When it comes to weight and alcohol, the lack of nutrition labels has a strong effect on consumers' denial. Many believe the concept of “if I can’t see it, it’s not there.” Drinking a pre-mixed cocktail for example, will many times be packed with sugar, carbs, and can add up to more calories than our dinner in just a few drinks. While sticking to our favorite seltzer or beer will keep you slimmer than the pre-mixed options, it doesn’t mean you can’t gain weight. Favorites such as Corona Light and White Claw come in at just around 100 calories each; It’s comparable to a shot of hard liquor having roughly the same amount of calories. If indulging in a few alcoholic beverages isn’t enough, Medicine Net claims that “Studies have shown that in the short term, alcohol consumption stimulates food intake and can also increase feelings of hunger.” Light to moderate drinking most likely won’t have an extreme impact on your weight, but heavy drinking can be a big factor and it’s best to monitor how many drinks consumed each week and be mindful when feeling the need to indulge in the munchies.

What about Alternative Sweeteners in alcohol?

In the craze of healthy food labels, any nutrition label that has 0 calories or 0g sugar, people jump on quickly. It seems that even more so, consumers are mixing various diet beverages in their alcoholic drinks. While this may seem like a nutritional advantage, it’s actually doing more harm than good. Not only do these beverages contain chemicals, but a study found a significant difference when looking at the blood alcohol levels between a diet and a regular drink. The "diet" beverage produced blood alcohol levels that would be considered illegal for driving in many places, while the "regular" beverage did not. 

Alcohol and Nutritional Deficiencies 

Drinking alcohol takes a lot out of the body-dehydration, brain function, even deficiencies. Unfortunately, deficiencies in protein, fats, carbs, and vitamins and minerals can cause the body to have health problems. With alcohol intake, our body becomes very depleted in several Vitamins and minerals including A, B1 (thiamine), B12, C, D, Folate, and Iron. It may not seem like a big deal, but vitamins help our body function properly and without them, we can have health problems such as anemia, poor memory, unhealthy nerve cells, and more.

There are many pros and cons to drinking alcohol. Drinking in moderation can help to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Drinking different wines and adding other fruits to your cocktails can give you a wide variety of benefits including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Social drinking can be surprisingly good for your mental health and being social overall (especially in times like these) is so crucial for your mental health. It’s important to remember that just because there isn’t always a label on a bottle of alcohol, doesn’t mean that it’s safe or that nutrition facts don’t count. It still causes dehydration, weight gain and can cause liver and other diseases. It’s not healthy to overthink every time a drink ends up in our hands. Consumers can make smart choices about what should and shouldn’t be consumed in excessive quantities, but most importantly: have fun, relax and enjoy having an adult beverage every once in a while; that’s what they’re there for.