With February upon us and many of my friends undertaking Feb Fast after a rather full on silly season I thought what better time to post about the health benefits of decreasing alcohol consumption.

There are many reasons that cutting down on the amount of alcohol you drink is beneficial.

1. You cut down on your overall energy intake: per gram alcohol has more calories/kilojoules than protein, carbohydrates and fat

Carbohydrates – 16 kj per gram

Protein – 17 kj per gram

Fat – 37 kj per gram

Alcohol – 29 kj per gram

So by cutting down on the amount you drink you decrease your overall energy intake and in most cases this results in weight loss

2.  You are less likely to have a hangover and are therefore more active: how many times have you promised yourself you will go to that 9am spin class on Saturday? Only to have a few too many after work drinks and instead wind up lying in bed all day eating fried food and watching Netflix. By limiting your alcohol intake you are more likely to exercise and less likely to spend the day stuck on the couch!

3. There are no late night fast food binges: alcohol impairs our ability to make decisions and this is why at 2am Sunday morning the lines at McDonald’s drive through are an hour long. These type of energy dense foods eaten when you are most likely not hungry will result in increased energy consumption on top of the mountain of drinks you have already consumed.

4. You have more energy and are more productive during the week: this usually results in higher rates of attendance at work but also at the gym! And because you are feeling better you are much more likely to push yourself harder and burn more energy as a result.

After writing this post it is pretty clear to me that excessive alcohol consumption can have a snowball affect that directly affects our mood, productivity and overall health. So why not try and cut down a little?