5 Benefits of Drinking Alcohol Free Beer
3 may be a magic number, but we’ve got 5 reasons why drinking 0.0% beer is good for you.
1. Easy replacement for alcohol
Starting with the obvious, alcohol free beer makes the transition to drinking less alcohol that much easier. Meaning you can keep on drinking our favourite tipple (beer) with zero side effects.
2. Numerous health benefits
Non-alcoholic beer has heaps of health benefits, making it one of the healthiest drinks to have at your local pub. Benefits include;
- Reduced risk of heart disease
There have been a number of studies suggesting that drinking alcohol-free beer can improve blood circulation, putting less pressure on your heart and reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and coronary artery disease (CAD).
- Helps aid with sleep
Drinking less alcohol is a sure fire way to improve your energy levels. Our bodies need quality sleep to repair and recover so we’re able to perform at our best again and again. Studies have shown that alcohol continues to negatively impact the quality and duration of our sleep up to 4 days after consuming alcohol. Poor sleep quality also has a negative impact on our mental health impacting on our mood, concentration levels and decision making abilities.
- Promotes Bone Growth
One study found that drinking beer regularly can help improve your bone density due to the high levels of silicon, a chemical that strengthens your bones. Hops and grain, especially barley grain, are high in silicone and a lot of this ends up in beer.
- Reduces risk of getting ill
Non-alcoholic beer is full of vitamins and minerals including folic acid, potassium, iron and zinc and the lack of alcohol means you’ll have reduced inflammation in the body. All of which will help ward off common illnesses.
3. It has less calories
Non-alcoholic beer can have about half the amount of calories compared to alcoholic versions, so if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, switching to alcohol free versions is a no-brainer.
It’s not just the amount of calories in your beer that has an impact on your waist line. The body prioritises the processing of the alcohol before it can deal with processing other food and drink you might have consumed which results in a higher chance of these being stored as fat.
On top of that, the stress and inflammation that alcohol can cause to the stomach and intestinal tract means your body has a hard time performing its usual breaking down of the food into micro and macro nutrients to be used by the body. So not only are we risking depriving our bodies of essential nutrients but the calories become excess weight we didn’t intend on gaining.
4. Better for your appearance
We’ve talked about how alcohol makes you feel, but let’s focus briefly on how you’ll look. Because if you’re feeling your best, why not look your best too?
As alcohol is a diuretic it encourages the body to release more water from the kidneys and dilute our system. As this happens it expels vitamins such as vitamin A which is a prime supporter of skin health.
Not only does dehydration cause your skin to dry out, but the added process of digesting alcohol in the liver causes byproducts which can be toxic to our body tissues. Drinking alcohol free beer is a great way to stay hydrated.
If we take care of what we’re putting inside, what’s happening on the outside will follow!
Avoiding toxins and instead providing hydration for your skin with alcohol free drinks leads to results you can literally see.
5. Better for your mental health
It’s no secret that alcohol has a toxic relationship with our mental health and our mood. Our brains rely on a delicate balance of chemicals to thrive which, when drinking alcohol, is disrupted as the alcohol alters the function of our neurotransmitters. The specific receptors affected are Gaba and glutamate and their levels are altered artificially by the alcohol which accounts for the depressant effects.
So whilst we think we are experiencing something pleasurable it’s not beneficial for our mood moving forward. In fact, levels of serotonin (a hormone regulating our mood and happiness), which is also triggered by alcohol, can actually be diminished over time through drinking alcoholic drinks.
Getting beer specific for a moment - Studies have shown that a substance called Hordenine can have mood boosting properties. Hordenine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in various plants including malt that is one of the ingredients in beer.
Don’t sacrifice all those great beer-drinking occasions, just the side effects.
#beerfordoing
