It seems to be the norm now that women of a certain age have stopped drinking wine and swapped it for clear spirits, there are a few views behind this trade!
I love a spritzer, but I’ve never liked wine enough to have it without soda water and it always had to be a clear wine, nothing too yellow!! Although for me it was migraine inducing as I got older, and speaking to fellow migraine sufferers I have found common ground. I was advised by others to go to the ‘dark side!’ – hard spirits! I swapped to gin, and what’s not to like – indulging in the odd G&T?
Obviously, as you get older, gaining weight is much easier and so the swap from wine to spirits is also a healthier option!
White wine has a higher sugar content, so although it is refreshing and light it contains more sugar and sulphites than red, rose, beer and many spirits!
As a nation, we drink more white wine than any other colour.
Last year, 47% of UK wine sales were white bottles, 42% were red and 11% according to The Statistics Portal. But as with all other guilty pleasures (chocolate, chips, watching EastEnders!) too much is not good!
According to official guidelines, we shouldn’t be drinking more than 14 units a week – yet more than 9 million people in England regularly exceed this.
In the UK, alcohol accounts for 10% of all death and disease, making it one of the three biggest lifestyle risk factors after smoking and obesity!
Top reasons to make the switch
-
Low calories
Gin is one of the least calorific alcohol there is and it’s low in sugar too. A shot of gin is 70 – 90 calories with only traces of sugar meaning provided the tonic is diet, you’ll be drinking 110 calories per beverage. Whereas a standard glass of white wine is around 160 calories.
-
It’s full of antioxidants
The main ingredient in gin is juniper berries, which are a superfood! The berries are full of antioxidants which promotes skin health and prevents premature ageing by fighting off free-radicals.
-
It’s delicious
Gin tastes great and especially with tonic, which is just water mixed with quinine and sugar. The two together are so tasty when the quinine from the tonic combines with the juniper berries, the molecules attract each other and create aggregates which transforms the taste of the beverage. This is the same reason foods like tomato and cheese or pineapple and cheese go so well together.
-
It’s versatile
Having praised the taste of gin combined with tonic, the spirit isn’t limited to it! The tipple goes well with most mixers and is a great staple for cocktails.
-
It’s diuretic
Juniper prevents kidney disease by easing water retention, bloating and urinary tract infections. It allows you to pass more water than any other alcohol, helping to flush out harmful bacteria and toxins. Although this does mean it’s not the best tipple to be sipping miles away from a toilet!
So time to make that lifestyle change!
Anyone fancy a G&T?…
Never miss a post. Sign up to our weekly newsletter with the button below to keep up to date with our latest content and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates.
