Sugar content
Alcoholic drinks are infamously high in sugar. Cider, wine and alco-pops are amongst the worst offenders when it comes to high-levels of sugar. Some drinks contain as many as 5 teaspoons of sugar in a single serving. Putting this into perspective, experts recommend a daily allowance of 6 teaspoons.
High sugar intake has been linked to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease amongst other health problems.
Drinks with lower levels of sugar include a small glass of red wine, with the highest being Baileys Irish Cream.
Post-booze snacking
We’ve all been there. Stumbling out the pub at 2am and heading to the nearest chip or kebab shop. Hangovers can also lead you to crave greasy, calorific foods (not to mention destroy any ambitions of heading to the gym).
For many women the temptation is to skip dinner in an attempt to make up the calories, but the best thing to do before drinking is to eat a healthy meal, this will stop you craving saturated fats on the way home and will also stop you from becoming ill. Drinking on an empty stomach is a massive no!
If you feel the need to snack after drinks with friends, try and hold off til you get home and snack on some granary toast with low-fat cream cheese.
Boozing can slow your metabolism
According to American Women’s Health, research has proven that alcoholic drinks can actually slow down fat burning, causing you to hinder weight loss and even gain weight. Think about this next time you crack open the white wine.
Alcohol boosts cortisol levels
Scientists reckon that drinking can actually boost levels of the hormone cortisol. This hormone is famous for causing weight gain, in particular belly fat.
Not only this but it also affects muscle gain, which can have a massive impact on your fitness and weight loss goals.
Little nutritional value and high calorie content
There is almost zero nutritional value along with a high calorie content. Basically, this means empty calories. Bad news for dieters!
The best thing to do is to cut back on alcohol consumption in order to follow a healthy, calorie controlled diet.
If you want to enjoy a drink with dinner or friends, simply stick with a small glass of red wine (which also contains anti-oxidants) or a less-calorific gin and tonic- and don’t over do it!