I don’t know about you, but if I’m a bit buzzed, I don’t make great food choices. In fact it’s more like … ” Tra la la! This wine is great! Ooh buffet table! Yummy!” (Tazmanian Devil-like activity ensues.)
We’re coming up on party season central and my plan is to space out beverages with a large glass of water before, between and after each alcoholic one. This has as number of effects;
1) Pre-hydration, hydration and post-hydration is always a good plan no matter what you are doing, exercising or merry making.
2) More water decreases the amount of alcohol consumed (BTW, alcohol calories weigh in at 7 cal/g, almost as much as fat).
3) Better beverage choices decrease the likelihood of buzzed mindless eating. Wise choices are the really good stuff made by hand with lots of love, not the processed crap simply because it’s there.
4) Don’t lose your glass! Drop a berry in your beverage, or bring a wine charm for your wine glass stem. (I detest searching for my glass.)
5) Add ice. Melting ice dilutes a cocktail and creates more liquid. So order your drink on the rocks to try to avoid a quick buzz.
6) Moderation is important. According to Health.gov moderate drinking is up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and alcoholism) defines binge drinking as a pattern that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men in about 2 hours. Moderate to low-risk drinking for women is have no more than 3 drinks a night and no more than 2 nights of drinking a week (Men: 4 and 2). And there is something called Holiday Heart Syndrome which happens to people who aren’t heavy drinkers except sporadically on holidays. It causes atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythm. It does go away if you just stop drinking.
Holiday event take away -> drink more water than alcohol, and focus your holiday party time as opportunities to reconnect with friends, slow down and hang out, make new friends, and have Uber and Lyft on speed dial. Wise choices include food, beverages and holiday transportation forward-planning.
