Dry January - it’s a thing!

If it’s your thing, how about replacing alcohol with coffee?

Whether you are eliminating alcohol - or cutting back (maybe Damp January is more your style) there are some benefits of substituting some - or all - alcoholic drinks with COFFEE.

5 Reasons to Drink Coffee Instead of Alcohol:

1. lose weight

• Black coffee has no calories. That’s right - ZERO calories! Add a splash of whole milk for 15-20 calories plus a teaspoon of sugar (16 calories) for a total of about 35 calories.

• On average, alcoholic drinks have 100-200 calories ranging from about 85 for a glass of wine to 150 for a bottle of beer, 170+ for a mixed drink (gin & tonic, rum & cola), and about 275 for an average margarita.

• Obviously, this will only cut calories and help lose weight if a boozy drink is replaced with a cup of coffee or small cappuccino. Some of those super fancy coffee based drinks have loads of calories! How about 410 calories in one Starbucks’ grande caramel brule latte? Yikes!

2. Improve Alertness

• it’s not a myth! Coffee improves alertness and reactions.

• On the other hand, alcohol slows reaction time and impairs judgment.

3. Get More Nutrients & Health Benefits

“Research suggests that when consumed in moderation, coffee can be considered a healthy beverage” (from The Nutrition Source: Coffee, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

• coffee is a good source of caffeine (beneficial in moderate amounts, up to 400mg / day), Vitamin B12, magnesium and some polyphenols

• On the other hand, “Alcoholic beverages primarily consist of water, pure alcohol (chemically known as ethanol), and variable amounts of sugars (i.e., carbohydrates); their content of other nutrients (e.g., proteins, vitamins, or minerals) is usually negligible.” (source: U.S. National Library of Medicine: Alcohol Research & Health)

4. Save Money

• Here in Canada, even a fancy coffee at a chi chi coffee shop is half the price of a beer. And if you’re making coffee at home, even a premium coffee is well under $1 per cup.

• Good luck finding a glass of wine for under $5 per glass from the liquor store! And it’ll be a lot more if you want something that tastes good.

5. Better Quality Sleep

• This may surprise you but you may sleep better by drinking less alcohol and more coffee!

• Alcohol can make you sleepy and help get to sleep, but it can also disrupt the sleep cycle and decrease sleep quality.

• One key to better quality sleep is to cut out caffeine at least 8 hours before bed so that most of it has cleared your system. Switch to decaf later in the day. Or switch to decaf all the time - find a great decaf and you won’t taste the difference.

Overall, our research concludes that the best idea is to drink a couple cups of coffee every day.