Alcohol's role in your sweets cravings

Many people who are just starting or have been trying for a while to live a healthier life find it very hard not to snack between breakfast and lunch.

Have you noticed that after eating a big, healthy breakfast without too many carbs, you still feel hungry an hour later? It seemed like you ate a lot, but you don't feel full.

It's still a long time until lunch, so you may eat cookies, sweets, and "healthy" bars made with "natural ingredients." But all of these snacks are high in fast carbs. By snacking like this, we can eat an extra 500-1000 calories per day or even more. Then we struggle to lose a few extra pounds that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

One common reason is drinking alcohol, even small amounts occasionally.

Let's explain this in simpler terms - alcohol messes up how our bodies process fats:

• It increases the production of fatty acids and triglycerides, causing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is implicated in the aging process and various diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and others.

• It decreases burning of fatty acids, so we can't use fat for energy

So our bodies digest the fats from breakfast, but can't convert them into energy. Since the fats don't work, our bodies try to get energy from carbs instead. Our brains make us crave something sweet fast easy energy.

After giving up alcohol it takes about 3-4 weeks for fat metabolism to go back to normal.

You'll easily notice that after breakfast, you won't feel hungry again until closer to lunchtime, instead of an hour later. And your sweet cravings will decrease a lot.

Once you stop eating so many unhealthy carbs, you'll start losing weight. And you won't have to feel the discomfort of having to restrict yourself from sweets, your body will help you do it on its own.

You'd think, it would be easier said than done. But that's where science can help.

For people who are not addicted to alcohol but drink sometimes and want to drink less or stop altogether, there are different things they can try.

Research shows that changing your behaviors and environment can be effective in helping occasional drinkers cut down on alcohol.

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Each mindful small step today will become a giant leap for your well-being tomorrow.

Warm regards,
Kos