Whether you’re enjoying a night out or hosting a dinner party at home, there are certain foods that you should avoid when pairing with alcohol. Certain food-and-drink pairings can prevent your body from absorbing nutrients properly, or can cause heartburn or bloating. Let’s take a look at some of the foods and snacks you should avoid when drinking alcohol.
9 foods you shouldn’t eat with alcohol
1. Salty foods
Many people have heard the phrase “Don’t go to the bathroom yet” when drinking alcohol, right? That’s because alcohol has a diuretic effect, causing the body to excrete more water. It also inhibits the secretion of hormones that help absorb water back into the body, making the body dehydrated more easily. Do you know what else can make the body dehydrated? That is salty snacks, such as potato chips.
Salty foods make you thirstier, which may lead you to drink more alcohol to quench your thirst, says nutritionist Lauren Harris-Pincus, founder of Nutrition Starring YOU and author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club. http://ufabet999.app “To counteract this, drink a glass (or two) of water between alcoholic drinks, and opt for raw vegetables, cheese or nuts as a snack,” she suggests.
2. Pizza:
Get ready for some bad news! Your favorite after-party food, pizza, can cause gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is basically recurrent acid reflux. Alcohol can trigger GERD by slowing down digestion in the stomach and reducing tension in the lower esophageal sphincter, which normally prevents food from backing up from the stomach. Unfortunately, tomatoes, which are high in acid, have also been found to increase the risk of GERD, acid reflux, and heartburn. That means anything that contains tomatoes, such as margarita sauce, is not a good choice for alcohol.
3. Nuts (with wine)
Pairing a glass of wine with dinner can help you unwind after a long day, but if you’re iron-deficient , you might want to swap your favorite red for a craft beer or cocktail instead. Wine contains tannins, which are bitter-tasting polyphenols that come from the skins, seeds, and stalks of grapes. These astringent compounds reduce the body’s ability to convert absorbed nutrients into new ones, says Sara Haas, M.D., a registered dietitian. In other words, tannins prevent your body from properly absorbing iron and other beneficial nutrients. So avoid drinking wine on days when you’re eating iron-rich foods like nuts, dark leafy greens, and whole grains.
4. Bread (and beer).
If you’ve ever felt extremely bloated after eating bread and beer, you may be suffering from an overgrowth of yeast in your gut, also known as candida. Dr. Tasneem Bhatiya, a nutritionist and holistic health expert, says both beer and bread are high in yeast. When taken together, they can cause bloating and constipation, which are symptoms of a candida overgrowth. She says it’s best to avoid foods high in yeast when drinking beer, and opt for vegetables, beans, or lean meats instead.
5. Coffee and energy drinks.
If you’ve ever had a cup of coffee to help you feel better after drinking alcohol, that swoon-worthy feeling is just an illusion. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), caffeine helps mask the sedative effects of alcohol, making you feel less tipsy. This may explain why people who add caffeine to their cocktails are more likely to get into car accidents and make decisions they later regret than those who drink the classic drink. And like ketchup, coffee and energy drinks are highly acidic, so when combined with alcohol, they can cause heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD.
6. Diet Soda.
You might be trying to cut back on the extra calories from alcohol by choosing zero-calorie mixers, but unfortunately, switching from regular soda to diet soda in your rum and Coke could actually make you drunk faster. According to a 2019 study from Northern Kentucky University, alcohol consumed with diet drinks results in a higher blood alcohol level than when mixed with sugary drinks. Sugar slows down the absorption of alcohol from your stomach into your bloodstream, so it’s not that diet soda will make you drunk faster, it’s that regular soda slows it down. So opt for a soda with a little sugar instead of a diet drink and worry about the calories in your morning meal. “Especially if you’re planning on driving home,” says Lauren Harris-Pincus.
7. Citrus fruits and juices
Sorry, mimosa lovers, you may need to find a new breakfast smoothie. Citrus fruits are high in acid, which makes them incompatible with alcohol. If you’re looking to avoid heartburn and acid reflux, try an Aperol Spritz with Avocado Toast instead.
8. Greasy foods:
Pizza and French fries are out. What about French fries? Not so much. According to Harris-Pincus, high-fat foods can also trigger heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD, especially when combined with alcohol.
9. Chocolate and Peppermint.
Put down that mint chocolate chip ice cream. The cacao in chocolate has been linked to heartburn and GERD. It stimulates the release of serotonin, a hormone that helps you sleep and promotes happiness , into your gut. Serotonin causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, preventing food from backing up from your stomach. So the cacao, caffeine, and fats found in chocolate combine to cause heartburn, and consuming chocolate with alcohol can make it worse. So what does peppermint have to do with it? This refreshing herb also relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, making it another risk factor for heartburn and acid reflux when combined with alcohol. What a shame.