A sober dietitian explains how drinking affects your diet
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In reality, it wasnt until I got sober that I discovered how drinking affects your diet firsthand.
When I decided I was better off without alcohol, my life took a complete turnabout.
Everything changedfrom the people I hung out with to the places I went.
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Even how I socialized.
I didnt realize that other,less noticeable parts of my lifewere changing, too.
Id often skip breakfast in a rush to make it to class or work.
These symptoms likely indicated that my body was adjusting to conserve energy during times of reduced food intake.
As you may know, muscle burns more energy at rest than fat tissue.
Over time, skipping meals contributes to lost muscle mass and a slower metabolism.
Id eat quickly and past the point of feeling physically full.
By then, hunger hormones,neuropeptide Y and ghrelin, were signaling for me to eat something!
Since quitting alcohol, breakfast has become my favorite meal of the day.
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I load up on fiber and protein to keep me full and satisfied until lunch.
If there was something salty and high in carbs on the menu, I ordered it.
However, alcohol influences nerve cells and blood sugar in ways that can trigger feelings of hunger.
Alcohol may activate nerve cells in the brain that are usually stimulated by severe energy deprivation.
In other words, drinking alcohol could have tricked my brain into thinking I was actually starving.
In reality, Id consumed more than enough liquid energy.
Furthermore,alcohol disrupts blood sugar levels.
Too much alcohol can hinder the body from regulating blood sugar as it usually would.
Low blood sugar could partially explain why I craved carbohydrate-rich foods, specifically Whataburger french fries.
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production and can lead to dehydration.
When alcohol suppresses vasopressin, the kidneys excrete water in urine instead of reabsorbing it to maintain fluid balance.
Dehydration was partially to blame for the hangovers that sometimes followed.
Itsideal for men and women to drink 15.5 and 11.5 cups of water per dayrespectively.
If you drink alcohol, you likely need more to avoid dehydration.
When I quit drinking, improving my relationship with food was the last thing on my mind.
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