You don’t have to heat up the kitchen to eat well this summer
By Barbara Pierce
The tide has largely turned against alcohol. Until recently, moderate drinking was seen as harmless, even healthy. But now, scientists and physicians are advising that drinking any amount of alcohol is toxic.
The risks and harms associated with drinking alcohol have been evaluated over the years and are well documented. In 2023, the World Health Organization published a statement: “No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”
Increasingly, research finds that there is no safe level of drinking. Even moderate consumption — no more than one drink per day for women, no more than two per day for men — comes with dangers and the situation snowballs the more we sip.
For years, we heard about potential health benefits of moderate amounts of alcohol. We heard that the French have lower rates of coronary heart disease because they drink red wine. However, that study had flaws, according to news reports. Subsequent research found that wine offered little benefit. Instead, it was their overall Mediterranean-style diet that was the key to the lower rates of heart disease.
Even just one drink a day adds a risk to our health, found John Hopkins School of Public Health, as reported online.
Alcohol might feel relaxing in the moment, but it disrupts sleep, increases anxiety the next day and can contribute to mental health problems.
Drinking also carries health risks like high blood pressure, weakened immune system, brain damage, heart disease, stroke, liver disease and several types of cancer. Alcohol consumption is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S. Alcohol damages brain cells, leading to cognitive decline.
As well as being highly addictive, alcohol damages nearly every organ in our body.
“Alcohol is definitely bad for our bodies,” said certified nutrition and wellness coach Cristi Kaido of Rome, founder and operator of The Mindful Mixer: Wellness Mocktails, a business that creates non-alcoholic beverages.
“I’m not sober,” Kaido added. “I still drink red wine every couple of months. I’m conscious of what I put into my body.”
Always passionate about health and fitness, she became a nutrition and wellness coach. In becoming certified, she learned about the ‘Dry January’ concept, which started in Finland in the 1940s.
Dry January challenges adults to abstain from alcohol for 30 days to reset their relationship with booze after the holidays.
This January, Mindful Mixers led the Dry January initiative in the Mohawk Valley. “It was amazing!” Kaido said of the month. “It’s been a game changer for many!”
For example, the Utica Chamber of Commer After Hours event had a Dry January event, with Kaido’s handcrafted mocktails instead of alcohol. “For the most part, people were grateful there was no alcohol,” she said. “People were smiling, having great conversations and they didn’t need alcohol,” she explained.