Before youstart your fasting plan, a question arises for everyone who likes to drink a glass of wine or beer: Can you drink alcohol while intermittent fasting? To find out the answer to this question and the connection between intermittent fasting, alcohol consumption and fat burning, we will consider each point individually in this article. At the end you will have put the puzzle together.
What is intermittent fasting in a nutshell
Intermittent fasting is a nutritional strategy in which fasting periods alternate with calorie-restricted periods. Intermittent fasting uses a biological process called autophagy. The body returns to it naturally during long periods without food (16-24 hours). This leads to a number of advantages thatfrom improved fat burningand insulin sensitivity to increased immunity and reduced oxidative stress.
Fun Fact: Autophagy is the body's way of cleaning up damaged cells to regenerate new, healthier cells. “Car” means “alone” and “Phage” means “eat”. So the literal meaning of autophagy is “self-eating”.
Alcohol during intermittent fasting: What you should know
In short, since all alcoholic beverages contain calories, consuming alcohol during intermittent fasting will break this and reduce the overall benefit. Most experts believe that anything between 35 and 100 calories consumed during intermittent fasting will disrupt autophagy and provide the body with the same benefits as fasting for just 3 or 4 hours.
As for alcohol consumption during meal times, most experts say moderate consumption is unlikely to disrupt your fast. However, if you consider theLent with alcohol consumptionWe recommend that you carefully rethink your strategy. Here's why:
What is the connection between fat burning and alcohol consumption?
The goals of intermittent fasting range from better blood sugar control to weight loss to improved immunity and cellular repair, all of which are affected by alcohol consumption. That's not to say the two can't coexist, but it may be that drinking alcohol during Lent is counterproductive.
A study shows that fat burning decreases by more than 70 percent with normal alcohol consumption. A normal amount means about 24 grams of alcohol, which is equivalent to two glasses of beer or wine. However, no change in carbohydrate or calorie burning was noted. That is, metabolism increased, glucose burning remained the same, but fat burning decreased. This suggests that our bodies primarily use alcohol as a source of energy.
How can this happen? The body converts the alcohol into acetate in several steps because this is the only way the liver can break it down. More than 75% of the alcohol consumed is converted into acetate. In this way, the body can break it down and render it harmless. However, acetate is burned before fats, carbohydrates and proteins. This is the reason why consuming alcohol is not allowed during intermittent fasting. Especially if you want to lose weight with it.
Drinking Alcohol and Losing Weight: Some General Advice
If you practice intermittent fasting, toto lose weight, there is an increased chance that your alcohol consumption is counterproductive to your goals. Some studies suggest that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for obesity.
Biologically speaking, you can only lose weight if you consume fewer calories than you burn. The extra calories from alcohol increase the risk of converting them into body fat and gaining weight. The same carbohydrates and glucose found in a glass of wine or beer can also be provided by fruits and vegetables. However, unlike alcohol, they also contain fiber and micronutrients.
Even though these foods aren't as "exciting," these substitutions can prove crucial for better health and more energy, especially if you're maintaining a calorie deficit.
Our recommendation: If you want to lose weight, it's probably better to drink less alcohol, especially if you're replacing those calories with foods that will make you feel better, fuller, and healthier in the long run.
Alcohol during intermittent fasting: Please note the following information
If you plan to have a few drinks while intermittent fasting, we recommend a few strategies.
- First, make sure the drinking window lines up with the center of the expected eating window. This gives your body the opportunity to process not only the calories from food, but also those from alcohol, which are absorbed more slowly because they first have to be broken down.
- Second, avoid heavy drinking. Like overeating, excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to the accumulation of excess fat. The body then has to break down these during fasting. Needless to remind you that this is counterproductive.
- Third, make sure you know the approximate calorie content of the drinks so you can plan your meals effectively. This is especially true if you want to lose weight. For example, red wine has more calories than tequila. And your wine glass will differ depending on whether it contains a dry wine or a strong sweet wine.
- Finally, we recommend that you avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, eat plenty of vegetables and drink plenty of water.
Many people resort to eating or drinking the morning after drinking alcohol to avoid a hangover. But this is not possible if you practice intermittent fasting. So enjoy responsibly!
Important
Any methods, information, and tips in this article are based on current studies and medical sources (at the time of publication). However, they are not suitable for self-diagnosis and treatment and in no way serve as a substitute for competent medical advice.
The nutritional method described is safe for many people, but not for everyone. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before starting.
