Summer has arrived and for many people it is the perfect time to enjoy a cold beverage. What could be better than rewarding yourself with a frosty beer after mowing the lawn? Or an icy margarita on a sunny patio?
One common question I get asked is if alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle.
The answer depends mostly on how much you drink. Current guidelines recommend no more than one drink daily for women and two for men. Unfortunately, these drinks cannot be banked (i.e. if you didn’t drink Monday to Friday, it is not healthy to have six beers on Saturday.)
Furthermore, a “drink” is not how much you can pour in a glass, but a is equal to a 12-ounce regular beer (5 per cent alcohol), 1.5-ounces of hard liquor (40 per cent alcohol) or five ounces of wine (12 per cent alcohol).
For people with diabetes, drinking excess alcohol blocks the liver’s ability to produce glucose.
This does not mean it should be used as treatment for diabetes, but that people using insulin or insulin secretagogues (such as Glyburide, gliclazide, diamicron) are at risk for hypoglycemia. Because symptoms of hypoglycemia can be similar to drunkenness, both you and other people may not be aware that you are going low, and a dangerous situation may ensue.
Another issue with alcohol is that it is not very helpful for weight management.
Not only does it provide extra, non-nutritive calories, but liberalizes your appetite and affects judgment. When we are drinking and enjoying ourselves, we tend to lose track of what and how much has gone into our mouth (and as a dietitian, I am here to ensure that you do not enjoy yourself!)
So the tricky part is… how to keep to one or two drinks?
Here are some tips to consider:
• If you drink beer, only refrigerate one or two beers at a time;
• Don’t keep alcohol in the house, only drink when you are out. At restaurants there will be financial incentive to stick to one or two drinks;
• Drink slowly, make yourself drink a glass of water before having another drink;
• If you open a bottle of wine, save some for making sangria or risotto the next night;
• If mixing drinks yourself, consider making them more dilute with ice, water or club soda or fruit juice;
• In the evening, don’t start drinking until after you have started eating;
• If going to a party or gathering, consider bringing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to alternate.