In the past, the guideline for alcohol was one glass a day, but since 2015 the Health Council has advised not to drink alcohol at all. Here are a few benefits of drinking less/not drinking and a number of alcohol-free alternatives.
You may not think so, but alcohol contains quite a few calories:seven per gram. Then there are the calories from the carbohydrates (and sometimes fats in cocktails). A glass of wine contains about 80 calories, a beer 100 to 150, and with a cocktail that can go up to even 400. Just calculate what you will save if you order a glass of sparkling water more often. Non-alcoholic beer is also a better choice, but make sure it doesn't contain sugar (as with many types of Radler).
Another thing to keep in mind:alcohol makes you eat more . Research shows that after two drinks someone eats on average thirty percent more than someone who has not drunk.
Read also: 'A month without alcohol:it's called this effect on your health'
This is partly because you are better rested if you drink less, but alcohol also has an effect on your immune system. Twenty minutes after drinking alcohol, your immune system weakens significantly, because the number of white blood cells in your body decreases. Even if the alcohol is out of your body, this effect can persist and you are more likely to catch a cold or flu.
After drinking a lot of alcohol you often fall asleep like a log. But appearances can be deceiving:you sleep restlessly or wake up much too early. Research by Tilburg University shows that alcohol suppresses REM (rapid eye movement) sleep:the sleep phase in which emotions and impressions are processed and in which your muscles can relax completely. The same research shows that people who don't drink alcohol wake up much more rested than people who do, even though they sleep for the same amount of time.
You can read even more benefits of drinking less alcohol in the December issue of Santé, which is now in stores.
Sometimes it takes a while to find non-alcoholic drinks that come close to the taste of alcoholic drinks.
With beer brands, there are plenty of non-alcoholic alternatives that come close to the taste of beers with alcohol. But as said before:some contain a lot of sugar, so pay attention to the label.
It is still very difficult to find an alcohol-free wine that does not simply taste like grape juice. Alcohol-free red wine is especially difficult, as it often tastes like grape juice.
Food trend watcher Anneke Ammerlaan recently explained to Nos.nl that there are two types of alcohol-free wine. “You have a we that is a little more than grape spa and you have wine from which the alcohol is extracted afterwards. With that second process you get more drying and more 'real' wine."
Culy.nl tested which are the tastiest non-alcoholic wines.
Read also: ‘How do I combine cheese with wine?‘
Recently we were offered a bottle of alcohol-free bubbles from Vinada at the editorial office:the 750 ml Sparkling Gold. And as far as we are concerned, this is the perfect alcohol-free alternative to champagne/cava, because the taste comes fairly close to that of alcoholic bubbles.
Other drinks are also heading for the 0% alcohol. For example, gin producer Kever Genever has now launched the Kever 0%. This alcohol-free genever has a fresh taste and can be mixed with your favorite tonic for a delicious mocktail.
Speaking of mocktails? You will often also find the 'virgin' version on the cocktail menu, i.e. the cocktail without alcohol. On Cocktalicious you will find a number of non-alcoholic cocktails that are just as tasty as the versions with alcohol. Here are some beer wine recipes!
