Just in time for the holiday season: Canada’s National Alcohol Strategy Advisory Committee has released new recommendations to help guide you in how much to consume – very much encouraging moderation. Recognizing that drinking is a personal choice, they suggest that if you do choose to drink, these guidelines can help you decide when, where, why and how much.
To reduce long-term health risks, they recommend no more than two drinks a day, five times a week or 10 drinks total a week for women and no more than three drinks a day, five times a week or 15 drinks total a week for men.
In the new guidelines, one drink means:
341 ml (12 oz.) bottle of 5% alcohol beer, cider or cooler.
142 ml (5 oz.) glass of 12% alcohol wine.
43 ml (1.5 oz.) serving of 40% distilled alcohol (rye, gin, rum, etc.)
They also recommend planning non-drinking days each week.
To reduce the risk of injury and harm, the group advise drinking no more than three drinks for women and four drinks for men on any single occasion.
If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or before breastfeeding, the safest choice is to drink no alcohol at all, according to the document.
Now, we know there is some evidence that connects alcohol and good health. There have been studies showing that a drink a day could be helpful in lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke and even type 2 diabetes. However, while a drink a day can, in some instances and for some people, be beneficial this is definitely not a case of more being better. There are also many studies showing that alcohol can increase risk of certain cancers such as esophagus, throat, breast and colon as well as liver disease and other serious health issues.
The report also recommends that you drink slowly ( no more than 2 drinks in any 3 hours), that you eat before and while drinking and for every drink of alcohol, to have one non-alcoholic drink.
Now, I don’t want to be a complete scrooge and make you feel guilty about having holiday drinks, but, there are a few considerations to also think about when it comes to alcohol and the festive season.
Alcoholic drinks contain calories, plain and simple: One typical drink can have 100 to 200 calories. A 1.5 oz. (43 ml) serving of rye, gin. scotch etc has about 90 calories, a 5 oz. (142 ml) glass of wine has about 120 calories and a 12 oz. (341 ml) bottle of beer has about 150 calories.
Besides the alcohol, there are the mixers. Soda water for example has no calories but a typical can of tonic water has about 150 calories. Regular soft drinks are about 150 calories per can and diet pop has less than 10. A cup of juice also has about 100 calories. This time of year, eggnog is a popular drink. A cup of fancy eggnog can be 200 – 300 calories but now you can buy calorie reduced ones that will cut those calories by about half. Drinks that contain Irish cream, Kahlua or other cream-based liqueurs are higher as well – a 1.5 ounce serving having about 175 calories.
Besides the calories, having a few drinks can easily soften your resolve, making it easier to dive into that plate of nachos or chicken wings.
Check the sizes of your wine or drink glasses. If they are oversize goblets or tall 16-ounce glasses, you probably will drink more. Sip slowly and make whatever you’re drinking last longer.
As the guidelines suggest, alternate alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic drink. Sip a glass of club soda with lemon, lime or a dash of juice or a “virgin” Caesar.
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