Food

Here’s What Happens to Your Heart Health When You Cut Back on Alcohol

Learn how alcohol impacts heart health and what happens to your ticker when you cut down on your consumption.

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Photo: Getty Images/Liliya Krueger
Published Jan 14, 2024

Written by 

Christina Manian, RD

Excessive alcohol consumption can negatively impact our health in several ways, including our cardiovascular system. This has brought about a new wave of folks thinking about cutting back on their drinking as they consider how alcohol impacts heart health and their body in general. Think: Damp January.

Experts in This Article

Amy Davis

Amy Davis, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian at FRESH Communications.

Unsurprisingly, reducing the amount of alcohol we consume can result in serious health benefits, especially when it comes to heart health. Let’s dive into what happens to our tickers when we go a little lighter on the booze, plus ways to put that intention into action.

How alcohol impacts heart health

“Consuming too much alcohol can negatively impact mental and physical health both on a short-term and long-term basis, including disrupted sleep, brain fog, poor mood, gastrointestinal issues, impaired cognitive function, liver disease, and more,” explains Amy Davis, RDN at FRESH Communications. Long-term excessive alcohol consumption can also contribute to diseases of the pancreas and even cancer.

And then, of course, alcohol can significantly impact heart health. “Drinking alcohol can temporarily increase your heart rate, which can lead to tachycardia, or an abnormally fast heart rate, putting you at risk for major cardiac events such as heart failure or stroke,” says Davis. And while certain alcohol choices, like red wine, contain the heart-healthy plant compound resveratrol, the alcohol it contains often outweighs these benefits.

“Alcohol is also commonly associated with high blood pressure since alcohol triggers the body to release a hormone called renin, which causes blood vessels to constrict,” Davis explains. And, a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that alcohol consumption increased the risk of cardiovascular disease1.

All of these effects have so much evidence behind them that in January 2023 the World Health Organization (WHO) deemed no amount of alcohol to be safe for our overall health. Should cutting out drinking completely for the rest of your days seem unrealistic and not much fun, know that other studies have shown that moderate drinking likely has minimal impacts2 when it comes to negative cardiac health events, and Davis says research suggests moderate drinking does not significantly impact health, and in certain cases may even have a health benefit.

What is moderate drinking?

“While the optimal amount of alcohol to drink for heart health is none, moderate drinking of up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men should not negatively impact heart health,” says Davis. However, some health-care professionals recommend an even more moderate approach of just a few (three or four maximum) drinks per week.

What’s more, moderating your booze intake can result in some serious heart health benefits. “When cutting back on alcohol, one would likely experience lowered blood pressure, a regular heartbeat, lowered stress, less anxiety, better sleep, lowered inflammation, and an overall lowered risk of heart disease,” Davis says.

Drinking in a health-supportive way

Thankfully, there are so many easy (and delicious) ways to go about moderating your alcohol consumption, both through smarter alcohol choices and creative swaps.

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Choose nutrient-added drinks

If you’re going to enjoy a happy hour drink with friends, you can help mitigate some of its health impacts by opting for a nutrient-added choice. “Red wine contains antioxidants, like resveratrol, that have been linked to lower levels of HDL cholesterol, making it the optimal alcohol choice for heart health,” says Davis.

Healthier mixers also come into play here. Instead of sodas or sweetened juices, opt for freshly squeezed, no added sugar juices, vegetable juices (Bloody Mary, anyone?), or sugar-free sparkling waters. Also, many mixologists are now experimenting with trendy health food ingredients like spirulina and activated charcoal, both of which help to reduce inflammation and are great choices as well. If you’re whipping up a drink at home and would like to add some sweetener, try more nutrient-dense options like agave or honey over refined sugar.

Be wary of added sugar

Building off that last tip, choosing boozy drinks laden with added sugar only adds insult to injury when it comes to heart health. This is because added, refined sugar is a major pro-inflammatory agent in the body and has been linked to negative heart health outcomes3. While sweet mixers are the biggest culprits of added sugars in alcoholic drinks, beware of other sneaky sources like simple syrups.

Dilute, dilute, dilute

If you’re hoping to have more than one drink in a sitting, dilution is a great way to get more bang for your buck without the added toll on your heart health. This can look like watering down hard liquor, premixed cocktails, or wine (think spritzers). You can do this with regular old filtered water, seltzer water, or even no-sugar-added flavored sparkling waters.

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Explore smart swaps

“For those thinking about cutting back on alcohol, it’s easier to replace alcohol with something else rather than not drinking anything,” says Davis. This can look like “drinking sparkling flavored water from a wine glass,” she suggests, or opting for a delicious mocktail. In a world where more and more people are cutting back on their alcohol consumption for one reason or another, an entire market of zero-proof alcohol has come to fruition. “Trying an alternative, such as Surely Wines or Ritual Zero Proof Spirits, is a great tactic to cut back without feeling deprived,” Davis says. But you don’t even need to search for fancy alcohol-free spirits, delicious mocktails can be made easily at home with 100-percent fruit juice, fresh muddled fruit, and sparkling water.

Center your gatherings around other activities

Shifting the focus of your social gatherings away from alcohol and toward another activity is another way to potentially cut back on your alcohol consumption. This could look like hosting a game night, cooking a meal together, heading to the movie theater, watching your favorite sports game, or enjoying nature. There are so many ways to connect with your loved ones that require no alcohol whatsoever.

So while we know that cutting back on our alcohol intake can result in major overall and heart health gains, that doesn’t mean that this popular social lubricant is off the table altogether. Rather, through intentional choices and innovative swaps, you can both enjoy alcohol and maintain optimal heart health.

  1. Biddinger, K. J., Emdin, C. A., Haas, M. E., et al. “Association of Habitual Alcohol Intake With Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.” JAMA Network Open, vol. 5, no. 3, 2022, e223849. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.3849.

    ↩︎
  2. Krittanawong, Chayakrit et al. “Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Health.” The American journal of medicine vol. 135,10 (2022): 1213-1230.e3. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.04.021
    ↩︎
  3. DiNicolantonio, James J et al. “The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease.” Progress in cardiovascular diseases vol. 58,5 (2016): 464-72. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2015.11.006
    ↩︎

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FoodNutrition

Why Are People Suddenly Eating Handfuls of Spinach Straight From the Fridge?

TL;DR: You don’t have to eat raw spinach out of the container like a raccoon to get the nutritional benefits.

Girl in leggings and green shirt holding colander of washed spinach with hands visible, top view.
Photo: Getty
Published Feb 21, 2025

Written by 

Emily Ziemski

TikTok is full of microtrends, especially when it comes to food. Eating a whole cucumber, making protein Diet Coke; remember the baked feta pasta? The list is endless and frankly, can be a bit silly. The latest: Creators shoving a whole handful of spinach into their mouths, citing a “max nutritional benefit boost” by doing so. 

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Searching for videos about eating a handful of spinach yields hundreds of people looking vaguely uncomfortable while trying to chew and swallow, well, a whole handful of raw, unseasoned spinach. Of course, I have questions. Is this the cinnamon challenge but with vegetables? Do you hate joy? And, the most important, is this *actually* the best way to get nutritional benefits from spinach?

What is this trend, exactly?

Cropping up in feeds in early February, the TikTok videos hinge on two key factors: The spinach has to be raw, and you have to eat it first thing in the morning. One handful seems to do the trick for most, and it appears that nothing else is consumed alongside the spinach. Just a whole bunch of raw spinach. That’s it. That’s the tweet. 

Surely, it would be easier to incorporate it into the smoothie you’re already planning to have, or the omelet you just made, but here we are. 

Why are people doing this?

According to these videos, besides kicking off your day with multiple vitamins, iron, and potassium, some claim it can also “curb carb and sugar cravings” while others assert that doing this every morning helps “train your tastebuds for the day.”

For me, this feels like it’s veering into the 90s and early aughts culture of “no pain no gain,” a mindset that had us doing things like scrubbing our faces with apricot shells every night, and only eating cabbage soup for every meal. 

Not to say those things aren’t great in moderation (gentle exfoliation is wonderful for the skin, and cabbage is a great, nutritionally dense vegetable), but banking your health on one, singular thing isn’t a great road to success. “I think that spinach is obviously a very nutritious food, but it doesn’t contain the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that one needs daily,” says Christina Manian, RDN, a sustainable food systems professional. “In terms of claims that doing this first thing in the morning hacks your body’s cravings for the rest of the day, I’m not sure whether that’s true.”

So, what’s the actual science behind this trend?

Realistically, there’s just not a lot of science that backs up these claims of tastebud training and curbed hunger. Research done by the University of Buffalo on bitter foods showed that when feeding bitter foods (like leafy greens) to rats, a protein-based salivary compound that was activated when eating something bitter could be trained to increase over time. 

Basically, the press release stated that when that protein was activated, “the bitter tastes like water.” So, the rats could eat more of the bitter foods without minding the taste. It is important to note that studies done in mice and rats don’t translate well to human consequences, as our physiological differences, like hormonal makeup and immune systems, vary too much from these lab mice/rat studies to be able to draw any definite conclusions. In fact, human-based studies show that denying food cravings can actually lead to increased appetites, and even bingeing behaviors. 

However, it’s not all bad news. There is a lot of info that shows food sequencing—starting each meal by eating vegetables, then protein, then everything else—*does* indeed help with hunger cues, satiety, and better blood sugar control. “I often enjoy spinach in the morning (usually cooked with tofu or eggs and whole grain toast) but don’t feel called to eat it raw as the very first thing I put into my body,” says Manian. 

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Should you do this trend?

There’s truly no harm (except maybe a minor choking hazard?) in trying this trend. “Considering how most Americans aren't eating enough veggies, I'll count this as a win,” says Lauren Manaker, RDN, a women’s nutrition expert and consultant. “They are still getting fiber and plant compounds when they eat it by the handful.”

If you’re like me, and seeing a new internet trend makes you feel like the oldest, crankiest person on planet earth, take solace in knowing that dietitians believe adding spinach to any part of your daily meal plan is a total win. “Overall, eating raw spinach is an excellent practice, as is eating cooked spinach,” says Manian. “I think if [people] are doing this any time of the day, that’s fantastic, and if they feel inclined to eat spinach in the morning, then that's also wonderful.”

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Food

The Making of an Internet-Famous Fruit: How Sumo Citrus Has Captured Hearts, Tastebuds, and a Devoted Following

photo of growers transporting many sumo citrus for review
Photo: Sumo Citrus® & W+G Creative
Published Feb 20, 2025

In Partnership With 

Sumo Citrus

Written by 

Maeve McCormick

Confession time: I love citrus—zesty limes squeezed on my tacos, fresh-squeezed orange juice on slow Sunday mornings, and the invigorating scent of grapefruit candles when I need to unwind. But when it comes to eating whole citrus fruits? Historically, not my thing. The mess of peeling, the sticky fingers, the rogue juice dribbling down my wrists—for me, most citrus has never been worth the (literal) squeeze.

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Then, one day, my roommate came home from the store with an oversized citrus I didn’t recognize. She told me I had to try a piece, while effortlessly peeling it in one smooth motion—no mess, no struggle. I skeptically accepted a slice, wondering what the big deal was. 

To my surprise, the experience was completely sticky-fingers-free. And the taste? Unlike any citrus I’d had before—enormously sweet, impossibly juicy, and balanced with just a hint of tang. That was my first bite of Sumo Citrus®—and now, I understand why The Office actress Jenna Fischer planted a Sumo Citrus tree in her yard, John Mayer peeled it on TikTok, and it has its very own merch (kind of eyeing that beanie, TBH).

So, what’s earned Sumo Citrus this devoted following? Sumo is taking the sweetness on the road for you to experience it yourself with the Tastemonial Tour—and it’s making a special stop at House of Good during our Ultimate Citrus Experience pop-up from February 21 to 23. Stop by for the hype if you're in Los Angeles, and read on to find out how this one-of-a-kind fruit became a seasonal fruit fixation.

sumo citrus with purple sticker

Find Sumo Citrus Near You

Sumo Citrus wasn’t just plucked from a tree one day and marketed as the next big thing—it’s the result of decades of careful cultivation, according to Sunnia Gull, AC Food’s vice president of marketing. First developed in Japan in the 1970s, it was naturally bred to combine the best traits of different citrus varieties—including the sweetness of mandarins, the juiciness of navel oranges, and the easy-to-peel skin of a satsuma.

Despite its popularity, growing Sumo Citrus is no easy feat. It takes years of expertise to perfect, and California’s Central Valley is the only place in the United States where it’s grown. Even then, farmers face unpredictable weather challenges, which means every piece of fruit that makes it to the store is a result of careful tending and patience.

The first thing you notice about Sumo Citrus is its size—it’s the largest variety of mandarins. The second? Its signature Top Knot®, a bump on top of the fruit that serves as an easier way to peel it. The skin practically lifts off, revealing plump, seedless segments that don’t leave your hands coated in juice and stubborn pith. 

Every Sumo Citrus is guaranteed to be incredibly sweet, thanks to each being measured on the “brix meter,” to ensure it meets sky-high sweetness standards before hitting shelves, Gull says. For those who prefer their fruit without surprise sour bites, it’s a game-changer.

Beyond its chef’s-kiss flavor and finally-I-don’t-need-a-wet-wipe convenience, Sumo Citrus packs a *serious* nutritional punch. Each fruit contains 163 percent of your daily vitamin C, along with fiber, potassium, and a flavonoid called hesperidin, which has antioxidant benefits. Whether you’re looking for immunity support, a gut-friendly snack, or a natural energy source, it fits the bill. Bonus: It’s the kind of snack I can toss in my bag and eat in two minutes flat—way better than the sad granola bar that’s been in my purse for the past three months.

And while Sumo Citrus is made to eat straight out of the peel, fans have gotten creative with how they use it. The fruit’s sweetness and juiciness make it an ideal addition to everything from bright citrus salads to zesty cocktails and refreshing desserts. Its bold flavor also complements savory dishes—think citrus-glazed salmon or a tangy dressing for roasted vegetables.

All of that creativity may be a result of the fact that Sumo Citrus is here for a good time, but not a long time. Unlike standard grocery store oranges that are available year-round, Sumo Citrus has a limited growing season, running only from January to April. This short window has created an almost cult-like following, with fans stocking up as soon as they see the signature purple sticker in stores. 

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I get it—now that I’ve experienced Sumo, I fully understand the impulse to grab them while they last. The anticipation is almost part of the appeal: Like cherry blossom season or holiday peppermint mochas, Sumo’s fleeting availability makes it even more special. And when the season ends? People (me) are already counting down the days until its return. Conclusion: Do yourself a favor and grab a few before they disappear for the year. Because once you’ve had a taste of this juicy citrus, there’s no going back.

Psst: Want a taste ASAP? The Sumo Tastemonial Tour is rolling into Belmont Park in San Diego from February 28 to March 1, Boreal Ski Resort in Tahoe from March 7 to 8, Craig Ranch Regional Park in Las Vegas from March 10 to 11, and La Encantada in Tuscon from March 14 to 15—or stop by House of Good in Venice Beach for the Ultimate Citrus Experience from February 21 to 23.

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