Are you taking part in Dry July this year, or perhaps contemplating how cutting back on alcohol could improve your life? Here’s one simple reason why abstaining is worth it - the less alcohol you consume, the easier it becomes to drastically reduce the amount of carbohydrates and calories in your diet and to lose or manage your weight more effortlessly. 

 

The effects of alcohol on your health are immense, but just taking into consideration your waist-line in particular  - 

• Pure alcohol contains around 7 calories per gram - that’s almost double the amount of calories you can get from eating carbs or protein (4g each). 
• The calories in alcohol are essential ‘empty’ calories - providing a lot of energy for very little nutrition. It’s also easy to over-consume calories through drinking, meaning you’re more likely to consume an excess of your energy needs, leading to fat storage. 
• Studies have shown that in the short term, alcohol stimulates your appetite, lowers your inhibitions and numbs your hunger cues - making it easier for you to overeat. What’s even worse is the cravings we fall victim to the next day when we’re nursing a hangover!

 

Cutting out your typical 1-2 standard drinks a day could help you cut an average of 250-400 calories out of your diet - meaning you don’t need to drastically cut the calories from your diet, where you should be focusing on eating quality nutrients and sufficient amounts of protein, fats, carbs and fibre.

Even easing into it by committing to 3-5 alcohol free days a week is a simple way to reign in your weekly calorie intake!

 

Here’s some tips to help get you through:

• Try to socialise with friends who are also going alcohol free or make sure you BYO your own non-alcoholic drinks to any social outings 
• Swap your habit of relaxing with a glass of wine to something else more stress-relieving, like yoga, a hot bath or a walk. Simple habit shifts will make it more easier to stick to in the long-term.
• Journal or take mental note of how your mood, energy levels, appetite and weight improve with every week you stick to a no- or minimal-alcohol lifestyle.  This will keep you motivated and determined to stick with it, because the benefits and results will speak for themselves! 
• Get creative with some non-alcoholic alternatives! Here’s one to get you started:

 

Sugar Free ‘Mojito’ (serves 1):

Ingredients

• Handful of fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 250ml sparkling water or soda water
• 1 cup ice
• 1 tsp Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener, or up to 1tsp more to taste

Method:

1. To a Blender, add lime juice, sparkling water, mint leaves, half the ice and Classic Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener.
2. Blend together until you have a smooth liquid.
3. Add in the remaining ice whole, and enjoy chilled. Enjoy!