The Truth About Alcohol
Clink Your Worries Goodbye…There Is More to This Than You May Think!
Holidays, first dates, nice weather, tough days, great days and birthdays!
There are many occasions for enjoying an alcoholic beverage. Mix in the endless options of drinks, and there is a reason and type for everyone on potentially any day. So whether it is the rare glass of wine or the nightly beer, alcohol is a normal part of life, for many.
But when it comes to drinking and our wellness, specifically our weight, there are stigmas.
Many believe they must steer clear of alcohol altogether if they are trying to lose weight or maintain their current weight. Why? One reason may stem from the sugar-free craze of the 1990s which gave all sugary products an unforgettable, negative persona. Others will argue the real issue begins after we knock back a couple, toss our nutrition plans aside and choose to eat whatever we feel like. This certainly will not help our nutrition goals, but is it the root of the problem?
The truth is, it’s all about the liver.
The liver has several functions in the human body, but perhaps its most critical role is detoxification.
The process of detoxification requires the liver to determine what is toxic and what is not. To the liver, alcohol is toxic — hence, the term “intoxicated” — so it is up to the liver to convert the alcohol into something that the body can eliminate. There are only two ways for the body to ultimately eliminate toxins: pee or poop. (Sorry! The detoxification process is not for the faint of heart.)
Here is where it begins to get tricky though. There are more foods and ingredients than we realize qualifying as toxins that require the liver’s attention.
Toxins include:
- Sugar
- Some medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter
- Food additives like coloring, sweeteners and preservatives
- Flavor enhancers
- Agriculture chemicals
- Air pollution
- Plastics from our water bottles
This list is long but notedly abbreviated. More importantly, every item on the list is a toxin that will enter the human body on a daily basis, which leads to the next point.
Detoxification is a constant, never-ending process in our bodies.
As incredible as our livers are, they missed the memo on multitasking. Therefore, the liver can only process one toxin at a time, and it prioritizes what to process based on toxicity. This is where alcohol causes trouble.
With alcohol being more toxic than sugar (and sugar more toxic than fat and protein) our bodies cannot process any fat or protein until all alcohol and sugar are processed first. In other words, when we drink alcohol, our body will not process the food we previously ate, nor the food we eat during and after imbibing, until our liver has resolved and cleared the body of alcohol.
Most of us at this point will ask, does the type of sugar matter?
Yes, it does!
Naturally occurring sugar, like that found in whole fruits, also comes with fiber and other nutrients (provided we eat the whole food and not just drink the juice), so it doesn’t impact our body’s blood sugar the same way a pixie stick would.
If we aren’t eating the whole food (perhaps we’re drinking store-bought juices, mixing juice in our cocktail or going to town on a box of cookies after a couple drinks), the sugar enters our system without all of the fiber, flooding our bodies with sugar that our livers will have to process.
How long it takes your liver to process alcohol is dependent on how much you consumed and the health of your liver.
If your night consisted of a single glass of wine, then the process of detoxification will likely be brief. If it is your best friend’s 21st birthday and you spent the day bar-hopping, then the process of detoxification will take much longer (sorry liver!). This is most likely why alcoholics often develop fatty liver. Their livers never get to a point where they can process the fat, which is relatively low on the toxin priority list, because it’s always processing alcohol and the fat builds up in the liver.
Don’t worry; there’s good news!
While everyone will make the choices about alcohol that work best for them and their health, I like to keep it real. Many of us, even knowing about the liver, will still imbibe. So let’s do it smartly.
The next time brunch is washed down with a mimosa (or five), we can make things easier for our liver by properly planning the meal. Shoot for foods that are lower in toxicity; avoid foods with excessive amounts of sugar and unhealthy fats.
For those looking for the science, the filtering process our livers perform during detoxification is a coordinated effort between two families of enzymes: cytochrome P450 enzymes and conjugated enzymes. We can support our livers on a daily basis by boosting our levels of these enzymes through the consumption of everyday foods. Woohoo!
Examples of these enzyme boosting foods are:
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Papaya
- Kefir
- Pineapple
- Miso
- Tempeh
- Soy Sauce
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Chia Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Garlic
- Coconut
- Sauerkraut
- Olives
Another way you can support your liver is by focusing on digestive detox. This is about easing the load on your gastrointestinal tract and eating foods that support a healthy gut environment. This allows our GI tract to properly breakdown foods so our body can better use what we eat, potentially sending less detox work to the liver. Drinking teas and eating fermented foods have been found to support digestive health and detoxification. Seasonal cleanses can work well, but avoid juicing, fasting, or a cleanse that could be considered crazy or extreme (the topic of a future article). Finally some swear by activated charcoal, but I’m personally awaiting more science before weighing-in on its effectiveness.
As always, drink lots of water, as it is a simple and effective way to assist your body’s detoxification.
Certain herbs can also support our liver and detoxification, as well.
These are the best herbs for detoxification:
- Milk Thistle Seed
- N-Acetyl Cysteine
- Dandelion, burdock, licorice, and ginger root
- Rosemary Leaf
- Hawthorn berry extract
- Turmeric root extract
The truth is, alcohol doesn’t have to be the diet killer it has been portrayed to be. Yes, after a few drinks our nutrition plan may be tossed aside for the night and replaced with pure desire. But this doesn’t have to be a reason to fear alcohol. The truth lies with our liver and the detoxification process. Let’s be kind to our livers, and begin incorporating the tips above into our everyday, general wellness routines.
Now, sip away on that wine. You are now empowered and confident in what it takes to keep you and your liver healthy and happy. Cheers to that!
The above notwithstanding, if alcohol is a crutch for you, if you believe you may have a problem or a challenge managing your alcohol or other substance use, please never fear to seek help. Contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1–800–662-HELP (4357).
