THE holiday season is filled with festivities, from office parties to family gatherings as well as New Years. 

It’s easy to lose track of how quickly drinks and units can add up.  If you drink alcohol at high levels or dependently, you may be at risk of becoming deficient in some of the essential nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to function appropriately.  Alcoholic drinks contain pure alcohol, water and sugars. They provide energy but no other nutrients and are sometimes referred to as empty calories.

Alcoholic drinks can make you feel full up and reduce your appetite, making you feel less like eating. When you drink high levels of alcohol, the alcohol can affect how your body digests food and uses nutrients, particularly b-vitamins which are needed for bodily functions. Lack of these b-vitamins could lead to anaemia (low red blood cells) and/or brain damage. Adults where we live are advised not to drink above 14 units of alcohol per week which should be spread across three or more days. A pint of lower strength (3-4%) beer like Carling, Coors, Corona, Budweiser, Fosters, Miller etc will have around two units.  Cider like ‘’Kopparberg’’ will have around 2.5 units per pint. An alcopop like wicked (WKD) has around 1.1 units at a 275ml bottle. A 175ml glass of 12% wine has 2.1 units with a shot (25mls) of 40% spirits also containing around one. It is important to note that these 14 units should not be stored up for a binge drinking session too.

In a practical context for 14 units being spread across three days, this would be equivalent to 2.3 pints of Carling in three days of the week. Too much alcohol increases the risk of liver, oesophageal, bowel and breast cancers. If you choose to drink this Christmas know your limits, track your drinking with an app called My Drinkaware, never drink and drive, ask for support if cutting alcohol down, eat before drinking, stay hydrated, downsize your drinks and try alcohol free alternatives. 

Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Email: attentivenutrition@gmail.com