Alcohol intake is associated with premenstrual anxiety, mood problems, and headache. Drinking more than three to six alcoholic servings per week increases risk of breast cancer. If that’s not enough to convince you, consider that alcohol increases belly fat. When you drink a glass of wine, your liver shifts to burning alcohol for fuel instead of burning fat in your body. This side tracks your fat-burning mechanism and may slow down your rate of fat burning by more than half.
How alcohol impacts your hormones
- Women process alcohol at a much, much slower rate than men. We retain all fluids for longer, in fact, and we metabolise the chemicals in alcohol at a slower rate. This means the physical impact of alcohol is much stronger and faster for women than for men.
- Drinking alcohol forces the liver to use your store of antioxidants and vitamin C to break it down, which leaves you vitamin and mineral deficient. This is especially problematic if you know you are already dealing with a deficiency.
- Alcohol raises your estrogen levels which worsens symptoms of PCOS, fibroids and endometriosis – and any estrogen-dominant hormonal health issue
- Although we often reach for a drink because we want it to make us feel happy or sexy, alcohol is actually a depressant. Drinking alcohol drains the adrenals and makes you feel more tired and down.
- Alcohol disrupts your blood sugar function – so if you’re dealing with blood sugar imbalance as a part of your hormonal health issues, and many women are, this is something to be aware of. Often we will find ourselves making unhealthy food choices when we drink and the day after, which further exacerbates the problem.
OK well thats all a bit of a bummer when it comes to social get together… 🙁
Is there a way to maybe reduce the impact when I do want to go and have a party?
How to minimise alcohol exposure
- Take a B complex, Inositol and Vit C during the day before going out to support Liver clearance.
- Decide only to have 2 glasses of RED wine. White wines are higher in sugar.
- Eat a large meal including good fats before going out and drinking.
- Consume good fats with dinner and drinks eg: Guacamole, nuts.
- Drink a glass of water or soda before and after each glass of wine.
- When you get home take another B complex and coconut water.
- The following day again take another B complex followed by a Green detox juice (cucumber, celery, lemon juice, and coconut water)
- Or choose an alcohol free variety of Beer or Mixes, we have so many non alcoholic options these days
