Are you an avid bourbon enthusiast who frequently drinks? If so, there are a few things you should routinely do to stay healthy while enjoying your bourbon lifestyle.
I love to drink moderately and often. Often, for me, means I have some form of American whiskey about four days a week. While I never overindulge, this can be considered a lot of drinking, especially if you do it every week, which I do. However, I do not want my bourbon lifestyle to negatively impact my health, so I frequently research ways to stay healthy.
Maintaining good health supersedes my love of whiskey. With that in mind, the US Department of Health provides some basic requirements for healthy drinking.
The US Department of Health says that healthy drinking constitutes no more than 3 ounces a day of high-proof distilled spirits, such as gin, bourbon, rye whiskey, rum, or vodka. Being moderate in your drinking habits will allow you to minimize the following health problems:
- Alcohol use disorder
- Liver disease
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Seven types of cancer
- Depression and anxiety
- Stroke
With these things in mind, here are the five additional things you can do to stay healthy while being an avid bourbon enthusiast.
1. Eat a Meal Before Drinking to Metabolize Alcohol Faster
Eating a healthy meal right before drinking alcohol, especially before tasting events, is essential. Why? Eating food, especially foods high in protein, helps metabolize alcohol and slows the absorption rate into the bloodstream. This means that a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC), a measurement of the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood, lessens with food in their system and minimizes the effects of alcohol consumption.
Eating a mixture of foods that contain protein, fat, and carbohydrates can help your body metabolize alcohol up to 50% faster than it would otherwise. Try to eat a meal 1 hour before you start drinking.
2. Drink Plenty of Water Before, During, and After Drinking Alcohol
As with food, when you drink water before and after drinking, it can help slow down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Drinking water enables you to minimize the effects of alcohol consumption while allowing you to maintain mental clarity and physical acuity.
Particularly after an intense bourbon tasting or whiskey tour, your body can become dehydrated and filled with toxins from alcohol metabolization. Drinking plenty of water before and after alcohol consumption can help flush out these toxins and support your body's natural detoxification processes.
Aside from its metabolizing effects, water can replace the fluids lost by increased urine production. Alcohol is a diuretic and causes the body to expel fluids and electrolytes through increased urine production.
A good rule of thumb is to drink four times as much water as whiskey to enjoy a healthy bourbon-drinking experience.
3. Take Milk Thistle to Promote a Healthy Liver
What the heck is milk thistle? Milk thistle is a flowering herb native to the Mediterranean region known for its liver-protecting properties. The active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin, a group of compounds known for their antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Your liver is the primary organ responsible for detoxifying alcohol, but the liver only digests one standard drink per hour. As bourbon enthusiasts, we may occasionally drink more than that when participating in whiskey tastings or tours and having fun at parties. Any consumption beyond the "one drink per hour rule" begins to overload the liver and can damage it. That's where milk thistle comes in.
The silymarin in milk thistle is scientifically proven to help protect liver cells from damage caused by alcohol. It also promotes the regeneration of new liver cells and reduces inflammation. Studies have shown that milk thistle is a natural remedy for various liver conditions, including alcohol liver damage and cirrhosis.
Any time I drink whiskey, I will take two capsules of a dietary supplement containing at least 200mg of milk thistle per capsule. Taking milk thistle is my routine, and I am not a doctor. However, it helps to cleanse my liver and flush out harmful toxins. My body feels the difference when I regularly take this supplement after drinking.
4. Exercise Regularly for Body and Kidney Health
Alcohol consumption can put stress on your kidneys. All whiskey enthusiasts have experienced the diuretic effects of alcohol after an evening of drinking. This increase in urination can lead to dehydration, impacting kidney function. Additionally, alcohol can disrupt the body's electrolyte balance, further straining the kidneys.
Exercise helps by reducing the stress on your body and kidneys caused by alcohol consumption. Sweating removes toxins from your body that your kidneys would have to remove.
Regular and strenuous exercise should be part of every bourbon enthusiast's routine. Saunas and hot baths are also common ways to stimulate sweating and promote alcohol detoxification.
5. Get a Creatinine Blood Test Done as Part of Your Annual Physical Checkup
Yearly bloodwork tests for human kidney function are crucial for the early detection of potential issues. Regular screenings can help monitor creatinine levels, indicating how well the kidneys filter waste from the blood.
I ask my doctor to include creatinine blood test measurements to help evaluate and measure my kidney function. I do this because my father had high blood pressure and kidney failure. I have witnessed firsthand that a life on dialysis is not fun. I want to ensure that my kidneys continue to function well.
Stay Healthy Whiskey Bourbon Enthusiasts
Being an active bourbon enthusiast can be part of a healthy lifestyle. By incorporating these five steps into your life routine, you can drink regularly and prioritize your health.
Enjoy!