Can Alcohol Fit Into a Healthy Diet?
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How Alcohol Impacts Your Health
When you consume alcohol it does negatively impact your physical and mental health. Excessive alcohol intake is defined as greater than 1 drink in a day for women, and greater than 2 drinks in a day for men. Excessive alcohol intake has been shown to increase risk of various types of cancer (breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum), and it contributes to the development of high blood pressure, liver disease, heart disease, and digestive problems. Excessive alcohol intake can also increase depression and anxiety, increase memory problems including dementia, and disrupt sleep.
Despite these risks many individuals do choose to consume alcohol. It is ideal to avoid alcohol completely, but if that is not a choice you are ready to make there are some choices that can help reduce the health risk.
reducing HEalth Risks When Consuming Alcohol
Do not drive. Road accidents are the biggest immediate risk of alcohol consumption. Though you can roughly estimate how much time it may take for your body to process alcohol, this isn’t exact person to person or day to day and can result in someone miscalculating and driving impaired. It is best to avoid driving completely if you plan to consume alcohol.
Limit your portions. If you choose to drink, reduce the portion size and the frequency (number of days you drink) as much as is realistic for you. It is ideal for women to limit to 1 drink on days they consume alcohol, and men to limit to 2 drinks on days they consume alcohol. Any reduction in the number of days you drink week to week and month to month will further reduce health risks. Some ways to reduce your intake include:
Drink slowly - avoid drinking games and choose types of alcohol that you prefer to sip.
Choose non-alcoholic drinks before and after each alcoholic drink.
Count your drinks and have a planned stopping point. Even though it is ideal to limit to 1 or 2, if you consume 3 or 4 that is still better than 5 or 6. Try to avoid the “I already messed up so I may as well just drink as much as I can” type of mind set. If you drink more than you planned, reflect the next day and think about what you would do differently next time to stick to your plan.
Consider the type of alcohol (and mixers) you consume. Red wine has some antioxidant benefits - if you like it, it can be a better choice than other alcohol types (note, better does not mean healthy and red wine still increases all of the physical health risks detailed above when it is consumed in excess). Mixers can also impact health, so if you mix a spiced rum with cola but you mix a vodka with soda water then the vodka would be a better option due to the mixer chosen with that drink. Alcohol itself provides calories - so if calories are a concern lower alcohol percentages will provide you with fewer calories (like a light beer over an IPA).
Adjust your timing. Alcohol disrupts sleep quality. If you are planning to drink aim to stop consuming alcohol 4 hours before you plan to go to sleep. This will allow your body to metabolize the alcohol more completely before bed, so you will have less disruption in your sleep quality.
If you find that you are having trouble reducing your alcohol intake, consider speaking with a healthcare professional (this can be a counselor, your primary care physician) to discuss what makes you want to drink, and alternatives to drinking that better support your health goals.
Other alcohol-specific resources include - SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator, NIAAA’s Alcohol Treatment Navigator, or the National Treatment Referral Routing Service available at 1-800-662-HELP.