More and more people are cutting back on alcohol or giving it up (temporarily) altogether. Not a bad idea, especially if you want to lose some weight. But besides weight loss, not drinking alcohol has many other positive effects on your body and mind.
In case you need some extra motivation ;)
Sleep better
Breaking down alcohol costs your body a lot of energy. If you really go overboard with alcohol in the evening (aka drink a lot of alcoholic beverages), your body will suffer the consequences during the night. Your body is then working instead of resting. You sleep restlessly and wake up feeling hungover. If you swap your evening glass of wine for a cup of herbal tea, you will sleep much better and wake up feeling more energetic.
Better skin
You've probably heard it before: drinking alcohol dehydrates you. You'll need to drink extra water to restore your fluid balance. But this dehydration doesn't only happen internally; your skin also suffers. As a result, pimples and other blemishes appear. If you stop drinking alcohol, you'll see your skin improve dramatically. It will become calmer, regain its glow, and wrinkles will lessen. are less likely to occur.
Higher resistance
Research shows that the number of white blood cells in your body decreases the more alcohol you drink. White blood cells are responsible for your immune system. In other words, they prevent you from getting sick. Or at least, they reduce the likelihood of getting sick. By not drinking anymore, you give your white blood cells, and therefore your immune system, a huge boost.
Your liver is growing.
Your liver works overtime when you drink alcohol. It converts all the toxic substances into substances that are naturally present in your body. But your liver is also damaged by (a lot of) alcohol. It shrinks and becomes smaller. By not drinking alcohol anymore, it largely grows back. You must refrain from drinking alcohol for at least a month.
You're losing weight.
You probably already knew this. But do you also know how it works technically? Alcohol contains a huge number of calories . A glass of red wine contains about 82 calories. A beer contains 110 calories. Imagine what that means if you drink one every day. Giving up alcohol ultimately benefits you a lot if you're trying to lose weight. Not sure what to order if it's not a beer or wine? Here are the tastiest alcohol alternatives . This article was written by Bart (37). Bart is a health expert in a village in the east of the country. He strongly believes that a healthy lifestyle makes a positive contribution to a healthy weight and an energetic life. He's also not averse to (a sober view of) spirituality. He regularly provides us with new insights that he also incorporates into his daily life with his young family. Photo: Matthew Henry via Unsplash
