Just like a toxic best friend that parties with you on the weekends but talks smack behind your back all week long, she is a good time, but dear lord is she a giant biotch. That’s right, I am talking about our good ol’ friend Alcohol.
Humankind has an age-old relationship with alcohol. The liquid truth serum brings us together both in celebration and despair. It smells like teen spirit and a dirty bar floor after a Saturday night.
The same toxins that break down our inhibitions and have us confessing our love to a stranger in a bathroom stall are simultaneously working behind the scenes to wreak havoc on our bodies and mental health.
Jordan Hostetler is a registered dietician with a passion for reducing our toxic burden. She is here with a realistic perspective to help us understand alcohol and navigate a tricky relationship with our favorite frenemy.
Pick Your Poison with Care
Gin, bourbon, vodka, rum, wine – it’s all the same, right? Wrong. Well, mostly wrong when it comes to the toxic effect on the body.
All alcohol starts with a base such as fruit, or barley. The base is fermented, where yeast or bacteria react with the sugars in the base and produce ethanol. Wine is made from fermenting fruit whereas beer and spirits are made from fermenting grain or corn. Each type of spirit is then determined during the distilling and aging process.
We mainly consume alcohol in the form of ethanol, which is converted into acetaldehyde in the body. Darker liquors contain chemically related compounds like methanol. The same enzymes process ethanol and methanol; however, methanol metabolites are especially toxic to organs.
“Methanol metabolites activate certain mechanisms in the body that disrupt lipid (fat) metabolism, hypoxia, inflammation, immunity, intestinal/gut microbiota & DNA that can influence necrosis, fibrosis, and cancers,” states Jordan.
“Methanol metabolites activate certain mechanisms in the body that disrupt lipid (fat) metabolism, hypoxia, inflammation, immunity, intestinal/gut microbiota & DNA that can influence necrosis, fibrosis, and cancers.”
Jordan Hostetler
The old wive’s tale is true after all – darker liquor may actually carry a higher toxic burden then it’s clearer counterparts. When given a choice, stick to clear spirits like vodka and gin.
When it comes to determining what wine to drink, stick to clean-crafted wine with little to no pesticides, chemicals, or added sugars.
Did you know there is an average of 16 grams of added sugar and up to 250 chemical additives in mass-produced wines? Jordan joined up with Scout and Cellar wine because they are dedicated to creating wine without the added toxins.
Jordan suggests, “The cleaner the products we use and consume the better our overall health will be. The authenticity of having every barrel of Scout and Cellar wine tested to assure no added sugars, chemicals or pesticides (aka clean-crafted) speaks volumes.”
“The cleaner the products we use and consume the better our overall health will be. The authenticity of having every barrel of Scout and Cellar wine tested to assure no added sugars, chemicals or pesticides (aka clean-crafted) speaks volumes.”
Jordan Hostetler
Additives to Avoid
The last thing you need is for your temperamental friend to bring her disruptive minions along to crash the party. Those minions are sugar and other additives. If she isn’t toxic enough to send you on an emotional roller coaster ride for days to come, her friends will be there to ensure your misery.
Sugar is the sweetest girl you wish you never met, and when she gets together with alcohol, you are in for a nauseating, anxiety-inducing experience. Did you know anxiety feeds off sugar?
Jordan outlines how sugar affects our body processes. When we eat something high in sugar or carbohydrates, glucose enters the bloodstream, and a hefty dose of insulin is released from our pancreas to absorb it. Our blood sugar spikes with the influx of glucose and drops with the introduction of insulin. Constant blood sugar fluctuations and insulin bursts make it increasingly difficult for the body to stabilize sugar levels, which leads to fatigue, anxiety, depression, and other unpleasant emotions.
“Sugar sends signals to the brain that can alter the balance of brain chemicals and influence mental health. Over time, added sugar can weaken the body’s ability to respond to stress and contribute to increased inflammation; thus triggering anxiety further,” explains Jordan.
“Sugar sends signals to the brain that can alter the balance of brain chemicals and influence mental health. Over time, added sugar can weaken the body’s ability to respond to stress and contribute to increased inflammation; thus triggering anxiety further.”
Jordan Hostetler
Although sugar may satisfy your nagging sweet tooth and disguise the stinging taste of alcohol, avoid her at all costs. The less sugar you consume on a night out, the better. While you can’t avoid all sugar, you can dodge the sugar soaked mixers.
Dodging the Sugar Crash
Mixers to avoid include – fruit juice (orange, cranberry, etc.), packaged mixes (margarita, pina colada, etc.), and soda (coca cola, sprite, tonic, etc.). Some of these drinks have up to 68 grams of sugar in them, which is the equivalent of 6 and a half Reese’s cups – yuck. (1)
If you are left thinking, “What in the world am I supposed to mix with my alcohol?” Have no fear, you can certainly still enjoy a tasty drink, you just need to adjust a little – an adjustment your body will surely thank you for.
Shift to drinking your alcohol straight (no mixer), grab a low mixer content drink like a martini or old fashion, or switch out a gin and tonic for a gin and carbonated water with lime. Aim for low sugar content and if you are unsure – google is your friend!
If your friends jump off a bridge, make sure it’s a small one.
We get it, alcohol is a social activity. Sharing a drink is often how we bond, celebrate, and grieve with one another. If you must follow your friends off the bridge, do it with careful precautions to ensure a night of fun doesn’t torment you with anxiety the following day.
Alcohol is both a sedative and a depressant. Right after drinking, when our blood alcohol content (BAC) is high, our central nervous system affected similarly to that of antianxiety medications; however, as our BAC drops, we feel symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Jordan explains, “The serotonin in our body, more than 95% housed in the gut, can alter neurotransmitters in our brain through the gut-brain connection, and can worsen anxious feelings after the alcohol wears off. Serotonin is essential for the regulation of mood, sleep, appetite, temperature regulation, pain sensitivity, and overall well-being.”
“The serotonin in our body, more than 95% housed in the gut, can alter neurotransmitters in our brain through the gut-brain connection, and can worsen anxious feelings after the alcohol wears off. Serotonin is essential for the regulation of mood, sleep, appetite, temperature regulation, pain sensitivity, and overall well-being.”
Jordan Hostetler
Don’t be dumb. Pick your friends and your celebratory side-kicks with care. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If you don’t want to give up alcohol, you owe it to yourself to at least be wise about your choices.
When you reach for your next drink, think about the you of tomorrow. Consider what future you is begging yourself to consider today to avoid suffocatingly anxious whirlwind of tomorrow.
About Jordan Hostetler
Jordan attended East Carolina University for a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics. She then completed an accredited dietetic internship (DI) program, passed the Registered Dietitian National Board Exam, and became licensed as a Registered Dietician completing 75 hours of continuing education credits a year.
She is passionate about helping others reduce their toxic burden and live healthier, happier lives. With dreams to open a future wellness clinic, you can find Jordan on Instagram @beautifullprofit_dietitian, on her blog, or learn more about her love of clean-crafted Scout and Cellar wine.
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