In the year 2012 I resolve to make healthier choices for myself, get back in shape, and take time for my physical and mental health. I am particularly proud of this resolution and plan to at least stick to it until the end of February unlike my other resolutions which experienced early deaths in late January.
My first step was to evaluate my current diet to see where I needed to make sacrifices in favor of a healthy caloric intake. First to get cut were sodas and fast food which had unfortunately become staples in my weekly diet. Fruit and vegetables would have to conquer my daily plate for as long as my wallet and palate would allow. While I was evaluating my current diet I was reminded of a training I attended a few months ago on the calories consumed by the average college student from alcoholic beverages. While I didn’t think alcohol made up a significant portion of my calories, I decided to look up my own alcohol related calorie consumption. After learning as much as I had about alcohol consumption since beginning my work at the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, I had already cut my usage to no more than 2 drinks a week, with the exception of holidays when I would enjoy a glass of wine at family dinners. Still my usage is within the recommended rates, and I expected the calorie totals to reflect my responsible consumption. I was surprised to see that my monthly total for calories from alcohol came out to 916 (equivalent to 3 cheeseburgers) with a total of 10,992 for the year. While that might not sound like much, according to the recommended calorie intake for a woman of my size and age that is equivalent to over 5.5 days worth of calories.
On top of my health I resolved to save money for graduate school this year. After consulting my handy calculator I estimated that the financial expense of my alcohol consumption comes out to approximately $40 a month or $480 a year. Again for some readers that might not sound like a lot of money, but for me it is almost a full month’s rent; not to mention enough to buy a few textbooks for graduate school.
While I have no intention of completely cutting alcohol out of my diet, I do plan to take these calculations into consideration. Taking into account my priorities of healthy living and financial security, it makes sense for me to consider cutting back to one drink a week. In view of the fact that one of the most popular resolutions is to lose weight and get healthy, it is important for people to consider cutting back on alcohol as part of a healthy diet.
For more information on health concerns related to alcohol use contact the Circles of San Antonio (COSA) at 210-225-4741 or by email at coalition@sacada.org. For more information on the work our coalition is doing in your community check out our Facebook page or follow our Twitter account @circlesofsa.
