Healthy Drinking Habits that Keep Your Body Looking Great

Healthy alcohol consumption is certainly not something you hear every day. Prevailing wisdom suggests that we should avoid alcohol consumption if we want to stay healthy.  But is this the case? Or is healthy drinking entirely possible with the right tactics?  Today, we’ll go over some health benefits of drinking alcohol, when to drink, how much to have, and how often to consume alcoholic beverages.

 

When Should I Drink?

Timing your alcohol intake is vital as it can impair your productivity and prolong the recovery from physical activity.  In most cases, it’s best to have a drink in the evening once you’re finished with all of your work. But, keep in mind that alcohol can impair your sleep, so you should avoid consuming it within about one to two hours of going to bed.  What’s more, some folks don’t tolerate alcohol well, and they tend to get hungover easily. So, if you’re in that camp, it would be best to have no more than one drink, ideally on the night before a day off from work or school.

 

How Much Should I Drink?

Small amounts of alcohol appear to be beneficial and can lead to health effects such as:

• Improved insulin sensitivity

• Decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes

• Increased life span

 

So, when it comes to healthy drinking, moderation is the name of the game. The truth is, we can go over many beverages and drinking tactics, but what matters most is the total amount of alcohol you consume.  According to most guidelines out there, we should avoid having more than one or two drinks in a day. For example, based on alcohol content, here are some of the healthier alcoholic drinks and their quantities:

• One to two 12-ounce beers

• Two 5-ounce cups of dry wine

• Two 1.5-ounce cups of distilled spirit (gin, brandy, tequila, whiskey, vodka, and similar)

 

How Often Should I Drink?

Some research suggests that daily alcohol consumption is not ideal and can lead to some adverse health effects down the line. Most notably, of course, is the risk of dependency.

 

For example, you may choose a schedule like this:

Monday - two 12-ounce light beers

Tuesday - Off

Wednesday - two 5-ounce cups of dry wine

Thursday - Off

Friday - a 3-ounce whiskey

Saturday - two 1.5-ounce vodka drinks

Sunday - Off

 

That way, you can still enjoy alcohol sensibly, but avoid the potential downsides, which can include:

• Heart and liver problems

• Alcohol-related poor decisions

• Impulse eating

• Weight loss or gain

 

How to Make Drinking Alcohol Healthy?

There are many healthy drink options, but remember that if you have too much, they can cause adverse effects on us.  The bottom line is, we need to practice moderation, try to avoid daily alcohol consumption, and when we decide to drink, to limit ourselves to two standard drinks. Also, it’s best to drink at the end of the day once you’ve finished all of your work. If you plan on going out for drinks, leave the car at home and catch a taxi instead.

 

Among the healthy alcoholic drinks, we have:

• Light beer

• Dry wine

• Distilled spirits

 

Alcoholic drinks you might want to avoid, include:

• Sugary cocktails

• Liquor

• Fruity margaritas

• Regular beer

 

The primary reason to avoid these is because of their high calorie contents. For reference, a sugary cocktail can be as much as 500 calories. Have two, and you see how easily you can add tons of unwanted calories to your daily intake.