What is the best alcoholic drink for high blood pressure

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BSc Home Science, M.Sc - Dietitics / Nutrition

Dietitian/Nutritionist, Bangalore  •  39years experience

According to the preconceived notion, drinking alcohol is harmful to the body. It is partly true. Drinking alcohol is harmful to the body, but only in huge proportions. In fact, despite popular belief, drinking alcohol is also good for health.

Here are 8 alcohols that are secretly keeping you healthy:

1. Beer: The most common alcoholic drink, beer is loaded with antioxidants called phenols. This protects you against suffering from heart diseases. Beer also lowers the risk of acquiring high blood pressure and helps maintaining it.
2. Red Wine: Apart from being a classy drink and having the same benefits of beer, the additional brownie points of red wine is that it helps in increasing life span by generating longevity genes. It also increases good cholesterol and reduces bad cholesterol in the body.
3. Ethanol: Ethanol reduces the risk of wear and tear in the brain neurons. Any damage to the neurons may lead to Alzheimer's or dementia. Hence ethanol helps to prevent any harm to the brain cells.
4. Vodka: Vodka helps in clearing bad breath as the high alcohol content kills all bad odour bacteria present. It also helps to reduce stress and disinfect wound. It improves the health of the skin and stimulates hair growth. Toothache is also another issue which Vodka can work wonders on.
5. Whisky: Whisky helps to numb throat pain when it is gargled in a mixture with warm water. It stimulates weight loss. Whisky also helps in preventing dementia. Other benefits of this drink that it prevents diabetes and cancer. It also helps to keep the heart healthy, increases the level of good cholesterol and terminates blood clots. Whiskey is believed to be one of the healthiest drinks among the alcoholic beverages.
6. Tonic: The combination of gin and tonic is very useful while treating malarial infection as it contains quinine; which is used for the treatment of malaria.
7. Brandy: Brandy is one alcoholic drink which is full of healthy antioxidants. It has anti ageing properties; hence is very good for the skin. Brandy also reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the body. It also helps in the treatment of bladder and ovarian cancer as well as sore throats and cough.
8. Rum: Rum increases life longevity. It is very beneficial for the heart. It also functions as a blood thinner and helps in increasing the level of good cholesterol. Having this wonderful drink occasionally also guards you against osteoporosis and common cold.

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Skip the added salt and sugars.

Having high blood pressure can feel pretty inconvenient, especially when you want some of your favorite foods and drinks. Thankfully, there are ways you can still consume the stuff you love while also managing your blood pressure levels.

When it comes to drinking alcohol, it's important for those with high blood pressure to significantly limit their consumption. However, if it's been approved by your doctor and you're in the mood to treat yourself, choosing a healthier alcoholic beverage is key.

To learn more about the alcoholic drinks not to choose, we talked with some expert dietitians. Read on to learn their picks for the worst alcoholic beverages to drink for high blood pressure. Then make sure to check out The Worst Alcoholic Beverages For Blood Sugar.

Although they're delicious and usually on the more affordable side, mixed drinks with soda like whiskey and coke or vodka and sprite may not be the best for high blood pressure.

"There is evidence that added sugar can raise blood pressure. Sodas have a lot of added sugar, so when you mix alcohol with a sugar-sweetened beverage, you can potentially have a bigger impact on blood pressure, especially if you have multiple drinks," says registered dietitian Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN.

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Bloody Marys are a popular brunch choice, but even though people may assume it's healthier because of the veggies, this isn't usually the case for those with high blood pressure.

"Between the tomato juice mix and the pickled garnishes, Bloody Marys are notoriously high in sodium, which can raise blood pressure, especially in sodium-sensitive individuals," says McMordie.

Dessert cocktails are a delicious post-dinner option, but those who are watching their blood pressure may benefit from choosing something else.

"Any type of dessert cocktail that contains ice cream, such as a mudslide or grasshopper, are going to be high in saturated fat, which can exacerbate symptoms of high blood pressure," says Mabel Lee RDN, CDCES, a registered dietitian and Co-Founder of The Nutrition Queens.

RELATED: Worst Drinking Habits For Fatty Liver Disease, Says Dietitian

Margaritas are a classic summertime staple, especially if you're hanging with friends and family on the beach. But if you want to keep blood pressure levels in check, you're going to need to try something with less sodium and added sugars.

"With the salted rim and typical sugary mix, a margarita can impact your blood pressure with both its sodium content and added sugars. Ask for no salt on the rim and order a classic style margarita, which is usually made with real lime juice and is light on the sweetener for less sugar," says McMordie.

"Dirty martinis are primarily liquor based, meaning they have a high alcohol content, which has a bigger impact on blood pressure than lower ABV beverages. They also typically involve high-sodium olive brine, which increases the impact on blood pressure," says McMordie.

Read 20 Tips for Choosing Healthy Alcoholic Drinks if you're looking for more ideas on how to make better alcohol choices.

Samantha Boesch

Samantha was born and raised in Orlando, Florida and now works as a writer in Brooklyn, NY. Read more about Samantha

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