Beware Of Hangovers That Can Last Longer Than The ”Morning After.”
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January: the infamous month of the year when people who have made healthy New Year’s resolutions realize that they haven’t gotten off to a very good start. This is the month where people have dreams of fitting into their favorite jeans, which had been relegated to the back of the closet for months. People want to lose weight, eat healthier foods, and work on their physique. Thirty days to put the resolutions into action.
There are those lucky people, however, who charge into the New Year quite happy with the state of their bodies. You might even know some of them. You suspect that their idea of bringing in the New Year is to raise a toast by clinking stalks of celery, or by throwing handfuls of quinoa into the air at the stroke of midnight. Now, there is a way that you can beat them at their own game … practice Smart Revelry.
On New Year’s Eve you can enjoy yourself without packing on calories that you’ll have to burn before you can even start your resolutions. Let the gourmet glitterati clink their celery stalks, throw their quinoa, and bob for tofu as they sip their diet water with sugar-free ice cubes. Enjoy yourself, smartly. First of all, go easy on the crab puffs, chips and queso dip, the cheese and cracker platter, and the rumaki. Moderation is the key here. You don’t want to pack on the calories, but you do want a little something in your stomach before you head toward the hard stuff. Smart Revelry allows you to have as much fun as anyone…dancing, chatting, gathering phone numbers…without worrying about ending the evening face down in a flower bed.
The key to Smart Revelry is to manage your caloric intake with what you eat and what you drink. By its very nature alcohol (ethanol) contains sugar (glucose) caused by the fermentation process. The calories provided by this sugar can be stored in the human body as fat. This isn’t a great way to start on your healthy 2017 resolutions. There are ways, however, to enjoy a drink without swallowing too many calories. Spirits, beer and wine contain different levels of alcohol, therefore different levels of sugar. Here’s a guide to help you with your Smart Revelry according to research:
Beer:
Regular - (serving size 12 fl.oz) has about 153 calories.
Light - (serving size 12 fl.oz) has about 103 calories.
Note: Light has less calories than regular, but it still has a high caloric content.
Spirits 80% Proof
Rum, Gin, Tequila, Vodka - (serving size 1.5 fl.oz) averages about 97 calories,; vodka has about 67 calories.
Note: These drinks usually require high sugar mixers such as fruit juices. Low/no calorie mixers would include lemon or lime, light cranberry juice.
Wine
Red - (serving size 5 fl.oz) has about 125 calories.
White - (serving size 5 fl.oz) with 121 calories.
Champagne - (serving size 4 fl.oz) has about 84 calories.
Note: Drier wine varieties have fewer calories according to the Wine Rack.
Cocktail
Martini - (serving size of 2.5 fl.oz) has on average 127 calories.
Daiquiri - (serving size 2 fl.oz) has about 112 calories.
Note: The caloric content in some of these cocktails are low, but it increase your thirst mainly because of the salt, which can increase your caloric consumption.
Try not to mix alcoholic beverages with fruit juices or carbonated drinks; these chasers and mixers have high sugar content. Consume alcohol on the rocks, or with soda or tonic water.
Drink a non-alcoholic beverage between drinks.
Dilute your drinks with water or light mixers suitable to your pallet. It could help curb the potential for a hangover
Mix and take your own drinks. My concoction is coconut water, with squeezed lime and lemon, with light cranberry juice, 4 sweet green grapes and a pinch of salt and blend. I love my concoctions.
Taken in moderation, some alcoholic beverages have been shown to provide health benefits…red wine for example. The jury is still out on doing tequila body shots.
One way to watch your caloric intake (your alcoholic intake is up to you) is to sip vodka and diet tonics. Vodka (the unflavored variety) is basically ethanol and water…67 calories. Mix it with diet tonic (0 calories) and you have a libation you’d have to drink TEN of (even though it’s not recommended) to equal the calories found in a Tim Horton’s Tuscan Chicken Panini with a side of kettle chips.
Counting calories while partying can keep your alcohol intake low, as well as keeping you on track to start 2017 without a hangover that can last for months. If you should ingest too much ethanol, Smart Revelers know that they need to be driven home. Jail-house food isn’t known for its weight watching sensibilities.
However, if you can only practice Semi-Smart Revelry, as most of us do, do not despair. XquisiteFitness.com offers rehab programs that can get you back on track.
All the best for a healthy and happy 2017!
Avaneil