The Drunchies

Urban Dictionary defines the “drunchies” (or drunk munchies) as, "when you are extremely intoxicated and all of a sudden you feel the need to gorge yourself, usually food such as chips, crackers, or anything salty."  I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to be extremely drunk to want something savory and delicious with my glass of wine.  So why does your favorite adult beverage taste so much better with those salty peanuts or potato chips?  Our body chemistry may be to blame. 

According to a study done on alcohol and over-eating at college campuses (shocker), “ alcohol plays havoc with a person’s blood sugar, causing it to spike and then rapidly fall. These fluctuations can increase a person’s appetite, which can lead to unhealthy food choices.”  College students not only chose to eat salty, fat-laden foods such as pizza or cheeseburgers, but that behavior continued the next day when hungover.  It’s a double whammy because the alcohol already contains lots of empty calories and then your brain wants you to gobble up those loaded nachos. So what’s the lesson…drink and snack responsibly!   Read more about the study here.