It’s a familiar picture…
You’ve worked hard all week to stick to the diet and get the gym sessions in, and are looking forward to letting off some steam on Saturday night.
You promise yourself you won’t do the dog on it, but six beers later and a garlic and cheese chip in hand you are well and truly off the wagon.
It can be really disheartening when your diet is derailed every weekend, and even harder to get back on the buzz on Monday morning when you’re suffering from a three-day hangover.
While we know that the key to getting into tip top shape is ditching the booze altogether, there are smart choices you can make if you fancy a sociable on a Saturday night.
The folks at Eat This Not That caught up with the experts to find out what they order at the bar, and it’s not all bad news:
Vodka/Gin
These clear liquors are low in calories and don’t contain any carbs. (However, adding a coke will cancel out benefits – but you knew that).
Amy Shapiro of Real Nutrition NYC said: “Vodka on the rocks with a few shakes of Tabasco (or any hot sauce) and a few olives. It’s basically a lower calorie Bloody Mary with a kick, so you don’t drink it too fast. It’s void of any mixers which add calories, and it’s a nice twist on your regular vodka club soda with lime.”
Wine
Oh, how happy we were to see this on the list.
Wine may have more calories and carbs than the clear liquors, but has high concentrations of resveratrol, an antioxidant shown to reduce the risk of depression, cancer and diabetes while improving the ratio of good to bad cholesterol. You also tend to drink it slower, meaning less calorie consumption over the night.
Tequila
According to a recent study by the American Chemical Society, tequila can make you lose weight and has properties that can act as a sweetener for diabetics.
In fact, a sweetener created from the plant used to make tequila could lower blood glucose levels for those who have type 2 diabetes. The science bit is basically that the agavins, a natural form of sugar found in the agave plant, are non-digestible and can act as a dietary fiber, and do not raise blood glucose.
The agavins also produce the chemical GLP-1 which slows the stomach from emptying, leaving you fuller for longer.
