Nutrition Tip #5: Six Simple Ways to Minimize the Damage of Alcohol During the Holidays

There was lots of great feedback from the Thanksgiving post.  Since December is full of holiday functions, the purpose of this week’s post is to provide education on how to minimize the damage done from drinking alcohol so you can still function in the gym as well as not make your jeans tighter.  Here are six simple steps to follow (Assuming you drink alcohol):

1. Avoid Starchy Carbs During Days You Know You Have Social Functions.  If lots of starchy carbs are consumed during the day it will raise insulin levels causing more fat storage.  Also, they will “Absorb” the alcohol causing increased intake which will lead to additional fat storage.  By keeping the carb intake to vegetables and some fruit (i.e. berries) along with protein and healthy fat at meals during the day, less booze will be consumed, fewer calories will be taken in and insulin levels won’t rise as much.  An additional bonus is less money will be spent because less drinks are consumed. 
2. Pick One Type of Booze for the Evening:  A sure fire guaranteed way to get a terrible hangover and not want to go to the gym for many days is to mix different types of alcohol.  Just sticking to beer isn’t as damaging as drinking some beer, then champagne, then shots, etc. all in one evening.
3. Try to Avoid “Sugary Drinks”. There is a huge difference in calories from sugar with certain drinks.  For example, Margarita mixes can have 80 grams of sugar/drink (320 calories). A better option would be Margaritas mixed with Tequila and Lime Juice which totals 10-20 grams (40-80 calories).  A second example is a Captain Morgan/Coke compared to a Captain Morgan/Diet Coke.  Using Diet Coke will reduce the sugar by 25-35 grams (100-140 calories).
4. Try to Drink Higher Quality Alcohol.  Ever wake up after drinking and say “I would pay $50 to get rid of this hangover.”  That is the difference between drinking high quality alcohol instead of the cheap brands.  The extra cost will reduce the extra pain the next morning as well as worse workouts experienced during the week.
5. Post Drinking Strategy.  Once home have 16-24 oz. of water with a high-quality Multi-Vitamin, Omega-3 and some Magnesium right before bed.  This especially helps if Steps #2 and #4 weren’t followed.
6. Don’t Drink and Drive.  This is pretty self-explanatory.  Be safe over the holidays!

In conclusion this article wasn’t written to promote alcohol consumption.  It was written because the majority of people reading this WILL go out and have some drinks during the weekends in December.  By following the steps above (Especially Steps #1 and #3) holiday weight gain that many Americans experience can be reduced by eating less empty calories and avoiding having worse workouts or none at all!