With the adoption of a health-conscious attitude, many collegiettes® find themselves with a common weekend conundrum: are a couple of drinks now going to show up as inches on your waist later? You may have noticed a few myths about what, when and how to drink floating around, seemingly out to bust your buzz. Clear vs. dark liquor, this mixer vs. that, rumors of antioxidants… the myths alone make the room spin!
Clear vs. Dark Liquors
Deciding between these two types of liquors should be based on what you are concerned about. If calories are your concern, Refinery 29 says the differences are minor. On average, serving sizes between types vary by just 10 calories, so you might as well go with your favorite.
If you’re worried about a morning after filled with headaches and nausea, go for the clear. Wired.com says it’s the toxic compounds in dark liquor, such as acetone, acetaldehyde, tannins and furfural, that make the liquid dark and your morning painful.
All mixed up about mixers
Once you start adding up the calorie count for mixers, such as juices, sodas and tonic, your favorite “fun” drink might not seem so fun anymore. Summery drinks such as piña coladas and daiquiris are some of the worst, coming in at around 700 calories each, according to Refinery 29. The other culprits—juices and sodas—instantly add (many) useless liquid calories.
Luckily, these buzz-killing numbers have quick fixes. Instead of juices and calorie-packed mixes, add slices of real fruit. Try replacing Sprite with lemons and limes. Or replace regular sodas with diet or club sodas. An average rum and coke could pack 150 calories, whereas a rum and diet coke or coke zero comes in around 97 calories. Cutting back on calories doesn’t have to mean cutting back on mixed drinks all together.
News worth toasting to
With all the negative connotations surrounding alcohol and your health, a girl needs something to drink to!
Though there’s still no proof of it fixing a broken heart, wine may actually be good for your heart in another way, according to a recent study by the journal “Stroke.” Additionally, the study found that women who drank around a glass of wine a day were 21% less likely to have a stroke than women who abstained from alcohol. Livestrong.com says moderated alcohol consumption raises the level of good cholesterol in your bloodstream, which helps prevent the risk of clots.
Wine consumption can also help keep the weight off—moderate wine consumption that is. An article in Cosmo says this may be because women’s bodies have to burn calories in order to produce enough enzymes to metabolize the alcohol. So those flushed cheeks after a drink or two is your body heating up—and burning calories.
Livestrong.com also suggests moderate alcohol consumption can be good for the brain (contrary to past inebriated “good ideas”—moderation is key). Alcohol can help increase good cholesterol, improving blood flow to the brain. According to researchers from Loyola University, moderate drinkers are 23% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment, and other forms of dementia compared to non-drinkers.
Most importantly, all these benefits come from moderation. Excessive drinking can result in a whole host of evils, with everything from breakouts to weight gain to increased risk of breast cancer (Real Simple). Not that you needed an excuse any way—but a glass of wine for your health? Let’s cheers to that.
Sources:
http://www.refinery29.com/alcohol-facts/slideshow#slide-2
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/dark-liquor-makes-for-worse-hangovers/
http://www.refinery29.com/alcohol-facts/slideshow#slide-3
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/09/10625521-daily-drink-may-reduce-stroke-chance
http://www.livestrong.com/article/517854-the-advantages-disadvantages-of-drinking-alcoholic-beverages/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/517854-the-advantages-disadvantages-of-drinking-alcoholic-beverages/
http://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/downside-drinking-00000000006195/index.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/312014-calories-in-bacardi-and-diet-coke/
Image Source:
http://www.sandiegotherapistcounselor.com/when-drinking-becomes-a-problem-alcoholism.html