the pandemic began 25% of respondents between the age of 35 and 54 say they have started drinking more.
So back to the question. Surprisingly, yes — there are some choices you can make that have less sugar hence less calories.
I’ve gathered the top 10 low calorie alcoholic drinks. How does your favorite stack up?
The key points to keep in mind when choosing or making a cocktail: avoid syrups, opt for fresh juices with no added sugars, club soda, or sparkling water and watch your portion sizes.
Also drink water in between drinks and make sure you don’t skip meals.
Calories from alcohol can add up really quickly.
For example, if you start having 2 glasses of red wine every night of the week, that adds an extra 1,750 calories onto your diet every week. If you change nothing else about what you're consuming, those extra calories could add up to 25 pounds of weight gain over the course of a year. Go ahead, go back and read that again!
If you feel alcohol has taken over your life, seek help - there are a lot of resources available. If you are in Toronto, go here:
https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-protect-yourself-others/covid-19-mental-health-resources/
