Spirit articles Archives - Page 8 of 8

Is non alcoholic gin good for you? Does it have any health benefits? 1. Reduce your hayfever In some people, just drinking an alcoholic drink can trigger asthma or hayfever symptoms. In others, it’s only certain alcoholic drinks that cause the issue. The alcoholic drinks most likely to trigger an asthma attack or flare hay fever symptoms are all the wines (red, white, rose and sparkling), cider and beer. This is because they often contain high levels of sulphites or histamine. Gin contains NO sulphites and a very small amount of histamine making it the perfect alcoholic drink if you have hayfever, asthma, itchy throat or a runny nose. Non alcoholic and alcohol free gin gets to advance this one further. It contains no sulphites and very low levels of histamine but has no or very low levels of alcohol. This makes it the perfect non alcoholic drink for asthmatics and hayfever sufferers, period. 2. Low calorie One of the big reasons to change to non alcoholic gin is that it considerably lower in calories. Does that mean it helps you lose fat and weight? Non alcoholic gin has far fewer calories than alcoholic gin. It contains around 5% of the calories of regular gin but don't have the metabolism slowing effects of alcohol which further exacerbates the calorie difference. This means you have less free energy to convert to fat. The USDA state a standard measure of gin has around 97 kcal per 1.5 fl oz (44ml). This can be used as a reference point for the others. The drawback is there is a large range within the craft gin world with lots of new flavours, additives and alcohol contents. Looking at 2 big gin giants, along with their alcohol free alternatives as well as some of the other up and coming low/non alcoholic offerings can form a good comparison. Gin giants GordonsTanqueray Export Low/Non alcoholic and alcohol free gins Gordon's 0.0%Tanqueray 0.0%Seedlip 0.5% (not technically gin as different botanicals than juniper)Clean Co Clean G 0.5% GinKcal count per 1.5 fl oz% of calories % of calories saved Standard USDA measure gin97100%0%Gordon's 37.5%9295%5%Tnaqueray Export 43.1%105108%-8%Gordon's 0.0%55%95%Tanqueray 0.0%55%95%Seedlip 0.5%00%100%Clean Co Clean G 0.5%1212%88%Non alcoholic gin comparison - "full" A full article on gin and mixer, their calories and sugar content is available here 3. Low or no sugar Neither alcoholic or non alcoholic gin has sugar or carbohydrate in the ingredients or added afterward. In general, non and zero alcoholic gins have no sugar in line with their full alcoholic equivalent. All of their calorie saving comes from removing the alcohol. Any added sugar will come from the mixer which can have a variety of added sugar content. What can have a lot of sugar which you should be careful of is which mixer you pair your non alcoholic gin with. Ive listed a few for comparison below. There is quite the range. GinTonicTotal caloriesTotal sugarTanqueray export FeverTree Aromatic Tonic16111.7gTanqueray exportFeverTree Light Indian Tonic1284.4gTanqueray 0.0%FeverTree Aromatic Tonic6111.7Tanqueray 0.0%FeverTree Light Indian Tonic284.4gG&T combinations 4. You can have better skin Gin is made from at the super berry juniper. Juniper is jam packed with antioxidants which help regenerate your cells and keep them looking young. Alcohol can age the skin directly and on its action on your liver so the alcohol free gins are purpose made to get you glowing! Another study found that the essential oils in juniper berries may have some anti-aging properties. The main benefit would be to help keep wrinkles at bay. 5. Aids digestion Gin to the rescue again. The bitters and botanicals used to create that gin taste, boost stomach acid and digestive enzymes to get things moving. This helps break down and get moving that cheat meal you told yourself you wouldn’t have, it's easily done! As if that wasn't good enough, gin can aid against heartburn, which is a huge plus after a large meal. Alcohol can actually give some people heartburn so again, the non alcoholic versions is perfect. 6. Reduce your bloating and urine infections. Its time for those juniper berries to come to the fore again. They have high levels of naturally occurring diuretics that help you pee and stop you retaining water. That terrible bloating feeling and swollen legs is from water retention. Alcohol can add to this so non alcoholic gins can help you get the fluid out without the negative of alcohol adding it back on. 7. Best drink for diabetics The best alcoholic drink for a diabetic is one with low carbs and sugar. Gin has no carbs and no sugar which puts it top of the pile. Alcohol itself tho can cause weight gain and disrupt your insulin schedule and cause hypos. This would mean non alcoholic gin, has all the benefits of having no carbs or sugar AND the additional benefit of no alcohol to disrupt insulin and glucose regulation in the body. 8. Coughs and cold begone Juniper berries and the botanicals used in gin have essential oils with give the gin its distinctive flavour. This is the same texture that helps fight common coughs and colds. Be careful not to put the gin in the fridge as the oils and fragrances change and the helpful effects can diminish. The juniper berries in gin act as a natural medicine that contains antioxidants and flavonoids. They also contain anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties. You can combine gin with various herbs and ginger to help your sore throat and nurse you back to health. 9. May help joint inflammation. You can't use a triple of gin and tonic to replace actual medication, but juniper berries have long been used to treat conditions such as rheumatism and arthritis. The usual regime is to use raisins steeped in gin have been used as a treatment for joint pain. Don't eat all the raisins tho or your sugar levels are going up! For a full 11 reasons to try non alcoholic gin, follow this link to my article.