I see so many memes featuring alcohol floating around social media these days. It seems that many people have taken up drinking hoping for a sense of calm during the pandemic lockdown, and for parents this promises a moment of relaxation. I completely understand the need for lowering our stress levels and also the need for humour. As a mother of 3 young children I really get this. But what really matters during the coronavirus pandemic is staying healthy and well. Research tells us that what we eat and drink can either support or weaken our immune defences and affect our mood. Alcohol weakens both, it’s not just about the liver.
In this article, I will share 6 ways in which alcohol may affect you with hope that these will motivate you to follow my 10 effective strategies to help you drink less.
- Alcohol is a diuretic and flushes out nutrients such as vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed for healthy immunity and is even being used in several countries in treatment of covid-19 infections. We also have evidence that it can shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections and prevent complications such as pneumonia. This is the time to seriously increase our vitamin C intake – both supplemental and from vitamin C rich foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, kiwi, peppers, sweet potatoes and strawberries, and to limit anything that makes us lose this amazing vitamin.
- Alcohol flushes out B vitamins – especially B1 and B6. When B1 is low, we not only end up feeling tired, but also mentally confused. Another symptom of B1 deficiency can be tightness to muscle tissues and build-up of lactic acid, just like after too much exercise. Vitamin B6 is also involved in making several neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA which naturally balance our mood, preventing anxiety and depression. This is why alcohol, when consumed in larger amounts, is actually a depressant. For women going through the menopause or those who suffer from PMS, having sufficient levels of B vitamins is significant to prevent further anxiety and low mood, and even a small amount of alcohol can disrupt this balance. In my practice, I see very low B vitamin status in most of my female clients with mood and fatigue issues.
- Alcohol also raises the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol is high, we feel more stress and inner tension.
- Having higher cortisol levels means we are less able to naturally produce melatonin,the sleep hormone which not only helps us sleep but it is one of the most incredible anti-oxidants and immune modulator our bodies make. If you’d like to know about the role of sleep and melatonin in preventing and minimising infections, do read my article here.
- Did you know that alcohol makes you feel hungry? This is because alcohol has a specific effect on AgRP neurons in the hypothalamus which induce a feeling of starvation. Unfortunately, this won’t show up as an increased desire for green vegetables; instead this neuron-induced hunger raises a strong preference for “bar food” – sugary and refined snacks. Often, this means overeating unhealthy, difficult-to-digest foods, and then trying to go to sleep feeling just too full. Many people do manage to fall asleep, but then they are more likely to wake up several hours later from all the blood sugar fluctuations. Alcohol is in fact a “liquid sugar”; it not only contributes to weight gain but can also lead to diabetes 2 which is a preventable condition.
- Women metabolise alcohol differently to men and experience its effects more dramatically. We usually hear about the damaging effect of alcohol on the liver. For women this mean that the liver becomes it less able to get rid of excess hormones leading to a general hormone imbalance and symptoms of estrogen excess such as PMS, and heavy menstrual bleeding. Of course, everyone has a different genetic ability to detoxify, and you only you know what your own tolerance to alcohol is. If you have been suffering from skin and hormones issues, if you get “tipsy” after several sips, chances are that your personal tolerance to alcohol is low. If you have any estrogen-driven conditions, it’s best not to drink at all.
It’s very easy to drink every night and not notice how much you drink. There is nothing wrong with having an occasional drink, but if you drink daily, and if you already have other health problems, perhaps it’s time to look at the following strategies to minimise your consumption of alcohol.
Strategies to minimise:
- Always drink 2 glasses of water before you drink 1 glass of alcohol.
- Count how much you spend on alcohol every week and put this money towards something that will nourish your health and well-being.
- Decide to have at least 5 alcohol-free days every week.
- Make your drink special, taste every bit, and chances are you won’t need to have another one.
- Swap alcohol for a glass of sparkling kombucha, or an ice green tea (green tea contains theanine which is calming), or a fruit mocktail – recipe below.
- Choose protein rich foods when you drink and try to avoid processed “bar foods” to stabilise insulin levels and prevent weight gain.
- Manage your stress with a mindfulness practice such as yoga, or walks in nature if you are able to leave your house. Research tells us that even when we watch nature films this can improve our mood. My favourite mindfulness practice is Gratitude Journaling: all you need to do is to write down 3 things you are grateful for, every day. These need to be specific things such as “my cat jumped onto my lap when I was feeling sad this morning and it made me feel better” which will help to re-create a sense of calm, safety and warmth as you write and then re-read them.
- Create healthy nourishing connections and keep in touch with others – these days you can do this via various online platform and also your local community where volunteers are always needed to help the elderly and those in need – to prevent the feeling of isolation.
- Choose the best quality red wine with no additives over other types of alcohol – red wine will at least contain nutrients such as the antioxidant resveratrol.
- Take additional vitamin C, B vitamins, Magnesium, Zinc and electrolytes when you do have a drink – these are all depleted from drinking alcohol.
RECIPE – Watermelon Mocktail 
Ingredients, serves 2:
- 2 cups of diced watermelon
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp honey
- A handful of fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup sparkling water
Method:
- Blend together your fruit, lime juice and honey
- Muddle mint leaves into the bottom of each glass
- Pour watermelon mixture into each glass
- Add ice, sparking water- stir to combine
- Garnish with some fruit and mint leaves
Notes:
- You can use any other fruit such as raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, grapefruit, and pineapple. A cucumber mocktail is delicious too, use lemon instead of lime in this combination.
- Use whole fruit rather than just its juice to avoid raising your blood sugar.
- Sparkling water is the best base for healthy feel-good mocktails, or you could use kombucha which will additionally feed your microbiome, the true seat of our immunity.
- Be as creative as you can, make it look amazing, and enjoy ever sip!
If you would like further advice on naturally supporting your mood and health with Nutritional Therapy, do contact me. My consultations are online so it doesn’t matter where in the world you are.
Wishing you all health and harmony,
Magda
References & further reading:
- Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3767933/
- Genetics and ability to deal with alcohol https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110090723.htm
- On alcohol induced overeating https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14014
- On alcohol and risk of Alzheimer’s disease https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-018-1184-7?fbclid=IwAR37tu_douPlkxrZgYoR1BYzTbb76mLjt6X1T8sd90JS27F4GYNQeq0FbWE
- On alcohol addiction as symptom of isolation and neglect https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/neuroscientist-addict-addiction_n_563b63f1e4b0411d306fc5d7?ri18n=true
- On alcohol and breast cancer https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/04/did-drinking-give-me-breast-cancer/?fbclid=IwAR34uvzCX4ULfy2PX8pFO99DdGFKkLLBScuirFo7BbDBhxTKrUa5bgSRBDE
- Book, by Candace Pert – Molecules of Emotion: why we feel the way we feel
