The harmful impact of alcohol on your weight loss and health goes beyond the extra calories.
Alcohol lowers inhibitions, increasing the likelihood you will binge on unhealthy food, possibly losing your motivation to lose weight.
Alcohol interferes with digestion, decreasing your body’s absorption of beneficial nutrients and causing bloating.
Drinking beer, wine, and spirits slows down the digestive process. Over time, excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to serious health problems including liver impairment, stomach problems, and heart disease.
Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to long-term weight loss and optimal health.
Alcohol interferes with sleep. While a drink may initially relax you and help you fall asleep, after 3 or 4 hours your sleep will be disrupted. Studies have shown that alcohol interferes with both REM sleep and slow-wave sleep, both vital to restoring your body.
You have likely heard about the studies demonstrating certain health benefits of consuming a glass or two of red wine with meals. These studies have shown a correlation between moderate red wine consumption and decreased levels of heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer.
Losing weight also has significant health benefits. Each individual must balance the benefits of moderate red wine consumption with the negative impact on weight loss.
One simple answer to this dilemma is to listen to your own body. Do you feel bloated and unsettled after drinking red wine with a meal? Is your sleep interrupted if you drink? If yes to either, then you are susceptible to the negative impacts of alcohol, and you are better off foregoing the wine. If you decide you cannot live without red wine, not all red wine is created equal. Choose organic red wine produced without sulfites.
Sulfites are added to extend shelf life and can trigger allergies and asthma. Read labels carefully. Ask for recommendations at your favorite wine store. Try wines produced by Frey Vineyards. Here is a link to their website www.freywine.com
