What does alcohol do to your body?
Alcohol supply almost twice as many calories as carbohydrates and protein, at 7 calories per gram. But crucially, it offers not nutritional value, unlike macro nutrients such as carbs and protein.
The calories found in alcoholic drinks are fairly concentrated in comparison to other foods you consume, which means you can end up consuming a very high number of calories in a very small drink that usually doesn’t last very long, so before you know it you can sink a hefty number in no time!
Alcoholic drinks such as cocktails contain calories from other sources, such as syrups, sugar and flavourings, further adding to the increasingly high calorie count.
Then of course there is the dreaded munchies…
Because alcohol offers nothing in the way of nutritional value, more often than not you end up majorly hungry after going out for a few drinks.
Now alcohol also loosens your inhibitions, and makes you less cautious about choosing processed, junk food that you wouldn’t normally reach for, and of course, many occasions involving alcohol are also accompanied by ‘party’ food, further adding to the temptation.
If you really want to get in great shape and be super health, I would definitely recommend cutting out alcohol at the very least, significantly reducing your intake. Having a glass of wine or two, several times a week after a stressful day at work or having a big binge on a weekend certainly won’t do you any favours in terms of reducing body fat!
A standard glass of wine comes to around 160 calories, equivalent to a slice of cake – or 15 minutes of high intensity training.
The warm weather is on it’s way now, and if you love that feeling of sitting in the garden with a glass of something cold and wet in your hand to wind down after a tough week at work, but you also want to feel ace in your swimwear this summer, then why not try my non-alcoholic Pimms recipe for a hangover free taste of summer!
Katie’s LBD Pimms Style, Non-Alcoholic Mocktail
Serves 6
Ingredients
• ½ orange sliced and cut into small pieces
• ½ lemon sliced and cut into small pieces
• 6 slices cucumber cut into small pieces
• 6 strawberries washed and cut into pieces
• 2 sprigs of fresh mint
Method
• Place all of the ingredients into a large jug
• Fill the jug with cold water (preferably bottled spring water)
• Stand for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse into the water
• Pour into a glass, over ice to serve
Enjoy saving loads of money and keeping yourself from piling on the pounds.
Save this image to your phone for future parties!
