Healthy Heart Tip: A Low Alcohol Christmas

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: A Low Alcohol Christmas

December is the time of year for gathering with family and friends, and these social occasions often revolve around alcohol.

Consuming too much alcohol can have a negative impact on your heart, and even if you don’t drink often, a few drinks can cause you to sleep poorly and be tired the next day making you reach for unhealthy foods for a quick energy fix.

In this week’s healthy tip, we share some ideas for how you can reduce your alcohol consumption this festive season and enter the new year feeling full of energy.

Alcohol-free drinks

Many of the big-name brands now offer alcohol-free versions of their popular drinks. If you haven’t found a good alternative to your regular drink, keep trying until you find one that you like.

There are some great options available that taste very similar to their alcohol counterpart. Even if you don’t quit drinking entirely, you can reduce the amount of alcohol you consume by alternating your regular drink with an alcohol-free version.

Mocktails

Cocktails without alcohol are a great way to enjoy a tasty drink this festive season. Most bars and restaurants will have a selection of mocktails for you to choose from and they’re usually cheaper too.

Just be mindful of choosing ones that are low in sugar, try to avoid those containing sugar syrups and fruit juices and opt for the ones using ingredients like mint, lime juice and soda water.

A fancy glass makes all the difference, so why not buy some decorative cocktail vessels, and make some indulgent mocktails at home.

Enjoy alcohol in moderation

We don’t have to stop drinking completely to look after our heart, the key is to enjoy alcohol in moderation and adopt other healthy lifestyle habits in conjunction with limiting our alcohol consumption.

The NHS recommends drinking no more than 12 units of alcohol a week, spread across three or more days, so just make sure you don’t exceed this.

This looks like six medium (175ml) glasses of wine or six pints of 4% beer.