‘Burgundy makes you think of silly things; Bordeaux makes you talk about them; and Champagne makes you do them: JEAN ANTHELME BRlLLAT-SAVARIN
Alcohols contain 7 calories per gram, almost twice what soft drinks have. So when you drink, you are loading up on calories. On the other hand, we rarely drink alcohol, with the possible exception of beer, in the sort of quantities that characterize how many of us drink soft drinks.
The other problem with alcohol is well, your mother was right it lowers your inhibitions. It lowers your inhibitions about drinking
more; it also lowers your inhibitions about eating more. Research has shown that drinking wine with meals causes people to stay longer at the table and to consume more food calories. A glass of wine with dinner is a pleasure, but just assume that when you drink with a meal, you will also eat more.
In addition, alcohol has some diuretic effects. One of the reasons (although not the only one) you feel so bad the day after you drink too much is that you are dehydrated. Drinking alcohol causes a net fluid loss, so it doesn’t count towards your eight glasses a day. On the other hand, alcohol has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease. In a study of 38,000 American male doctors and dentists, men who drank moderately (between one and three glasses, five to seven nights a week) had a lower risk of heart disease than those who didn’t drink at all. And this is surprising it didn’t seem to matter whether they drank beer or wine. Bottom line: avoid alcohol when you are actively trying to lose weight; when your weight is stable, alcohol in moderation can improve your health. And because it’s a diuretic, it doesn’t count towards your eight-glass goal
