If you’re a fan of traditional beer, but currently can’t drink it for one reason or another, there’s a great alternative that can scratch that itch for you.
When it comes to enjoying a refreshing beer, many people think they have to sacrifice the taste or experience if they choose a non-alcoholic option.
But non-alcoholic beer has come a long way in recent years and can now offer a satisfying and delicious alternative to regular beer.
In addition to taste, there are several other benefits to choosing non-alcoholic beer.
In this post, we’ll explore the top reasons why non-alcoholic beer is worth trying and how it can fit into a healthy and responsible lifestyle.
Avoid Hangovers
One of the worst things after a night out drinking is the awful hangovers that you get the next morning. Symptoms like headache, light and sound sensitivity, stomach pain, and general fatigue are all the result of your body dealing with the alcohol in your bloodstream.
Alcohol has adverse effects on your body that include lowering your blood sugar, which can cause muscle pain and headache. It also increases the production of stomach acid, which can make you feel nauseous and lead to vomiting in some cases.
If you replace some or all of your beer consumption with non-alcoholic beer, you can avoid the worst of hangover symptoms the very next day.
Contains Fewer Calories Than Alcoholic Beer
If you’re trying to be healthier, then you should know that the biggest source of calories in beer is the alcohol. This means that if you make the switch to non-alcoholic beer, then you’ll save yourself a few extra calories in the six-pack you’ll crush in front of the football game.
The difference isn’t staggering, but it does add up if you crack open a cold one every now and again. While one fluid ounce of ale-style beer has 13 calories and lager-style beer has 15 calories, non-alcoholic beer only has 11 calories.
So think of this the next time you step on a scale and want to cut back a few pounds. A small change to non-alcoholic beer can make you lose those love handles you’re not so fond of!
Low Risk of Addiction
Alcoholism is a serious issue that threatens the health and well-being of many people. It presents as a loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed, compulsive alcohol drinking, and getting irritated, angry, or depressed when alcohol isn’t around to drink.
Alcohol addiction has two facets, physical and psychological dependency. This happens when your brain’s reward system gets engaged and rewards the presence of the alcohol, and reacts negatively to its absence.
Unfortunately, people suffering from alcohol addiction can’t drink alcoholic beer because it feeds the craving for stronger liquors. That said, non-alcoholic beers don’t carry the same risk thanks to their non-existent alcohol content.
Good for Hydration
Alcoholic beer causes your body to lose water by inducing the urge to urinate, this can cause dehydration because your body can’t retain as much water. If you’ve ever experienced a hangover headache, it’s mainly due to the brain physically shrinking from lack of hydration.
Non-alcoholic beer is a great option for hydration. If you don’t enjoy the taste of plain water, you can substitute it with a non-alcoholic beer to get the same benefits.
Great Workout Recovery Drink
Aside from being an excellent source of hydration, non-alcoholic beer is a great option for a post-workout drink.
Your body’s natural stores of glycogen, which is how your body stores carbs in the liver and muscles, get depleted when you pump the irons too much. Because it’s so rich in carbohydrates and electrolytes, non-alcoholic beer can help your muscles recover after a heavy workout.
Alcoholic beer reduces your body’s testosterone and growth hormone production. These two are essential for muscle growth and recovery. Non-alcoholic beer, on the other hand, has no adverse effects on your hormonal balance whatsoever.
Promotes Better Sleep and Can Reduce Anxiety
Hops is a plant that’s been used to flavor and preserve beer since antiquity. It contributes a mildly bitter, aromatic flavor, and is present in non-alcoholic beer to make it taste like its traditional counterpart.
According to this study published in 2007 in the German Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift medical journal, hops can help significantly improve mild symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.
There were also other studies conducted on the same issue. The Neurochemical journal proves the anxiolytic effect of non-alcoholic beer by measuring the serotonin level in the participants’ urine after they consumed one can of N/A beer every night for two weeks.
The study found that non-alcoholic beer reduces the level of serotonin at night, which reduces anxiety and irritation. This was reported by the participants to have a calming effect and aid sleep.
No Beer Belly
Although it’s named beer belly, you can get abdominal obesity by consuming too much of a good thing. Whether your vice is sugary sodas, alcohol, or just too much food, you can get those extra few inches off if you stick to a healthy diet.
This makes non-alcoholic beer the perfect way to shed those unnecessary pounds. Non-alcoholic beer doesn’t have the extra calories you get from alcohol consumption, and it also promotes satiety, so you won’t feel like you need snacks next to the drink.
Just be careful not to over-consume non-alcoholic beer, because you might find yourself catching up with the number of calories you saved up on the alcohol!
Wrap-Up
Counting down non-alcoholic beer benefits, you’ll find that you can enjoy it without the risks of traditional beer. For one, you won’t get a nasty hangover like the ones you get from alcoholic beer. It also doesn’t have the same addictive quality as alcoholic beverages.
You can also drink it without worrying about a beer belly since non-alcoholic beer has fewer calories than its traditional counterpart. It also doesn’t pose the same risk of dehydration, since it doesn’t have the diuretic effect of traditional beer.
You can drink non-alcoholic beer after a rigorous workout because of its carbohydrate content which helps you recover your glycogen stores. Last but not least, the hops in the non-alcoholic beer can help you sleep better at night thanks to its anxiolytic effect.