How To Drink Alcohol On A Diet

Nothing quite compares to that glass of whisky on a cold winter evening. Or that cold beer on a hot beach. Alcohol is such an integral part of our culture. It conjures up such beautiful vivid images.

Drinking is taken for granted when we go out to meet people. Have you ever tried telling someone you have quit drinking? The look of disbelief on their face, followed by the peer pressure of having “just one”.

The problem with alcohol is that is does many harmful things

1: Disrupts sleep

2: It is a Depressant - it makes us feel sad

3: Very high in calories without any nutrients

4: Makes us act foolish at the most inappropriate times!

But by far, the biggest problem with alcohol is the way that it is processed in the body. As soon as we drink alcohol, the body thinks it has been poisoned. It tries its best to get rid of the alcohol as fast as possible. All other bodily processes are put on halt. This means that digesting any other food we have eaten, is stopped. The body tries to draw in as much fluid as possible, to flush out the alcohol and we start feeling dehydrated. The liver gets stressed and overworked.

It’s keeping this in mind that I have created a method to drink without falling off your diet and getting a hangover the next day. This does not give you a licence to go overboard on the drinks. Try and avoid alcohol as much as possible but if you have to drink, follow these steps.

Step 1: Drink on an empty stomach:

There are just so many benefits of drinking on an empty stomach! Firstly, you will drink far lesser than normal, as you get intoxicated faster. Secondly, when drinking on an empty stomach, the body can put its full might behind processing the alcohol without having to worry about the food being consumed along side. Thirdly, the food we normally consume while drinking is greasy, snacky, deep fried, carbohydrate loaded. So practice saying no! The way to drink on an empty stomach is to eat your food an hour or so, before you start drinking. Also try and eat something which is easy to digest.

Step 2: Choose your alcohol wisely:

The big no-no alcohols are Beers, Breezers, Cocktails, Sangrias. Most of these drinks are loaded with hidden sugars. They often have more calories than the dinner we are eating. One random statistic said that a bottle of beer has the same effect on us as 7 slices of bread! Thats scary! The same applies for sweet cocktails.

Liquors like Bailey’s Irish cream, Kahlua, Jagermeister are nothing but little sugar bombs! Have them as a treat or as a replacement for dessert. But just one!

Choose red wines over white wines. Stay away from the sweet dessert wines. Champagne does not suit everyone.

Spirits are by far the best form of alcohol to drink. The clearer a spirit, the better it is for you as it has lesser impurities that the body has to work towards processing. Think Vodka vs. Whisky. Think dark rum vs. white rum. When choosing a spirit, choose one that you can drink plain or without a mixer like a cola or juice. Whisky on the rocks or with a splash of soda. Vodka or gin or white rum with lime and soda. My new favourite is a good quality gin over ice. Tequila is another good alcohol, that’s only if not had as shots!

Step 3: Drink at least one glass of water between drinks:

The glass of water will maintain an adequate level of hydration. It will also serve as a pause or rest between drinks. It helps regulate the total quantity of drinks per night. Especially at parties, it gets awkward to stand without a drink in hand. Drink a glass of water with a squeeze of lime. This adds flavour and some minerals to the water.

Step 4: Activated Charcoal:

Activated charcoal has been used to pull out poisons from the body for thousands of years. The charcoal is very fine and porus, it acts as a sponge and soaks up the toxins. Having 2 capsules of charcoal post your drinks will greatly help the body detoxify.

So follow these four easy steps the next time you are out drinking!