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What’s your poison?
By WLR Dietitian
With Christmas just around the corner,
alcohol might flow
freely at this time of year. But thanks to changes to the
licensing laws we’re now able to drink in pubs and bars at any
time of the day or night. On the 24 November, the new
Licensing Act came into force, with the result that pubs,
bars, clubs and shops can choose to sell alcohol around the
clock and stay open for 24 hours. The Government believes that
flexible opening hours in bars, pubs and clubs will help to
combat alcohol-related crimes and anti-social behaviour by
staggering the departure of drinkers throughout the evening
rather than forcing everyone to leave in one large group at
‘kicking out time’. Meanwhile, the Government also believes
the new licensing laws will help the UK compete with other
European countries in terms of nightlife and so boost tourism.
It might sound like a great idea, especially with the party
season upon us, but many sceptics fear the new laws will do
little for the nation’s health – or waistlines. According to a
new survey conducted by BUPA Wellness, it’s estimated that one
adult in four binge drinks regularly – that is, they consume
double the recommended amount of alcohol in one sitting. And
with alcohol now potentially on tap 24/7, it’s unlikely the
situation will improve.
Going out and having too much to drink may seem like
harmless fun, but the effects of just a few alcohol-fuelled
nights on the town every week can cause both physical and
emotional problems – not to mention the damage it can do to
your waistline.
To start with, it’s a myth that you have to drink every day
to damage your liver – just a few nights of heavy drinking
every week is all it can take to damage the cells. Meanwhile,
women are more susceptible to the health problems caused by
excessive drinking than men because their bodies are less
efficient at processing alcohol. Consuming more than the
recommended amount of alcohol lowers the absorption of many
nutrients including the B vitamins, calcium, phosphate and
vitamin D. It also increases blood pressure and blood fats and
increases the chance of getting a blood clot, all of which are
risk factors for heart disease. Too much alcohol is also
linked with certain cancers and may cause hormonal imbalances
that lead to fertility problems and acne. And contrary to
popular belief, too much alcohol does little to boost mood or
make you feel happier. In fact, booze is a well-known
depressant.
Meanwhile, excessive drinking also poses a massive threat
to your diet. As well as being packed with calories and little
else, chances are you’ll be more likely to fill up on
high-calorie junk food after a heavy session in the pub,
especially if you haven’t eaten beforehand.
So what are sensible limits for drinking? For good health,
the Department of Health recommends that men should not drink
more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day, whereas women should
have no more than 2-3 units per day. That might sound a lot,
but in fact, it’s easy to have your entire daily unit intake
in just one drink. For example, a pint of strong lager such as
Stella Artois or Kronenbourg, contains a massive 3 units.
Meanwhile, a 175ml glass of red wine (14% alcohol) contains 2
units. And that’s not to mention the 250 calories and 120
calories in a pint of strong lager and glass of red wine,
respectively!
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find out just how
many units or calories individual drinks contain. Some
alcopops and bottled and canned lagers are beginning to state
the number of units they contain on the packaging, but this is
by no means the norm. Meanwhile, it’s incredibly difficult to
find out the calorie values of many popular brands of drinks –
nutrition information is rarely given on the packaging (unless
a nutrition claim is made) and even many websites fail to
provide this information. More often than not, it’s a case of
‘guestimating’ just how many units and calories you’re
consuming. As a guideline though, check out the chart below:
Drink
|
Quantity
|
Number of units
|
Calories
|
|
Pub measure of spirits
|
25ml
|
1
|
50
|
|
Alcopops
|
Bottle
|
Around 1.5
|
120-240
|
|
Glass of wine
|
175ml
|
Around 2
|
115
|
|
Ordinary strength lager
|
1 pint
|
2
|
165
|
|
Bitter
|
1 pint
|
2
|
180
|
|
Ordinary strength cider
|
1 pint
|
2
|
225
|
|
Strong lager
|
1 pint
|
3
|
250
|
Finally, here are some top tips to help you dilute both the
number of alcohol units and calories in booze:
- Offer to
drive so that you can stick to low-calorie soft drinks all
night. Don’t worry that missing the walk to and from the pub
will damage your diet, either! A 30 minute walk will only burn
125 calories. Chances are you’d easily over-compensate for
this loads by drinking loads more calories.
- Start the night
with a couple of low-calorie soft drinks – many people are
thirsty when they first arrive at a bar or club, so quench
this thirst with alcohol-free beverages.
- Mix wine with soda
or sparkling water.
- Don’t drink neat spirits – always add a
low-calorie mixer like diet cola or slimline tonic.
- Pace
yourself and have one low-calorie soft drink after every
alcoholic one
- Don’t be afraid to skip rounds and when it’s
your round always buy a non-alcoholic drink for yourself (if
friends or colleagues pile on the pressure to keep on
drinking, simply tell them it’s an alcoholic drink – a diet
lemonade looks just like a gin and tonic!)
- Avoid doubles –
and watch out for trendy bars that serve them as the standard.
Many pubs now also sell 35ml measures as the standard instead
of the more usual 25ml measure. These contain around 1.5 units
and 70 calories each.
- Use a spirits measure for drinks at
home rather than pouring freely from the bottle.
- Don’t drink
too many alcopops – they’re generally loaded in sugar and
calories and because they don’t taste alcoholic it’s easy to
drink large amounts. If you like the fruity taste, go for
fruit juice mixed with diet lemonade.
- Avoid drinking alcohol
and eat healthily for 48 hours after a heavy drinking session.
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