search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!

Beware Of Seasonal Drinking

By Dr. Caroline J. Cederquist M.D.
December 18, 2008
Holiday indulgences could seriously impact your diet.



Oh, the festive holiday advertising. It’s always some big, jovial gathering of happy people and a resplendent spread of mouthwatering food, from simple salads to sumptuous desserts. And, of course, drinking alcohol. No good meal is complete without the tinking of wine glasses, or a hearty beer, or later, a rich, smooth cocktail in front of the fire.

So they tell us, anyway. But what they don’t tell us are all the downsides of adding that essential alcoholic beverage to our celebrations, and we’re only talking about the nutritional considerations, here.

We all know that, generally speaking, even the most conscientious dieters, the most rigorous of careful eaters, will usually relax their usual standards to make room for some holiday indulgences.

You don’t even need a big holiday. Researchers who track eating patterns have shown that we Americans tend to significantly increase our caloric intake even over weekends, as compared to weekdays. We eat and drink more on the weekends, but you may be surprised by where most of our weekend calories are coming from.

A recent study found that among American adults aged 19 through 50, the biggest increase in caloric intake on weekends came not from indulging in extra desserts or having another afternoon snack, but from drinking alcohol. And if we up the volume on the alcohol for any old weekend off, think how this might play out when we’re feeling compelled by tradition at one holiday party after another.

People don’t often think of drinking alcohol as a calorie source. It’s not hard to see why. We usually think of getting our calories from sources of nutrition. There’s no nutritional value to alcohol at all, and while you may pick up a few carbs from beers and even a little fat from the goodies that go into some of those fancy holiday mixed drinks, you’re just not very likely to count them. That means your imbibing could represent a stealthy - but potentially significant - source of calories.

We know that even among people who tend to pay attention to caloric intake, liquid calories often slip in unnoticed. It is not only drinking alcohol that we need to be careful of. Research shows that even with non-alcoholic beverages, people forget to count the caloric content of their drinks.

Sodas are the main offender of adding stealth calories to the American diet, but they are not alone. There’s a pretty good chance those extra weekend beers, or that cup of holiday grog just won’t get factored into the overall calorie count, or compensated for by cuts elsewhere.

The other issue for diet is really the main problem with drinking alcohol in general. It lowers inhibitions. The same affect that makes one drink lead to another, can also make one drink to lead to, say, a second serving of thick, cheesy au gratin potatoes, or another slice of double chocolate sin cake.

One glass of wine or a beer, depending on the type, is likely to add between 80 and 180 calories. That’s not so much, in itself. But the relaxed attitude and lowered inhibitions most people get from that first glass of wine or beer usually make the second drink - complete with all its calories - seem more appealing.

And it has that same affect for all the lovely, tempting food that we were only going to have in moderation this year (really, this year we MEAN it!). This is especially likely to come into play during the holidays, because it’s already a special occasion, and we’re already making exceptions to our rules. A bit of the vino is most likely to further lower your prudent resistance to other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.

The solution, as always, is moderation and balance. And if you think through the drink, and plan ahead for the impulse that is likely to come, you can be prepared to say “No, thanks” to that thick creamy, rummy egg nog, or the extra piece of cheesecake that’s offered along side it.

Finally, even though the alluring holiday ads show us the most festive, joyous, convivial gatherings we could imagine, the truth is that people are often thrown into social situations during the holidays that they might normally prefer to avoid. Parties at the inlaws aren’t always a blast. Politely listening to Great Uncle Willard drone on about his fuel injector might be a real strain. Company parties can sometimes be an awkward, uncomfortable drag.

In such situations, people are at risk of needless nibbling or drinking more than they’d planned, just out of nervousness or, let’s face it, boredom.

Plan ahead for that possibility. Wear something with pockets so you can comfortably stand with your hands idle instead of wrapped around a beer you didn’t really want. Ask for iced tea or diet soda or just plain water to go with your meal. And when it’s time for after-dinner drinks, make yours coffee or tea.

There are other concerns associated with overindulging in alcohol, but you likely know those already. If you overdo it, your hangover will probably fade after a day, and eventually you’ll live down doing the hokey pokey on the coffee table. But the extra pounds from extra drinking and eating could be harder to shake.

Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Sean Locke

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. is a board certified Family Physician and a board certified Bariatric Physicians (the medical specialty of weight management). She specializes in lifetime weight management at the Cederquist Medical Wellness Center, her Naples, Fla., private practice. You can also get more information about Dr Cederquist and her weight management plan by visiting www.bistromd.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Not So Fast!

    See More
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing