Exploring the Health Benefits of Drinking Gin

“The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.”
– Winston Churchill

Gin, the alcoholic half of the most popular cocktail around the world – gin and tonic, is an alcoholic beverage distilled from juniper berries, that’s not only refreshing and tasty but also comes with a lot of health benefits. While beer is the world’s most consumed alcoholic beverage, and many love having a glass of Chardonnay at dinner, when it comes to distilled spirits, gin is definitely in the top 5, and in some countries even right at the top.

Even though it’s sometimes thought that it originated in the Netherlands in the Middle Ages, gin, as we know it today, originated in England. It became very popular at the end of the 17th century when home distilling became legal, mainly in an attempt to restrict the importation of French brandy. Today gin is produced and consumed in many countries over the world, or more precisely 68. The largest producers on the list are the UK, USA and Germany, and Australia is at the top of the other countries that follow them.

But before you go to an online gin shop looking for the best gin Australia has to offer, you may as well learn about the benefits you’ll get from its moderate consumption, and enjoy your next glass even more. With the incredible rise in popularity, all Aussie gin lovers are offered an incredible variety of the Australian craft gin, made right here. And the best part of it all is that there are really good, high quality and versatile options out there – with distilleries making unique flavours, giving their spirit different notes from plants typical for their regions.

Good for Weight Control  

One of the most appealing things about gin is that it’s one of the lowest in calories amongst spirits. Namely, a shot of gin has 97 calories. Furthermore, if you are concerned about controlling your weight or if you are trying to lose weight, you can add tonic to your gin without worrying, since it’s also low in calories. As a matter of fact, gin and tonic have fewer calories than a glass of wine or beer. Gin is also believed to speed up the metabolism, or in other words, it may even help with weight loss – if consumed without sugar.

Even more importantly, gin doesn’t contain a lot of sugar, which is not only good for your weight, but for your overall health. Nevertheless, if you are a gin lover and you are taking care of your sugar intake, make sure you don’t mix it with a sugary beverage. This also makes gin one of the best options for alcoholic drinks for people with diabetes. Nevertheless, gin, like any other alcoholic beverages should be consumed moderately, and for people with chronic conditions, only after consulting with a medical practitioner.

Good for Diseases Prevention

Because of the properties of juniper berries, as well as the healing powers of other herbs used in the gin, gin can help with digestion. For this reason, a glass of gin is a good choice for people that get bloated from alcohol. Also, one of many uses of juniper berries, the base of gin, is for the pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Juniper berries are rich in flavonoids that are considered to reduce inflammation.

While excessive alcohol consumption is dangerous for many reasons, moderate consumption is often believed to be harmless, and even according to studies – good for you. While one of the reasons is the fact that it can lower stress levels (and stress is known to be one of the biggest enemies for our mental health and even our physical health in today’s world), an even more important reason is that it can reduce the risk of heart diseases and strokes. And when it comes to gin in particular, on top of that, juniper berries are considered to be good for your veins as well as prevent clogged arteries.

Juniper berries, primarily used because of the distinctive taste they give to the spirit, are abundant in health-promoting compounds, according to a study over 70 of them. Because of those and because of the presence of other herbs in gin Australia wide, and even more so if you add botanical gin garnishes, gin is full of antioxidants. Those are essentially health-promoting substances, which fight off free radicals or unstable atoms that can cause many different health issues, including cancers, diabetes, heart diseases, premature ageing, obesity, etc.

Good for Beauty

Aside from its possible weight-losing properties, gin is also good for your skin, mainly because of the presence of antioxidants. This demonstrates that besides protecting your health and helping you live longer and preventing premature ageing, moderate intake of gin may promote youthful and healthy-looking skin and slow down the appearance of wrinkles.