Diet and alcohol: compatible or not?

“There is no better way to unwind after a hard day than with a good glass of wine,” says Dr. Pick. “However, if you drink more, you risk serious harm to the diet.” There are a number of reasons for this.

empty calories

Although wine or whiskey contains fewer calories than cakes and bread, alcohol calories are “empty”. Burning, they do not give anything useful to the body. Moreover, they put the metabolism on pause. Alcohol literally blocks the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates to produce calories.

The body has enough of the fast fuel that it has already received. That is, first you must burn alcohol calories, and only after that the metabolism will return to normal. But usually drinking alcohol is accompanied by a snack. And no matter what you eat with wine – bread, cheese or fruit – having received energy from alcohol, the body will send everything else in reserve, into subcutaneous fat.

Alcohol reduces self-control

It increases appetite and reduces the level of self-control. As a result, few people can limit themselves to a glass of alcohol and a couple of pieces of cheese. The amount of food eaten and drunk begins to grow exponentially.

Therefore, the famous nutritionist Pierre Dukan offers to pay for a glass of champagne or wine with a 20-minute walk. Three glasses equals an hour’s walk. And you need to go to it right away. So you quickly burn alcohol calories and get rid of the risk of drinking or eating too much. In a word, you drank too much at a party – go home on foot.

About the benefits of alcohol

And yet sometimes afford a glass of wine is not forbidden. After all, it has long been proven that red wine prevents the formation of blood clots, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, and inhibits the development of atherosclerosis.

It is believed that it was the right culture of alcohol consumption that led to the fact that in France and Italy the death rate from cardiovascular diseases is several times lower than the world average. And to minimize harm to the diet, you should follow a few rules.

How to drink correctly?

1. One glass a day and no more

This rule does not mean that you can abstain from strong drinks for a week, and then drink one and a half bottles. Nutritionists advise drinking exactly no more than a glass a day. Recent studies have shown that those who drink regularly, but little by little, are less prone to diet breakdowns than those who abstain for months. The latter sooner or later come off to the fullest.

If you are not sure that you can limit yourself to one glass when you go to visit, warn your friends about your concerns and ask you to check. Better yet, bet on something valuable that you stop at one glass.

2. Only clean drinks

Soda, juices and syrups that are added to cocktails contain sugar and dyes that are not needed for losing weight. Preference should be given to pure drinks, adhering to the golden rule: red wine is better than white, wine is better than beer, light beer is better than dark, beer is better than liqueurs.

Note to those who count calories: 150 ml of red or white wine contains 100 kcal, 50 ml of vodka, cognac, tequila or rum – 104-110 kcal, 350 ml of beer – 108-150, 100 ml of vermouth or sweet wine – 120- 160 kcal.

3. Eating before, not together

Drinking on an empty stomach is not worth it. Therefore, eat in advance, and better – protein foods (meat, eggs or fish). These products give a long feeling of satiety, and you will not eat extra snacks with alcohol. In addition, on a full stomach it is difficult to get tipsy from one glass, and it will be easier for you to control yourself. It is safer to eat alcohol for a figure with fresh vegetables, and not with sweet fruits or fatty cheese.