Eating for energy

As seen on BCTV Noon News

Over the Christmas season, many of us like to ring in the holiday cheer with a drink or two. While drinking in moderation is fine, overindulgence can leave you feeling less than cheerful the next day. The best way to avoid the effects of alcohol is to completely abstain. But, if you chose to have a few drinks over the holidays here are a few good tips to follow.

Effects of Alcohol

When you drink alcohol, it is absorbed into your blood and transported to the liver, where it is detoxified. It is then broken down into carbon dioxide and water and excreted from the body. The liver only has a certain number of enzymes that can break down the alcohol, called alcohol dehydrogenase, so if you consume alcohol faster than the liver can detoxify it, levels in your blood build up and can affect balance, judgment and speech. Alcohol also acts as a diuretic, meaning that it increases urination. This can lead to dehydration if water is not replaced in the body.

Tips for safe drinking and better mornings after

Make sure that your glass is empty before you refill it to keep track of how much you are drinking
Space out your drinks throughout the night, try to stick to about 1 per hour
Consume one non-alcoholic drink between each drink to prevent dehydration
Never drink on an empty stomach. Eat foods with protein and a little bit of fat, like nuts, cheese and meats, to help slow the digestion and effects of alcohol
Don’t mix different alcohols, try to stick to one kind
Drink clear alcohols; dark colored alcohols such as scotch, tequila, whiskey and rye contain compounds called congeners and can cause worse hangovers

The morning after

The day after drinking can leave you with a headache, a stomachache and feeling tired and generally not good. Although the cause of hangovers is not really known they could be due to dehydration, a lack of rest, increased physical activity the night before and swelling of blood vessels in the brain. A hangover is not necessarily dependant on the amount of alcohol consumed, but there are a few things that can lessen the severity.

Drink water before you go to bed and in the morning to reduce the effects of dehydration. You may even want to have a small snack.
Avoid coffee, which can increase dehydration
Rehydrate the next morning with sports drinks such as Gatorade to replenish lost water and electrolytes. Even better, make a smoothie with fresh fruit
Painkillers, specifically Tylenol (acetaminophen) can lead to liver damage when combined with alcohol. If you need to dull the pain of a headache water may help, as well as aspirin
Finally, try to eat something the morning after, even if it is something small. Avoid greasy high fat breakfasts even if you are not feeling well, eat something small and nutritious like yogurt, fruit or a piece of whole wheat toast

Calories in Drinks

Holiday drinking can also be damaging to your waistline. Wine has about 105 calories per glass, hard alcohols contain about 100 calories per 1.5oz shot, and beers have about 150 calories per 12oz. Best choices if you are drinking is wine, particularly red. If you prefer hard alcohol, mix it with soda water and limejuice, tomato juice or real fruit juices. Avoid sugary soft drinks.

One of the worst drinks, in term of fat and calories, is rum and eggnog which is a holiday favorite. Eggnog alone contains almost 150 calories and 7 grams of fat per ½ cup! Instead try skim milk with kahlua. If you can’t do without the eggnog, make it with egg substitute and skim milk to reduce the fat and calories.

The Bottom Line: Be safe, set your limit and enjoy the holidays!

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV's Noon News Hour!

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