Many people say that they drank too much during the year-end and New Year holidays. I’m worried that drinking too much is harmful to my health, but I’m even more worried about the effect on my weight. In general, it is said that “drinking Alcohol makes you fat”, but in fact, alcohol has a crossroads between “getting fat” and “not getting fat”. I will explain the points that do not gain weight even if you drink alcohol.

How to choose alcohol and snacks is important for not gaining weight

The reason why alcohol is said to make you gain weight is because alcohol itself has calories, and alcohol stimulates your appetite and leads to overeating Snacks. The calories of snacks are added to the calories of alcohol, and excess energy turns into neutral fat, which leads to weight gain.

For this reason, in order not to gain weight from alcohol, there are two points to choose: “Choose alcoholic beverages that do not make you gain weight” and “Choose snacks that do not make you gain weight.”

A simple way to drink low-sugar distilled liquor

The amount of sugar (carbohydrates) contained in alcohol is more important than the alcohol content. In general, most of the nutrients contained in alcoholic beverages are carbohydrates, and brewed alcoholic beverages such as beer, sake, and wine in particular contain a large amount of carbohydrates, and are said to make you fat easily. Also, avoid cocktails that are mixed with sweet juices, sweet and easy-to-drink plum wine, etc., as they contain a lot of sugar.

Distilled liquor with almost zero sugar is attracting attention as “it is hard to gain weight even if you drink it”. Typical distilled spirits include whiskey, brandy, shochu, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and awamori. You can reduce sugar by simply drinking these liquors with water, rocks, soda, etc. without adding syrup or fruit juice. The trick to not gaining weight is to “mix distilled liquor with soda and limit fruit juice to about 1 tablespoon.” Lemon juice, which has a strong flavor and is low in sugar, is a good choice.

However, it should be noted that “zero sugar = zero calories” does not mean that alcohol itself has calories, even if it is a sugar-free alcoholic beverage. There is an opinion that the calories of alcohol are easily consumed, but if you drink too much, the calories of alcohol cannot be ignored. In addition, the process of breaking down alcohol in the liver promotes the synthesis of neutral fat, so excessive drinking of any kind of alcohol causes fat to accumulate in the body.

“Regardless of what kind of alcohol you drink, the most important thing is to drink in moderation and savor it slowly to avoid gaining weight.” If you drink water between alcoholic drinks, you can save the amount of alcohol you drink, and you can prevent dehydration caused by the decomposition of alcohol and hangovers.

For snacks with foods low in sugar and fat

The basics of choosing snacks that don’t make you gain weight are to choose ones that are low in sugar and fat. First of all, mainly salads using vegetables, mushrooms, and seaweeds that contain a lot of dietary fiber. Next, choose snacks that contain low-fat, high-protein, low-calorie chicken, fish, soy products, and dairy products. Chicken fillet, fish sashimi, tofu, cheese, etc. are suitable.

On the other hand, dishes that contain a lot of sugar and fat tend to make you fat. Rice, noodles, potatoes, and snacks that contain a lot of sugar are snacks that make you fat. For example, french fries made by frying potatoes in oil and potato salad containing a large amount of mayonnaise contain lipids added to the sweet potatoes, so be careful not to eat too much of them.

Also, even with the same yakitori, the degree of fattening varies depending on the ingredients. For example, in the case of a part that contains a lot of fat, such as chicken skin, you will gain weight even if you eat a little. If you use the same yakitori as negima, you won’t gain weight because the ingredients are chicken thigh meat and green onions, which are relatively low in fat and contain protein and vitamins.

“One of the recommended snacks is the wakame seaweed salad.” Wakame is almost calorie-free, and fucoxanthin, a nutrient contained in seaweed such as wakame and hijiki, helps burn fat. If you choose to accent the taste, it would be a good idea to top it with cod roe. Cod roe is rich in vitamin B1, which makes it easier to burn carbohydrates, and pantothenic acid, a vitamin that suppresses appetite.

Another recommended snack is edamame. Edamame contains not only vitamin B1, which makes it easier to burn carbohydrates, but also vitamin B2, which burns fat. Rich in dietary fiber and protein, it is perfect as a snack with alcohol. It’s easy to cook and perfect for snacks when drinking alcohol at home.